ACT II (continued)
The Second Attack
Gavroche, Enjolras, Marius, Valjean, Feuilly, Students
The Final Battle
Army Officer, Enjolras, Students
The Sewers
Valjean, Marius, Thénardier
Javert's Suicide
Javert, Valjean
Café Song (Empty Chairs at Empty Tables)
Marius
Marius and Cosette
Marius, Cosette, Valjean
The Wedding
Thénardier, Marius, Madame Thénardier
Director's Note
"While ignorance and poverty exist on earth, books such as this cannot fail to be of value" - Victor Hugo, 1862
150 years later, Hugo's story still feels relevant. Les Miserables forces us to examine what is morally right vs. what is legally right. Valjean represents morals and the proletariat and Javert represents the law and the bourgeoisie. Then there are those who don't fall into either category - people who are both amoral and disregard the law - people like the Thenardiers.
Unfortunately, society will always have people who live above the law. There will also always be people like Javert who are misguided in their principles. Still, the vast majority of people are like Valjean and the students who fight at the barricade. No one is perfect, but most are good.
While many audiences and readers have described Les Miserables as dark and depressing (*spoiler alert* lots of people die), our cast discussions concluded that the overall message of the show is actually quite positive. The phrase "Tomorrow Comes" reminds us that regardless of our situation, "even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise." When Hugo wrote this novel, he didn't know what France would look like a century and a half later. Having the gift of hindsight, we know that the country he loved and fought for thrives today. Through world wars, economic depressions, and most recently a horrific terroist attack, the people of France have endured.
We want to thank the many people who've helped bring this show to life. Thank you to the DHS administration and custodial staff for your never ending support and assistance. To our amazing parent board and costume parents, we can never thank you enough for the countless hours you spend obsessing over every detail to make our kids look perfect! To our hardworking and talented cast and crew, you have no idea how proud we feel. This show was a massive undertaking and you've handled it like professionals. Finally, to you our audience, thank you for allowing us to share this story with you and for supporting the arts at Danvers High School.
Kyla, Tracie and Alex
