BHS cast is custom fit for production of ‘Les Mis’
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff Writer
When Burlington High School produced the musical “Les Miserables” in the spring of 2003, the show was so new – and so widely unknown to American audiences – that it took some added effort to convince people to come to the show.
“Once people saw the show, though, it was not hard to sell out the second weekend,” said BHS choral director Penny Yanke, who was the music director for that production 10 years ago and will be again for the latest reincarnation of the show this spring.
This time, though, there is little question about the popularity of the musical. Aside from the Broadway show being a huge hit, Hollywood entered into the picture with a Christmas Day premier – and exited with dozens of award nominations.
BHS’s production has the potential to ride the wave of that popularity, but it’s nothing more than a pleasant coincidence for co-director Troy Everson (along with Beth Reetz), who began working on getting the show back to BHS two years ago.
“I think it’s going to be a huge boon for us,” said Everson of the publicity the Hollywood hit has generated. “However, when we decided to do this show, we had no idea if the Hollywood production would be a hit or a bust – and that didn’t matter to us.
“We knew we had a hit.”
Everson’s cast is laden with talent – actors and singers who have been active in the drama department since their freshmen year. Knowing he had this group available, Everson felt he had to aim for the show.
“This year’s group of boys, followed closely by the girls, is the strongest I’ve seen in 19 years of directing in Burlington,” said Everson.
How deep is that talent pool? Take a look at who is cast:
• Eli Erdmann, one of two Josephs cast in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” two springs ago, is Jean Valjean – the lead character whose choices in life drive the show.
• Lexi Baker, a member of the school’s award-winning cast from last fall’s “Rabbit Hole” production, plays Cosette – the child of a dead prostitute (Fantine, played by Ali Knight) whom he rescues from the evil Thenadier (Danny Levandoski) and his wife (double cast with Hannah Anderson and Marah Zinnen).
Anderson recently showed off her acting chops by playing the part of a male swordsman in last month’s production of “The Princess Bride.”
• Madison Gruman, who played Sandy in “Grease” last spring and was recently named an alternate for “Kids from Wisconsin” – a state performing music troupe – is cast as Eponine, who falls in love with a man who falls for another.
• Marius, Cosette’s eventual husband and a reluctant revolutionary, is double cast between Eli King and Riley Jaeger. The leader of the revolutionaries is Enjolras, played by Gunnar Knight.
• The other main male character, Javert – a ruthless officer of the law who has pursued Valjean for years – is played by senior Jacob Reetz.
For almost all of those actors, “Les Mis” has been a passion for a long time. In fact, two of the female cast members – Ali Knight and Zinnen – were involved as young Eponine and young Cosettte back in 2003.
“I was too stage frightened to do Cosette,” Ali Knight said with a laugh. Now, she finds herself in the role she dreamed about back in those days – Fantine.
There are others in roles they wanted. Erdmann said he always dreamed of being Valjean or Javert.
Jacob Reetz, meanwhile, always wanted to play Javert – a man who he says doesn’t know himself.
“He’s a little bi-polar,” Jacob Reetz said. “He can’t decide whether he’s good or evil. He needs to learn to back off the law and realize that people are human.”
The humanity of the show – and the emotion that comes as a result of it – had all of the cast members talking.
“It’s the amount of emotion that’s put into every piece,” said Erdmann of why “Les Mis” is so special. “Every production I’ve seen of it, it’s just full of emotion.”
At the center of the musical is Valjean, a former criminal who changed his life to help others. Cosette enters his life when he pledges to her dying mother he will care for the little girl. Flash forward a number of years, and Cosette is old enough to be falling in love.
She draws the eye of Marius, a student revolutionary, who suddenly questions his devotion to the cause when he meets the young woman and falls for her – much to the dismay of Eponine, who loves him.
“Her character’s really tragic,” said Gruman. “She gets her heart broken. And she goes and helps him all the time because she still loves him that much.”
While Marius is one of the few roles double cast and Everson says King and Jaeger bring different approaches to the character, both Jaeger and King share the opinion that Marius is, well, weak.
“I feel like if I were to meet my character in real life, I wouldn’t like him,” Jaeger said. “Maybe he wasn’t all the way behind the revolution. Maybe after that was done … he didn’t forget about his friends, (but) he really didn’t take up that movement.”
King added, “He simultaneously needs to be one of the weaker characters, but you need to appreciate him nonetheless. He’s the one who’d frankly rather not go to war.”
The emotion comes not just from the love story, but also from the real-life failed student revolution recounted in the film. Ali Knight, who said she is a huge history buff, nonetheless couldn’t see herself standing up like that.
“I would like to think I’d do it, but I know I’d run,” she said.
That said, she wants to see the show done right.
“We all want to do it justice,” she said.
Not all of the emotions surrounding the show are heavy – and not all of the cast members are experienced with the music. Anderson hadn’t seen the show before she tried out.
“I wasn’t looking at this part,” she said. “But she was so much fun.”
Levandoski is equally looking forward to being opposite Anderson.
“They’re a lot of fun to play,” said Levandoski of the evil couple, who worm their way in and out of several different key points of the plot. “I’m always coming back, I’m always moving the plot along.”
Zinnen, who admits she’s out of her comfort zone with the part, is also up for the challenge.
“I look forward to doing the part justice,” she said.
The school expects a large crowd. The final production dates for the show – and the resulting sale of tickets – have not yet been set. However, Everson is expecting tickets to go quickly.
With this cast, he feels those who get tickets will get their money’s worth.
“We have the busiest and best kids that Burlington has to offer in this cast,” Everson explained. “The students that are on my stage are the movers and shakers of BHS. I could not ask for a more appropriate cast.
“They are hard-working, talented and dedicated young ladies and gentlemen.”
At least in part, that dedication goes with the source material. Everyone is committed to making sure the show’s message – mainly one of hope, even in the face of death – shines through. As the story plays out, few of the characters have truly happy endings, though many find a source of peace in the end.
“Everything they’re emoting is hopefulness,” said Erdmann. “They’re waiting for the revolution to come, they’re waiting for their love to come and sweep them off their feet. They’re longing for their death.”
Added Jacob Reetz, “(It’s about) how they’re fighting for each other and their freedom, and how it brings out the hope, even through all the deaths.”
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