BY SUSAN BRYANT

sbryant@tnonline.com

Parkland High School thespians are presenting “Les Misérables: School Edition” April 2-6 in the school’s auditorium.

Les Misérables, set in the years following the French Revolution, tells the story of Jean Valjean as he attempts to redeem himself after being imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread for his family, director Lori Colacito said.

This musical is based on the Victor Hugo’s novel published in 1862.

Music is by Claude-Michel Schonberg with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer.

Vasilis Motsenigos, who portrays Marius Pontmercy, commented on his role.

“Marius is a young, lovestruck student, who struggles to choose between the revolution or love,” Motsenigos said. “I think ‘Les Mis’ is such a beautiful and still relevant show because even though the story is from hundreds of years ago, the characters are still so relatable and emotional.”

Cami Laskosky, who plays Cosette, discussed her character.

“Cosette embodies the qualities of innocence and kindness, despite her difficult childhood, she remains unbroken and optimistic,” Laskosky said. “I admire her quiet strength and resilience and think she has a lot more layers than she gets credit for.”

Samuel Lundberg, who portrays Valjean, and Brady Davidson, who plays Inspector Javert, also commented on their characters.

“Jean Valjean is a very just and caring man,” Lundberg stated. “He is a man of God and lives his life to atone for his past sins and to care for his daughter, Cosette,” “My character is so layered and complex, and it’s so fun to have character moments.”

Davidson said Javert is an interesting character to play.

“He is such an antagonistic force but genuinely believes he is doing the right thing by following the law to the letter, completely ignoring the fact that this environment sometimes forces people to do the wrong thing to survive,” Davidson said. “I love playing Javert because he’s a villain who thinks he’s the hero and probably would be the hero in another story.”

Vocal director is Alison Lagan; choreographer is Ashley Tait Welle; pit orchestra director is Allison Figuero; producer is Andrea Roposh; set designer and scenic painter is Katrina Miller; technical director is Nathan Zwart; lighting and costume designer is Will Morris; sound technician is JT Moyer; production assistant is Natalie Gabrie; and box office manager is Megan Halbert.

“Les Misérables: School Edition” will be performed 7 p.m. April 3, 4 and 5; and at 3 p.m. April 6 in the high school auditorium, 2700 Cedar Crest Blvd., South Whitehall.

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.parklandsd.org/departments/arts/ticket-information.