"We need peace in this country! Peace! PEACE!" yells Danny.
Such is the freedom call from the play room this morning. Then a sad sounding girl sings, "Why am I just a lonely girl?"
All of this after asking them to go start their morning routine and they marched into their room with a solemn "Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Look down. Look down. Don't look them in the eye."
That is the result of a mother in theatrics. Danny is playing an Americanized version (they still don't care that France is the setting and Danny is a huge fan of the American Revolution) of Enjolras, Faith the wispy Cossette, and Viv a sassy Eponnine. My little leading cast!
I have been part of the ensemble cast in a truly talented production of Les Miserables in Fort Wayne this Summer. It was a tough decision for me to take an ensemble role in a production with the time commitment away from my family and our summer fun, but the caliber of the show ultimately made the decision for me. I have grown to appreciate this show more and more for its technicality and depth. Songs still bring me to tears nightly and the actors we have as Jean Val Jean and Javert are breath-taking. My piddly roles (factory girl, creepy hair pedlar, drinker, revolutionary sister, wedding quest) are just parts of a whole, but still allow me to use my voice in ways I have never done before and join in huge anthems such as "One Day More" and "Do You Hear the People Sing." Has the time been worth it? I still question that. Yet the memories and the moments, especially with how it affects my kids is definitely worth it.
Yes, the kids did see the production. It is an extremely heavy show for little children and I do not recommend that anyone take children under the age of 12 to such a show. Yet, my kids now the music from having rehearsed with me at home and we talk often of the story. Josh was a great Dad and sat with them during the very late performance, taking them out during the 'red light district' and back in through the duration of the almost three hour show. I had given them all queues for leaving the theatre to avoid the red light district, telling them to leave just as Fantine was finishing singing "I Dreamed a Dream." Apparently, Viv was hyper-focused on avoiding the 'bad decision ladies' and began bossing Josh out of the theatre as soon as "Dream" started. She was agitated through the potty break and with every ten minutes (further past their bedtime) she became more and more of a grump. I had mentioned to Viv's therapist that we noticed some increased behaviors after having kept the kids up until 11:30 to see Les Miserables and the therapist was noticeably alarmed. Rightly so. It wasn't until I explained that my kids always see me in the shows I work in that she relaxed a bit and her opinion of our parenting choices became rational again. ;)
In talking with the kids since they attended on opening night I have enjoyed their impressions of the show. When asking what was their favorite part of the show, they all agreed that they liked "When he (Jean Val Jean) was singing his prayer over the boy (Marius)." And then we get to sing, as a family over dinner "Bring Him Home." Or in response to "Master of the House" they asked if I was just drinking soda instead of beer. I told them that no one was drinking anything but we were all acting like we were drinking. Faith suggested that we could at least be drinking water for even if that spilled it wouldn't make a big mess. I love the believability of children as well as their very sound logic.
I would not say that this show has been 'fun,' it has been hard from day one. Our director has been very gracious with a very large cast, but it has been a lot of work and time for.....the experience. Life in the theatre is not a complete life, it is only one that orbits my real life as a wife and mother. Now, as Danny runs through the room saying "I love you Mom, but I am preparing for war" then marches calmly into the other room to face his revolutionary plight with loving sisters bidding him farewell before turning the enemy fire on him, I feel a bit better about the time I have spent with this show. I would much rather they are combining the battle tactics of George Washington and young French Revolutionaries rather than Batman and the Penguin. Yep, that might be a bit snobby, but you can't say it isn't historical!
New favorite songs from Les Miserables, beyond the classic cannon: "Turning" "Drink With Me" "Dog Eats Dog" "Javert's Suicide" "Epilogue"
Despite the challenges, you can see why I am proud to be in this production. Here are a few of the archive photos that capture how lovely the artistic design of this show was.
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| Wedding Guests for Marius and Cossette "Ring out the Bells" |
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| "Turning" was created as a mourning scene, I cry every night for my dead brother. |
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| "Javert's Suicide" I watch this from the wings and get chills every night. Stuart Hepler is phenomenal at interpreting this character so that his suicide seems necessary. |
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| "Dring with Me" a lovely moment on the barricade with our boys before they are slaughtered. |
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| "One Day More" although it is the climax of Act 1 it has gotten standing ovations half way through the show. Just the convergence of all those voices at once is magnificient! |
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| "The Poor" The lighting and staging of this is so effective. |
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| "ABC cafe" also "Do You Hear the People Sing" |
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| Factory girls. Dirty, cold, and tired. |
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| Todd Frmyier has captured physically the exhaustion of Jean Val Jean in so many moments that he creates this character, I love watching all of his nuanced acting. |
