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Redemption song: 'Les Misérables' brings its profound tale of survival of the human spirit to Popejoy Hall
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No matter how many times you’ve seen it, “Les Misérables” gets you every time with its heart-wrenching storyline and profound performances from the cast.
Audiences can experience one of the world’s most popular musicals from Tuesday, Feb. 18, through Sunday, Feb. 23, at Popejoy Hall.
The Tony Award-winning musical, is set in 19th century France and tells a story of broken dreams, unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption, according to the Popejoy website. It is a tale of survival of the human spirit.
The score of “Les Misérables” features the songs “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More” and “Master of the House.”
“The music speaks for itself,” said Christian Mark Gibbs, who plays Enjolras in the production. “It’s a timeless classic musical that the music kind of just transcends time. It speaks to many different age demographics.”
Despite the musical being more than 40 years old, Gibbs said young audiences continue to come see the production.
“There’s a lot of high school and middle school kids who come and they’re excited about the show,” he said. “They’re excited about the characters. There are some that come dressed, they love Enjolras and Éponine. They love the different characters. Grantaire also gets a huge shout-out a lot, both online and in person.”
The current production features a profound cast.
“The collection of talents that we have, that has added to the spectacular musical, is unreal,” he said. “Nick Cartell as our Valjean, Nick Rehberger as Javert, Lindsay Heather Pearce as Fantine, Mya Rena Hunter as Éponine, all these people that we have, the collection of talents that we have, it’s just fantastic. And the chemistry works well together. We all work with each other, both on stage and backstage. It’s just a collective family talent that we have in the show.”
The trials and tribulations referenced in “Les Misérables” remain relatable today.
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“It’s very relevant, even more now,” Gibbs said. “This story, although it’s set in France, it’s dealing with human beings and human nature. You’re dealing with very real situations that some people find themselves in. This story is showing an uplifting moment of a person being able to be redeemed. ”
Gibbs’ character, Enjolras, is a prominent force in the storyline.
“He is the student revolutionary leader who’s fighting for more, for the people who are oppressed and weak and can’t particularly fight for themselves, or don’t know that they can come together and fight for themselves,” Gibbs said. “It’s very relevant now here in America and around the world. It’s very relevant now with these people coming together and wanting a better quality of life and fighting for more for themselves.”
Redemption song: 'Les Misérables' brings its profound tale of survival of the human spirit to Popejoy Hall
