Strong voices rise up in Waubonsie's 'Les Miserables'

Dave Calvert has always wanted to direct "Les Miserables." It's his favorite musical.

But the longtime Waubonsie Valley High School teacher and director needed just the right cast of exceptional talent to pull off the dramatic and demanding production.

"It's very heavy male roles," he said. "We have some of the best voices in the state of Illinois right now. This was the year to do it."

"Les Miserables" opens at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Aurora school with more than 100 students participating in the cast, orchestra and crew.

"The music is gorgeous and lush and fantastic," said senior Antoinette Konow, who plays Cosette. "There's a lot of action and gun shooting. It's a really exciting musical."

Konow's character Cosette is raised by the lead male Jean Valjean, a convict who turns his life around. Valjean raises Cosette to be a beautiful and successful young woman. Cosette eventually falls in love with Marius, and Valjean continues doing good deeds to unite the young couple.

This year, Calvert rented a rotating stage from West Aurora High School. It allows the passage of time to flow without the traditional blackouts for scene changes, he said.

In the show's first song, the rotating stage allows a fast overview of main character Jean Valjean's history. He steals, goes to jail and is released, has trouble getting work, steals from the bishop and is taken back to the constables - all within the first song.

"It's just continually moving," said senior Henry McGinniss, who plays Jean Valjean. "That all happens in the first song actually, so it's really actually fast paced. There's a lot of important material that we get through."

Set in the early 1800s in France, the production demands detailed period costumes, some of which were made by hand and others rented from Broadway Costumes.

"What's going to stand out is the seamless transitions between the music and the spectacle of the set," Calvert said.

And of course, the voices, he said.

Many of the students who will be singing on stage are involved in the school's award-winning show choir group Sound Check or perform with Girls in Heels. Several have already participated in a main stage production at the school.

The Broadway version includes several scenes that most high schools don't tackle. They'll be performed in Waubonsie Valley's show, but describing them would spoil the surprise of several scenes, actors say.

So, potential audience members will just have to take the word of Calvert and his students that they plan to impress with their rendition of "Les Miserables."

"We have all the talent," McGinniss said. "We have all the talent and dedication from the students to get it done."

The show begins at 7 p.m. today through Saturday, April 29 through May 1, with a performance at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 2, at in the auditorium of Waubonsie Valley High School, 2590 Ogden Ave., Aurora.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and seniors. For information, call (630) 375-3300.