EVENTS Les Misérables, LSF Production, March 2020 By Nick Grainger (Class of 1980)
Earlier this year, months of dedication, blood, sweat and tears came to magnificent fruition in the form of The Foundation’s production of Les Misérables, performed over several nights in early March. The event was supported enthusiastically and in great numbers by the whole LSF community and attended by a large number of alumni and former teaching staff (including Mr & Mrs Neville Ireland and Mr Barry Percival who met up with old boy, Ian Ellis (Class of 1968) who made a special journey from his home in Kentucky to attend the event!) Indeed, it became apparent that alumni representing all years between 1950 and the recent past were present during the show’s run and I, myself, was particularly keen to witness the event given that my son, Ted, was in the cast and that I had been involved in the school’s landmark production of Die Fledermaus 40 years before. Back in 1980, the school was praised for its ambition in attempting such a demanding piece of theatre and now it must receive even greater plaudits for the scale of this achievement. I first saw Les Mis in 1988, then only two years into its first West-End run with Michael Ball as Marius and Colm Wilkinson as Valjean. It was less a musical, more a phenomenon and it immediately became my favourite show, it was played and listened to hundreds of times over the next thirty years. I know and love it…well. Consequently, I came to enjoy myself on that Friday evening in March and I was not disappointed. Director, Sally Bruton’s set together with the lighting and sound were excellent, transforming the Hodson Hall from school assembly venue into a vibrant amphitheatre and drawing the audience into 19th Century France with irresistible realism. The well-known score was expertly delivered by the fine orchestra under the baton of Stuart Thompson (I know this because I didn’t notice them) and the cast were, quite simply… outstanding.
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Playing older men when you are still in your teens is difficult for male performers but Freddie as Valjean and Olly as Javert carried off their parts with great control and gravitas whilst Alex was simply wonderful as Thenadier (a great part, yes, but it needs to be done well to avoid audience disappointment). Ben looked the part and was suitably heroic as Marius whilst Will led the doomed students with defiant gusto. The female leads were impressively professional in their acting and singing - Fran, Lucy and Emilia as Cosette, Eponine and Fantine respectively were all superb and delivered their showstoppers with skill, passion and wonderful technique (congratulations to Musical Director David Morris) whilst Jess was wonderfully comic as Mme Thenadier. The supporting cast of students, townsfolk, prisoners and whores was high on energy, commitment and talent and provided a perfect frame for the endeavours of the main protagonists. Bravo everyone – as a Loughburian thespian of the past I was made to feel very proud and to realise how the quality of school productions has moved on in recent years.
