WAUSAU — The Wausau East End Players will present the epic musical “Les Misérables” April 11-14 at the Wausau East High School Auditorium.
“‘Les Misérables’ has become a worldwide success since being awarded eight Tony Awards (including Best Musical), for its Broadway premiere,” said Terry Riska, director of theater at Wausau East High School, in a news release. “The resourceful lyrics, written by the one-time London drama critics Herbert Kretzmer and James Fenton, from the French of Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, can be sentimental in translation. Yet the libretto has been sharpened in this newly revised adaptation for high school performers in 2017.”
A famous story: The strands of narrative culled from Victor Hugo’s novel of early 19th century France intertwine in a huge undulating tapestry.
The unjustly hounded fugitive, Jean Valjean, is packing his bags for exile on the ”never-ending road to Calvary,” even as his eternal pursuer, the police inspector Javert, plots new malevolent schemes. The young lovers, Marius and Cosette, are exchanging tearful farewells while Marius’s unrequited admirer, Eponine, mourns her own abandonment. And everywhere in the Paris of 1832 is the whisper of insurrection, as revolutionary students prepare to mount the barricade.
About 100 students will take part in performances of “Les Misérables” on stage, behind the scenes or in the orchestra with staging and costumes coordinated by teams of student and parent volunteers. Another 40 student artists, digital artists and technical artists will bring this full production to life.
Performances will be held at 7 p.m. on April 11; April 12 and April 13; and 1 p.m. April 14.
Ticket prices are $15 for premium seating; $12 for adult general seating, and $10 for students and senior citizen general seating. Tickets are available for advanced purchase at the Wausau East High School Business Office during school hours or at the door.
For more information, contact Riska at 715-261-0650, extension 23317, or [email protected].
Photos courtesy Wausau East. Feature photo: Rehearsal for the Wausau East End Players production of “Les Misérables.”
