The Wausau East End Players will present the epic musical, Les Misérables, April 11-14 at the East High Auditorium.

“Les Misérables has become a worldwide success since being awarded eight Tony Awards (including Best Musical), for its Broadway premiere,” said Terry Riska, Director of Theater at Wausau East High School. “The resourceful lyrics, written by the one-time London drama critics Herbert Kretzmer and James Fenton, from the French of Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, can be sentimental in translation. Yet the libretto has been sharpened in this newly revised adaptation for high school performers in 2017.”

A famous story: The strands of narrative culled from Victor Hugo’s novel of early nineteenth century France intertwine in a huge undulating tapestry. The unjustly hounded fugitive, Jean Valjean, is packing his bags for exile on the ’never-ending road to Calvary,’ even as his eternal pursuer, the police inspector Javert, plots new malevolent schemes. The young lovers, Marius and Cosette, are exchanging tearful farewells while Marius’s unrequited admirer, Eponine, mourns her own abandonment. And everywhere in the Paris of 1832 is the whisper of insurrection, as revolutionary students prepare to mount the barricade.

“At the show’s core is a challenging score of epic proportion featuring unforgettable star turns and some of the most thrilling music ever written for the stage,” said Riska. “This masterpiece is sure both to excite and delight audiences.”
Approximately 100 students will take part in performances of Les Misérables on stage, behind the scenes or in the orchestra with brilliant staging and costumes coordinated by teams of student and parent volunteers. Another 40 student artists, digital artists and technical artists have been working diligently to bring this full production to life.

Performances of Les Misérables will be held on Thursday, April 11, Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13 at 7p.m. There will also be a matinee on Sunday, April 14 at 1 p.m. All performances will take place in the Wausau East High School Auditorium.

Ticket prices are $15 for premium seating, $12 for Adult General Seating, and $10 for students and senior citizen general seating. Tickets are available for advanced purchase at the Wausau East High School Business Office during school hours or at the door.