LES MISERABLES
Performed at Luton Sixth Form College - April 2006
Where do I begin? ……………. this production was simply magnificent!
Of course there were imperfections, we must remember that this was after all an amateur production by young people - the music is difficult and the sheer scale of the production brought some occasional musical and technical blips, but that is me being picky! – the overall impression was one of excellence.
Stuart Farrar (Director) and MD’s Sarah Farrar and Graham Weeks obviously gave their all to these young people, who performed their socks off, extremely well-backed by a large orchestra under the direction of Mr Weeks, who never outplayed the singers and blended well.
A lot is said about the level of funding that CSYMT gets, which is the envy of everyone, but at the end of the day that money is worthless without the talent of the directors and the cast and crew. I would like at this point to mention an often forgotten element of a production – the technical crews, led by Technical Director Dave Houghton, who I know all worked long and hard to transform the stage to the perfect setting – and Dave’s exquisite lighting plot added the necessary drama to this piece.
So, enough about the behind-the-scenes activity – I was simply bowled over by the lovely voices and passionate acting of the cast – it is perhaps unfair to comment on individuals in what was a wonderful exposé of teamwork, but I couldn’t let the opportunity pass without mentioning a few people who stood out for me – but I would like to say that this should not detract from the performances of people I don’t mention, as everyone gave of their best.
I was very impressed with Johnathan Sachon’s portrayal of Jean Valjean – and his rendition of ‘Bring Him Home’ was beautiful. Tom Jennings as Javert showed how well he is maturing in performance and vocal terms - bearing in mind I last saw him as ‘Peter Pan’!! – 2 roles at either end of the spectrum and equally well played. Young Ben Houghton as Gavroche was a revelation, he commanded the stage and showed good singing and acting skills – well done Ben, and I’m sure we will be seeing a great deal of him in future productions. Lisa Shah gave a well-observed performance as Eponine and Declan Perring and Hayley Thompson as the Thénardier’s gave superb comic relief in an otherwise fairly dark show. Nicky Edwards as Enjolras looked the part and had a very unusual and haunting voice, whilst Tony Bignall was well cast as Marius, acquitting himself well in his numbers.
As you can see, I was very impressed with this production, I have seen some very good CSYMT productions and some a bit below par, but this stood head and shoulders above anything I have seen recently, and Mr Farrar will be hard-pressed to top it, indeed on the night I was there the cast received a standing ovation from most of the audience, including this slightly sceptical old critic!! So very well done to all concerned, and particularly to this very talented crowd of Luton youth performers, who will hopefully go on to join one of the adult societies, where they can further hone their stagecraft and performing skills.
Nova Horley
