Les Miserables, 2023

After watching her big sister be so very involved in the theater department for the past four years, Emma was really excited to jump right in with both feet. She had listened to so many stories of the exciting ups and downs of taking part in shows and was ready to experience it for herself.

Here's where I confess that when I first heard that the fall musical was going to be Les Miserables, I was preparing myself for something possibly on the cringy side. I know, it's so rude that I thought that! It's just that Les Mis is such a big and powerful show, with challenging music and themes. I thought it sounded really hard for a high school to pull it off well. And so...shame on me. I was absolutely incorrect. This production blew me away.

I wish I could adequately convey how much I loved the show! I think that there are several reasons for my big feelings here. In part, it's because I wasn't expecting the kids to be such fantastic singers. We have got some REALLY good singers. Connor, Nicholas, Talia, Grady, Zara, Fran, Emmy, Anna....I'll never forget these incredible singers. Also, I once again had a chance to get a little involved with the costumes. I really did very little, and it was mostly towards the end, when the head costumer Melanie was really needing some extra hands. It gave me the opportunity to get to know some of the kids better, to see all the work that was happening behind the scenes. This side of theater always sweeps me up into its emotion and excitement. I really love the behind-the-scenes of a show. 

And then to see it all come together so well. Man, I could have watched it ten more times. At least.

Of course the best part of all was that Emma got to be a part of it all. She, being a freshman, didn't have any big roles, but she did have several small ones, including the chance to sing a line or two solo. She worked really hard, and our favorite thing was watching her on stage, seeing how she had fleshed out each her characters, even though she was just a part of the ensemble. We were so proud of her.

You know what else I really enjoyed? Complimenting the kids. You could tell that they KNEW they had done a good job. I had been so impressed with their performances and I wanted to let them know. And as I payed them each the hearty compliments they deserved, you could see on their glowing faces how much they were soaking in the praise. I think they really felt good about themselves. 

Also...I have NEVER seen the East High auditorium as full as it was for any other play, EVER. I confess to feeling a little jealous! In my day we struggled to get half that big of an audience! So many people came - and several of them were there just to see our Emma.

Emma's favorite costume was her wedding-guest gown, naturally. Puffed sleeves and everything!

Romney was able to come to the performances on Thursday and Friday night. She brought a treat for a few of her closest friends - a sparkly drink topped with paper flowers that she and I had spent the afternoon making. 

I wish I had more of my own photos from the show. Happily, there is the internet. I found several pretty good shots from the play:

Looking at the photos is just making me wish I could see it again. Hooray for the theater kids of EHS. They were FAN TAS TIC. 

Next up? Footloose. We'll see how it goes!