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Dundee-Crown students tackle 'Les Miz'

Good vocal health will be the key to success for Dundee-Crown's performance of “Les Miserables” this weekend.

For junior Linnea Bettcher, a few regular doses of the herbal tea known as “Throat Coat” help her hit all the right notes in her role as Eponine, one of the female leads.

Dan Zozokos, a senior playing the lead role of Jean Valjean, also likes to drink tea when he's not singing.

Rogelio Realzola's seasonal allergies have been acting up, but the senior, who is set to play Javert, a police officer, plans to get plenty of rest to prepare himself for the almost three hours of singing the production demands of its cast.

“Les Miserables,” which opened Thursday, continues at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Dundee-Crown auditorium, 1500 Kings Road, Carpentersville. Tickets are $8 for students and $10 for adults at the door.

The production is known among high schools as an enormous undertaking, requiring elaborate sets, a huge cast and lots of male singing talent. According to Executive Director Lisa Bettcher, Dundee-Crown's version will be no exception.

“Everyone in the musical business, (when they hear the name) ‘Les Miz,' they go, ‘whoa,'” Bettcher said.

“I have an extremely strong cast of musicians this year … and we have a lot of strong leads. We have over 120 students involved in the production.”

The musical takes place in 19th century France and follows ex-convict Jean Valjean and a slew of other characters as the country becomes enmeshed in the French Revolution.

The production is more than two hours long and has no spoken lines at all, which means the cast will be singing the entire time.

For senior Nick Hartland, the promise of a good show filled with exceptional music was more than enough to sway any concerns he had about “Les Miz.”

“‘Les Miz,' I think, has some of the best music in any show that we've ever done. It has the most exciting and probably the most roles, which is fitting for the amazing cast we have,” said Hartland, who plays Enjolras, a student leader of the French Revolution.

Hartland says he and the other three lead male in “Les Miserables” have been performing in school productions since middle school, and they have developed a good teamwork on stage because of it.

Senior Brandon Stone, who plays the romantic lead Marius, readily admits that even with the onstage camaraderie, “Les Miserables” has been one of the most challenging productions he has ever been in.

“A lot of high schools attempt to pull off ‘Les Miz,' and some do and some don't,” Stone said.

“This has definitely been one of the most challenging vocal roles I've ever had … Music is a life changing experience, and I'm so thankful I've had this experience.”

  Marius is portrayed by senior Brandon Stone and Cosette is portrayed by sophomore Tessa Dettman during dress rehearsal for the Dundee-Crown production of “Les Miserables.” Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  The orchestra plays during dress rehearsal for the Dundee-Crown production of “Les Miserables.” Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  The cast assembles for the finale during dress rehearsal for the Dundee-Crown production of “Les Miserables.” Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com