Excelsior Theater Company is proud to officially announce its second season:
"So long as ignorance and poverty exist on earth, books of the nature of Les Misérables cannot fail to be of use." - preface from Les Misérables
Throughout the decades, Victor Hugo's famous novel has been adapted into various mediums - from musicals, movies, and miniseries to plays, radio broadcasts, and audiobooks. The question remains - what is it about such a sad, dark story that is so captivating?
Perhaps it's simply because it is only at the darkest of hours that the best of humanity stands out in relief. That is the crux of Hugo's 1,500-page (or 1,900 pages in French) book, which is aptly translated as The Suffering, or The Wretched. Though the plot encompasses several characters and events, it begins and ends with the convict Jean Valjean. It is, essentially, a story of this prodigal son who, through the grace of God and the charity of others, attains repentance and, consequently, love and mercy towards his fellow men.
Through our adaptation of this renowned novel, Excelsior Theater Company hopes to illustrate the Catholic heart that truly lies within this story. Though Hugo would sadly go on to renounce his faith ten years after publishing Les Misérables, his Catholic background surfaces clearly throughout the narrative, while his commentary on the papacy and the religious life denotes a rising conflict with the Church. However, the intention to focus on Valjean and a need to condense the storyline allowed for the removal of those problematic opinions. In presenting this adaptation, our hope is to expand the audience's perception of Les Misérables through an explicitly Catholic take on the story and a deeper look into some characters, which many other adaptations have cut.
Following on the success of our last season, our team here at Excelsior Theater Company is excited to get this project underway and confident in providing a show that is edifying, compelling, and authentic to Victor Hugo's original story. We hope you are looking forward to it as well! Stay posted for more updates in the next few months, and feel free to comment or ask questions below.
Auditions - late April/early May; stay posted for details
Help also needed with directing, backstage, lights & sound, costumes, and set production; email Acies for more details.
Comments