"Les Mis" a Hit in Hemel

George Watkins (Jean Valjean) and Casey Bird (Fantine)

I was invited to go to Boublil and Schonberg's "Les Miserables" performed by Hemel Hempstead Theatre Company, at the Boxmoor Playhouse.   I hadn't watched the musical since I went to see my friend Peter Polycarpou performing in the original West End production at the Palace Theatre in the 80's. I was only really sorry that Peter didn't come to Hemel with me, because I think he would have been astonished at the amazing accomplishment of this Schools Production of his beloved "Les Mis".

Director and Musical Director, Dan Cowtan, pulled off a very slick, exciting show with a huge cast of teenagers.  The twelve piece band he led were wonderfully classy too.   Dan was trained at the Royal Northern College of Music and his professionalism as a director shone through.  The sets were brilliantly simple and the costumes absolutely spot on.

Every kid on the stage gave their all, utterly, and this is what made this such an excellent  production.  George Watkins  (Jean Valjean) and Joshua Pellegrini  (Javert) carried the show with their passion and astonishingly rich powerful voices.  It seemed almost impossible to believe they were both about 18 - the professional gravitas of their performances was breathtaking!

James Penniston as Thenardier

I was also blown away by James Penniston's  wildly comic performance as Thenardier and his brilliant partner in crime Zoe Harbour, particularly their rousing "Master of the House" number.   You can't teach comic timing, it's born in the blood and they had oodles of it.  Casey Bird gave a vocally accomplished and moving performance as  Fantine and I was also very fond of Kelan Davis' electrically charged Enjolras and  Rachel Thomas's exquisite Cossette.

Lauren Seres (Young Eponine) and Zoe Harbour (Madame Thenardier) 

I had forgotten how incredibly operatic Les Mis is - how huge, with hardly a word of  dialogue - but how it has endured and lives inside us all now.   By the end of the show there wasn't a dry eye in the house.  Standing for the ovation, in the absolutely packed theatre, with tears streaming down my face, I was reminded what theatre was all about - this was sheer entertainment - we had gone to the barricades with them, one and all, and we would all go again if they asked us!

Kelan Davis (Enjolras) and seated Richard Edwards (Marius)