The young revolutionaries of 19th-century Paris are already in motion in a rehearsal photo from Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s new production of "Les Miserables." The musical begins performances August 12, bringing Jean Valjean, Inspector Javert, Fantine, Cosette, and a stageful of doomed idealists to the company’s new open-air home in Garrison.
Based on Victor Hugo’s sprawling 1862 novel, the musical follows Valjean, who serves 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread. After his release, he builds a new life under an assumed identity, but the relentless Javert refuses to let the past stay buried. Their decades-long pursuit unfolds amid poverty, thwarted romance, political unrest, and the 1832 Paris uprising.
The musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg has become one of the most widely recognized works in modern musical theater, powered by songs including “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Bring Him Home,” “Master of the House,” and the barricade-rattling ensemble number “One Day More.”
Jenn Thompson, whose credits include HVS’s Into the Woods, directs the production, with music supervision by Amanda Morton and choreography by Rhett Guter. Josh Young leads the cast as Jean Valjean opposite Denis Lambert as Javert. Haley Dortch plays Fantine, with Haley Rose Ciaramella as Éponine, Ana Paola Garcia as Cosette, Alex Ross as Marius, and Riley Thompson as Gavroche. David Beach and Nance Williamson take on the gleefully unscrupulous Thénardiers.
The production arrives during Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s first season in the Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center, its permanent home overlooking the Hudson Highlands. The open-air setting should prove an expansive match for a show built around public struggle, massed voices, and the spectacle of a city on the brink.
"Les Miserables" begins previews August 12, officially opens August 15, and continues through September 27 at Hudson Valley Shakespeare in Garrison.
