‘Miz’ Kids Bangor High School students to stage abridged version of famed musical

Nick Cyr was so enthralled by the musical “Les Miserables” as a little boy, he declared to his parents that day that he was going to be an actor when he grew up. Since then, Nick, who is now a junior in high school, has been doing school theater and local theater as often as his schedule allows. But he kept dreaming about the musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s romantic novel and, in particular about the character of Javert, the obsessed police captain who devotes his life to chasing the escaped convict Jean Valjean, the hero of the story.

The only way Nick could be in the show, however, would be to join the cast in the long-running Broadway production or to make it into one of the touring shows. That meant he had to be patient with finishing his education and lucky enough to get an audition in New York City.

But Nick’s theatrical dream came true faster than he expected. In April, “Les Miserables,” the second-longest-running show in Broadway history, became the first musical ever to become available for school productions while still on Broadway, still in London’s West End and still touring internationally. To commemorate Victor Hugo’s 200th birthday this year, Music Theatre International, one of the major dramatic licensing agencies for musicals, released “Les Miserables: School Edition,” an abridged version approved by Cameron Mackintosh, the original producer of the 1987 Tony Award-winning phenomenon.

Carlene Hirsch, Bangor High School’s always-ambitious theater teacher, booked the show immediately and, while she didn’t grab the premiere in Maine – that was done over the summer at Med-O-Lark Camp in Washington, according to MTI – she and music director George Redman have the first fully staged version in the area.

When Hirsch’s students heard about the acquisition, they were ecstatic. A banner turnout for auditions at the beginning of the school year and an abundance of seniors hoping to take their final step on the Peakes stage forced double casting in some of the lead roles – and Nick Cyr landed the role of Javert. But more than 60 students are participating in the show, which opens tonight and runs through next weekend at Peakes Auditorium.

During a recent rehearsal, a group of actors answered in unison when they recalled first hearing that the Broadway hit would be staged at their school: “I flipped out.” “I was so excited.” “I said, ‘Oh thank you, thank you, thank you.'”

Most of the shows performed by high school actors, they added, do not have the depth or historical grounding of “Les Miz,” which is about social injustice in 19th century France. The musicals popular with high schools – “Guys and Dolls” and “The Wizard of Oz” for example – do not delve deeply and maturely into complex human relationships and social conflicts.

Several students said they believed so intensely in the unfolding of the tale before them each night in rehearsals that they often caught themselves crying when their classmates enacted emotional scenes. One student said that he so much embodied the hatred between him and his enemy that he felt transported to the battlefields of the story in a way that made him reflect on his own understanding of the importance of peace. Moments such as that, he and the others said, helped the actors understand history, the characters and themselves a little better.

“It’s pretty easy to take this show seriously,” said Alex Rosenblatt, a rock-and-roll singer whose voice has been stretched and strengthened in the role of Marius, one of the romantic leads. “You actually have to learn about your character and all the emotions you go through. I don’t know much about French culture in the 1800s. But more and more as I sing these lines and become this character, I see how amazing this show is. Everyone else is in character, too. So you are all there in the 1840s together.”

Colin Graebert, a musician who has more comfortably been in the orchestra pit for past productions, was cast in the star role of Jean Valjean.

“I don’t look like a guy who worked 19 years on a chain gang,” said Colin. “But I have to come up with the feeling to be the guy who can do everything Jean Valjean does. This is my first time onstage. I love the music. I love the role. I can hit the notes.”

“It’s so much about content,” said Katie Dawson, who shares the role of Eponine with her friend Angela Warren. “The more you do it, the more you know about your character.”

Through the years, Hirsch has struggled to find shows to challenge her students in just these ways. She has to strike the right balance between keeping her talented students connected to developments in more urban high-school centers and winning the approval of the BHS administration. She also has budgetary limitations – for this show, she had $4,000 but sometimes she has as little as $300.

Like Colin in his role, “Les Miz” hit all the right notes – with Hirsch as a director and teacher, with the principal, the parents and, most importantly, the students. Hirsch hopes to stretch the cast and the audience artistically and personally.

While the show is sure to draw musical fans from all age groups, the cast and technical crew range in age from 13 to 18, and have been meeting for rehearsals since September. For some roles, students studied the original novel, and everyone received a crash course in 19th century French history. Even the tech kids are facing new conundrums, such as figuring out how to juggle 12 lavaliere microphones between three times as many singers.

But the heart of it all, said Hirsch, is the story of love, injustice, responsibility and freedom.

“I’ve loved this production ever since I heard it years ago,” said Hirsch. “It has a message about commoners that is so strong – and it’s strong right now, not just in history. In the show, there is a small faction of peacekeepers who are willing to fight only for their beliefs and to put their lives on the line for common people. I see our modern kids as being more like Marius, who is torn between falling in love and going to fight with his buds. A lot of people would say this is beyond our kids. But it’s not. My seniors have the knowledge to do this.”

Hirsch’s goals for her theater department are in line with Mackintosh’s decision to release the rights to schools, camps, theaters and organizations for young people.

“The future of the theater is all about developing and nurturing a passion for musicals and plays among the youth,” said Mackintosh earlier this year. “This is where the new composers, actors, designers and writers will come from. This is where the new audiences will come from. And I believe that ‘Les Miserables,’ which tells the story of so many committed, impassioned young people, should provide a thrilling theatrical learning experience for teenagers across the U.S.”

Because the show is tightly controlled by the licensing agency, Hirsch had to follow strict rules regarding the production. She was not permitted to cut any lines, songs or scenes (including the occasional swear word), or go too far in interpreting the text – right down to the signature marching scene from the professional production. Videotaping of the show is strictly forbidden and, in keeping with BHS rules, no student is allowed to wield a gun that shoots. (Hirsch will provide those sound effects from the lighting booth.)

The big sound, however, comes from Redman’s orchestra, a mix of high school, college and professional musicians, and from the full-cast chorus.

“This is a show many of these kids have grown up with,” said Redman. “They were born right around the time the show premiered in London and New York. It’s a challenge to the students but we have risen to it. They have the ability to work with real emotions, with real tragedy and it has taken them above the level of many musicals we’ve done. It’s something I hope they will cherish forever.”

Bangor High School will present “Les Miserables: School Edition” 7 p.m. Dec. 5-7 and 11-13 at Peakes Auditorium. For information, call 941-6200.