On Friday February 7th and Friday February 14th, I saw Les Misérables at Dakota High School. This past month, I was working on a story featuring interviews with the cast(which you can check out on this website) so I have been looking forward to seeing it for a month or so.  This is what I initially thought when I saw it the first time and my thoughts afterwards.

Before the show even started, I was already anticipating that this was going to be a fantastic show. When the first people began to sing, I became entranced by the story in front of me. By intermission, I was beyond impressed. Every single person in this cast was cast perfectly and executed their parts beautifully. All I have to say is, I thoroughly enjoyed it both times.

Caution, as there are spoilers to Les Mis in this review, but if you didn’t go see it, that’s on you ;).

Early on in the show, I was already hooked by the story. Javert (Andrew Deacon) and Jean Valjean (Zachary Burnham) had a brilliant dynamic as they played opposite each other. Deacon commands the stage with each appearance he makes. He absolutely nailed Javert’s serious and determined demeanor in each scene. Burnham’s portrayal of Valjean was extremely well-executed. He contributed tons of emotion throughout the show in each song and line. They both establish their dynamic in the first scene and uphold this throughout the show as Javert chases Valjean.

The first of the leading women to make an appearance on stage is Fantine (Rachel Nesbitt). Her big vocal moment is the song, “I Dreamed a Dream” early in the first act. Despite the song’s difficulty, Nesbitt blew me away with her sheer talent and emotion. The first time I saw it, I’ll be honest, I cried. She was absolutely spectacular through this song and the rest of her scenes.

One of the most fun songs is “Master of The House.” The Thénardiers (Trevor Markwood and Lauren Davis) were the perfect comedic duo to play these parts. The two of them together were absolutely hilarious while portraying this overly-dramatic and amusing couple. Each time they entered the stage, I could tell some mischief would occur soon that would draw laughter from the audience.

There were two young child actors who appeared in some scenes in the show. Gia Garrisi played Young Cosette. Her singing of “Castle on a Cloud” was beautiful. Her role was small, but very well-done. Aaron Hopersberger and Jerrold Apel split the role of Gavroche, a young child who takes part in the revolution. Both boys were equally energetic and talented. I got to see both of them on different nights and they both fulfilled the role with extreme charisma, making the audience immediately fall in love with the character.

Enjolras (Chris Laubach) is an important figure in the revolution that takes place. Laubach is excellent in this role as he rallies the people of France for revolution. I can still hear “the people sing” as Enjolras says as the revolution begins. His performance along with the other students and revolutionaries in the battle at the barricades is outstanding.

Marius (Colin Johnson) is attracted to Cosette (Jessica Lenkevich) and immediately, the audience is wanting him to finally find her. The two were a beautiful duo. Johnson and Lenkevich are both extremely vocally talented and full of poise. It seemed like they were made for these roles as they fit them perfectly.

The end of Act One culminates with the big number, “One Day More.” Let me just say this: it was phenomenal. The number features many of the themes from various songs and the audience gets to see many of the leads appear. The entire cast blew me away, and at intermission, I was shocked that I was only watching a high school production.

Act Two continues the story with the barricade scene, which is where I truly realized how much work must have gone into set building for this production. This set, along with others used in the show, was incredibly intricate and overall added to the entire show. Also, I can’t not mention the barricade scene. It was amazing. It was extremely action-packed and captivating, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

The second act has many emotional moments. Eponine (Bianca Cabarios) has her big moment in the song, “On my Own,” before the barricade fighting begins. Cabarios delivered this song with emotion and incredible control, and yes, I cried (what is my cry count up to now?). When I read the program after seeing it the first time, I was shocked to realized that Cabarios is only a sophomore. Despite this, she has the same amount of skill and professionalism as her senior cast mates, making her another person who was perfectly cast.

Continuing on with emotional moments in Act Two, Eponine’s death is a very emotional and unexpected moment. Johnson and Cabarios brought me to tears (again). Johnson’s emotion as Marius is absolutely incredible and tear-retching. Johnson especially pulled at heartstrings during “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” as he sang of the death of his friends who passed at the barricade, making me once again cry. Gavroche’s death is another moment that I cried, as both actors who played Gavroche played it with such emotion and professionalism. Javert’s suicide is yet another emotional moment, and Deacon played it extremely well. Burnham’s “Bring Him Home” was stunning and beautiful as well.

In addition to these phenomenal actors, there was a talented group seated just below the stage: the pit. Lead by DHS choir teacher, Alexander Walker, and featuring DHS band teacher Justin Makarewicz on Trumpet 1, this pit was full of students and professional musicians. There were moments featuring the pit, and these instrumentalists sounded amazing. The pit is a vital part of musical theater, and Dakota’s pit did not disappoint.

Everyone in this production was amazing, even those with more minor roles. The ensemble is an important part of what is happening on stage, and several members definitely stood out as great performers. Performers such as Katie Schafer (Girl 5, Understudy for Fantine), Michael Garrant (Harbor Man, Brujon, Laborer, Army Officer), Cristiana Rosa(Sick Lovely Lady, Student Director), and Kaiden Zmija (Grantaire, Convict), and others may not have had the larger roles, but certainly still performed their hearts out and made an impression.

The final scene was tear city for me and several of the people I was seeing it with. I was already crying when Valjean died and sang with Fantine and Eponine. They sang their last line and I heard voices coming from behind me singing “Do you hear the people Sing?” The lights had begun to come up, and I watched as the auditorium and stage filled with the entire cast. And yes, I cried (I’ve lost track of how many times I cried).

My final thoughts: A bunch of high schoolers made me cry several times, and not just because of the story, but because of their beautiful portrayal of the story. Dakota productions have always blown me away, but this one had me speechless. I also have been listening to the Les Mis soundtrack nonstop for the past couple of weeks. Overall, this was a perfectly cast and beautifully executed production. I am so glad that I took the time and went and saw it more than once. Everyone involved with this production put in the work, and it showed as every person I heard from was blown away as well by this truly phenomenal and revolutionary production of Les Misérables.