January 17, 2017
The South Burnett Musical Comedy Society (SBMCS) will be holding rehearsals for Les Miserables cast and chorus members this weekend and next.
Les Misérables is a musical based on the novel of the same name by French poet and novelist Victor Hugo.
Set in early 19th-century France, it tells the story of Jean Valjean, a peasant, and his quest for redemption after serving nineteen years in jail for stealing a loaf of bread to help feed his sister’s starving child.
Valjean decides to break his parole and start life anew after a kindly bishop inspires him with a tremendous act of mercy, but he is relentlessly tracked down by a police inspector named Javert.
Along the way, Valjean and a slew of characters are swept into a revolutionary period in France, where a group of young idealists make their last stand at a street barricade.
Les Miserables was first published in 1862, and is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.
It was turned into a musical in 1980 with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg and lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, and debuted in Paris.
An English-based London production has run continuously since October 1985, making it the longest-running musical in the West End and the second longest-running musical in the world.
The SBMCS’ production will be a concert version that focuses on the show’s music, and will be directed by well-known South Burnett singer and music teacher Sue Dowideit-Reiger.
There will be minimal blocking and no actual sets.
Instead, singers will be seated on the stage when they are not singing, and leads and cameos will come forward for their songs, otherwise singers will stand in front of their allocated seats when singing.
The general atmosphere for the show will be created by Les Misérables projections on the walls on either side of the stage, complemented by moody lighting.
In general it is anticipated that all leads will sing as part of chorus for songs in which they are not featured, and the SBMCS – whose 2017 productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and the Wizard Of Oz drew rave reviews – are promising audiences another outstanding show.
Two information sessions about the show were held at Kingaroy State High School’s S Block Dance Room on January 14 and January 15.
Adult auditions will be held on January 20, 21, 27 and 28 and children’s auditions – for children aged 8 and over – on January 27 and 28.
Further information can be obtained from the SBMCS website or by messaging the SBMCS Facebook page.
