Arts & Entertainment
Young Actors From Across NOVA Gather in Centreville to Perform ‘Les Mis’
The Centreville Presbyterian Church Community Theater presents Les Miserables: School Edition on February 24-27.
The CPC Community Theater didn’t limit their search to Centreville when casting Les Miserables School Edition. The 52 actors represent twenty high schools and six middle schools, creating community ties while following the rule that all cast members must be nineteen or younger.
According to Musical Theater International, this version of Les Miserables has been “specially adapted to meet the needs of young performers.” The play has been abridged, bringing the running time to just less than two hours. The play opens on Thursday, February 24 at Centreville Presbyterian Church. Performances will be February 24-26 at 7:30 p.m. and February 26-27 at 2 p.m.
Though not usually considered a religious play, Les Miserables certainly has religion and morality at its core. It is a story of love and revolution, of a man who skips out on his parole in order to have a decent life and the man who chases him, determined to follow the letter of the law.
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The actions of a bishop early in the first act shape the character of ex-prisoner and parolee Jean Valjean. The bishop’s actions save Valjean from being sent back to prison and convince him to give his life to God.
In the Director’s Notes in the program, director Zoe Dillard interprets the message in the play as a call for love, compassion and civility in a society where she says those qualities are lacking.
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“’To love another person is to see the face of God,’” Dillard wrote. “Les Mis, in a sentence. Turn on the news and you’ll notice that there is a gaping hole in our social fabric, in our ability to love one another… If we wish to see God, to know His Spirit, is it not first the faces around us in which we should search?”
According to their website, members of the Centreville Presbyterian Church created the CPC Community Theater in 2007, hoping to “develop the gifts of all artists and to encourage their spiritual journey.” The theater produces one full-scale production each school year, each “presented for the glory of God.”
The performance is captivating. It is mostly song, with very little spoken dialogue, and the voices are spot-on, clear and emotionally powerful.
Tickets are $10, available at the church office or online. There will also be childcare available at the Saturday matinee. To reserve childcare space, call (703)-830-0098.
