SSFC production of Les Misérables

April 2009 saw a whole college production of the student edition of Les Misérables, directed by Simon Talbot and Chris Lewis. We were grateful for the support of Shrewsbury School in allowing us the use of the Ashton Theatre.  Ryan Tudor (second year graphics student) who designed the advertising material for the show.

The musical is based on the 1862 novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Set in early 19th-century France, it follows the intertwining stories of a cast of characters as they struggle for redemption and revolution. The characters include a paroled convict named Jean Valjean who, failing attempts to find work as an honest man with his yellow ticket of leave, breaks his parole and conceals his identity; the police inspector Javert who becomes obsessed with finding Valjean; Fantine, the single mother who is forced to become a prostitute to support her daughter Cosette; Cosette, who, after her mother's death, becomes Jean Valjean's adopted daughter and who eventually falls in love with a revolutionary student named Marius Pontmercy; the Thénardiers, the unscrupulous innkeepers who initially foster Cosette, and who thrive on cheating and stealing; éponine, their young daughter who is hopelessly in love with Marius; Gavroche, a young beggar boy and the young son of the Thénardiers; and a student leader Enjolras who plans the revolt to free the oppressed lower classes of France. The main characters are joined by an ensemble that includes prostitutes, student revolutionaries, factory workers, and others.

Images from the Show

Click here for a pdf showing images of the show taken by Andrew O'Carroll, current graphics student.

What's the difference between the student and full edition?

Released by Sir Cameron Mackintosh to be performed specifically in schools and colleges, all performers have to be under 19. The Student Edition contains small cuts from the original show, mostly of a few bars and repeats, although some are more substantial. It is some 25 minutes shorter than the 'official version', although no critical scenes or songs have been removed. One or two changes may have been made for reasons of unsuitable language or sentiment. Most cuts have been made merely to shorten the show to a length manageable for young performers. Several of the songs lose a verse and the song 'Fantine's Death' is heavily edited - most of the confrontation between Valjean and Javert is removed.