This week, Kenley Young Reporters' Club turned their hand to theatre review, as they witnessed Riddlesdown Collegiate's production of Les Miserables.
Set in 19th-century France, we follow Jean Valjean who is convicted of stealing bread and jailed for 19 years. Valjean (also known as Prisoner 24601) goes on to become a town mayor and respected by everyone. This breaks the conditions of his parole and he is pursued by Inspector Javert who makes his life a misery.
He becomes an adoptive father to Cosette, whose mother, Fantine, he once helped. The grown-up Cosette later falls in love with one of the student revolutionaries called Marius. There are a lot of revolutionaries who join together to fight the French army at the barricades, including a street urchin called Gavroche. The story all ends in one big final battle climbing up the barricades!
The original story of Les Miserables is by Victor Hugo. This story was taken and used for a French musical version in 1980. An English-language version opened in London in 1985 and is now the second longest continually running show after The Mousetrap.
The School Edition shortens the musical to just over two hours and is approved by the writers of the original. It also has the condition that it cannot be performed to more than 500 people and performers must not be over the age of 19.
The Riddlesdown Collegiate production was a long show, but it seemed to go by in an instant as it was so much fun. Actors would appear from either side of the stage and walk along the aisles dancing and singing right next to you.
The stage was full of smoke and lights and the actors ran around in a square with the orchestra pit in the middle, which was very unusual. The show was always full of exciting moments and sad ones too; but the singing and performances were just like seeing a performance in the West End. It was also quite a weird feeling when the cast came and sat right in front of you - and started singing, or even dying!
The most exciting roles on stage were the two leads – Jean Valjean and his arch enemy Javert.
The actor who played Valjean had a huge cheer from the audience at the end of the show. But Valjean is the character we follow most.
Sixth form student Liam Woods-Williams plays Valjean and had some fantastic vocals that were either amazingly deep or hitting the highest notes. We all thought Liam has to be a big star one day and during the interval we were able to speak to him, before he had to rush away for the second act.
Emma from Reporters' Club reports how Liam told us that it was "brilliant" playing the role and that it was also: "lots of hard work – but worth it!"
The cast have all been practising since last October and Liam told us it took him a month to learn all his lines for Valjean.
He was already a big fan of Les Miserables and this was a role he really wanted.
