'Les Misérables: School Edition' at Cranford Dramatic Club

Cranford Dramatic Club Junior Theatre will present "Les Misérables: School Edition" in a few days.

Set in early 19^th-century France, "Les Misérables" follows a man named Jean Valjean and his quest for redemption after serving nineteen years in jail for having stolen a loaf of bread. As he sets out to start a new life, he finds himself relentlessly hounded by police inspector Javert. Along the way, Valjean and a slew of characters are swept into a revolutionary period in France, where a group of young idealists make their last stand at a street barricade.

When seeing the show, it is requested that audience members bring a nonperishable food item that will be donated to Cranford Family Care, a program dating back to the Great Depression that provides short-term, emergency assistance to Cranford families.

The show runs at 8 p.m. May 29 and at 2 and 8 p.m. May 30. Tickets cost $12.

To purchase tickets, click here. For more information, visit the CDC website. The Cranford Dramatic Club is located at 78 Winans Avenue, Cranford

'Les Misérables' at Kelsey Theater

Do you hear the people sing?

Soon you will be able to at Kelsey Theater, where "Les Misérables" will open on March 28.

Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, "Les Misérables" takes us on the journey of Jean Valjean, an honest man driven to steal a loaf of bread. It’s an act that has far-reaching consequences, condemning Valjean to hard labor for almost two decades. As he sets about to start a new life, Valjean finds that he cannot keep his past totally at bay. Javert, a police inspector with an unbending sense of justice, continues to track him relentlessly. The characters’ personal sagas are set against the backdrop of revolutionary France as “Les Misérables” compellingly addresses themes of love, freedom, sacrifice, honor and the nature of justice.

The show features Maria Aromando as Madame Thenardier, Abigail Bastian as Young Cosette, Elio Lleo of East Windsor as Javert, James Petro as Marius, Michael Scibilia as Jean Valjean, Tressa McCallister Scibilia as Fantine, Samantha Sharpe as Eponine, Roman Sohor as Monsieur Thenardier, Cat Tierney of Princeton as Cosette, Noah Barson as Jean-Prouvaire, Tom Bessellieu as Brujon, Matthew Dawson as Courfeyrac, Shawn Doremus as Enjolras, Simon Hamilton as Gavroche, Christopher Kamps as Combeferre, William Kamps as Feuilly, Tom Petrino as Claquesous, Robert D. Rodriguez as Babet, Matthew Staley of Hamilton as Grantaire, Karl Weigand as Lesgles, Michael Zweig as Joly; and Jill Bradshaw, Shannon Brueckner, Kim Cupo, Vianna Fagel, Elizabeth Ferrara, Lucy Fisher, Cathryn Hardy, Samantha Kamen, Colby Langweiler, Jaimie McMillin, and Joan Zalot as ensemble.

Performances will be at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays March 28-April 13. Tickets cost $20 each.

To purchase tickets, click here or call Kelsey Theater's box office at (609)570-3333. Kelsey Theater is located at the Mercer County Community College campus on 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor.

Casting Call: 'Les Misérables'

Auditions will be held at Kelsey Theater for "Les Misérables" 7-10 p.m. Nov. 11, 18, 19, and 20.

Auditionees will need to sing a complete song from a musical, and to bring sheet music in the correct key. An accompanist will be provided. All roles require solo singing and vocal stamina.

Audition appointments are highly encouraged.

Jean Valjean (tenor, late 30s–mid-60s)	The protagonist of our story, a powerfully built but fundamentally gentle former convict. Needs a singer with extended range to a high C and a comfortable falsetto.
Police Inspector Javert (bass-baritone, late 30s–mid-60s)	Disciplined and driven police inspector defined by the prey he hunts, and by the Old Testament idea of justice that underlies that hunt. Though tightly controlled, Javert is not a robot, a martinet, nor lacking in cleverness or intelligence. Need a powerful singer with a rich, full sound, high range to a G.
Thenardier (baritone, early thirties–early fifties)	An innkeeper, con artist, thief, and petty grifter; he rises above some of his peers through a combination of surprising charisma and just enough cleverness to survive. Thenardier is amoral, certainly closer to actual evil than any of the other characters in the play, and if it were not for his basic lack of ambition, he'd be truly dangerous.
Marius Pontmercy (baritone, mid-20s)	A young and idealistic student, given to wild displays of emotion. More of a second-in-command than a leader. Music covers an extremely wide range and must be very well sung.
Enjolras (tenor, mid-20s)	A student, and Marius' friend. Enjolras is a natural leader, and must be powerfully charismatic. He is also optimistic and extremely intelligent, albeit reckless.
Fantine (mezzo-soprano, late 20s)	An ordinary factory girl, driven by bad fortune and worse circumstances to utter desperation. Needs mezzo-soprano range with a very strong medium-to-high belt.
Cosette (soprano, early 20s)	A young woman who has been raised under tight supervision and with great care; as a result she is confident, secure, well-mannered, and perhaps just the tiniest bit stir-crazy.
Eponine (belter, 18-25)	A street girl, Thenardier's daughter; she is experienced, clever, and competent, outwardly cynical but secretly hopeful. Must be an excellent singer with a high belt and comfortable low range.
Madame Thenardier (alto or mezzo-soprano, early 30s-early 50s)	Thenardier's wife, and his perfect match; she is more clever than her husband, though perhaps not quite so charming. Extremely forceful, memorable, and unsettling personality.
Gavroche (9-10)	A young boy, without apparent home or family, who more or less runs the streets of Paris in his own way. Resourceful, precocious, aggressive, and impulsive. Needs a strong, unchanged male voice.
Young Cosette (9-10)	A young girl, completely lost and vulnerable. Needs a light "little girl" voice with no belt.
Ensemble	Includes, among other characters, the Bishop of Digne, constables, student revolutionaries, soldiers, peasants, factory workers, convicts, laborers, prostitutes, aristocrats, and criminals. All roles require extensive solo singing, and actors of all ages and types are needed.

Performances will be performed at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays from March 28 to April 13. Callbacks for the show will be held Nov. 23 or 24.

To make an appointment, contact (609)378-5515 or ptpauditions@gmail.com. Auditions will be held in the Communications Building next to the theater, which is on the Mercer County College Campus at 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor.