Character Breakdown and Recommended Vocal Range
Les Misérables School Edition
Singing Roles (and pronunciations):
Character(s) | Description and Vocal Range |
---|---|
JEAN VALJEAN |
Jean Valjean is the hero of the show. It is his life journey that we
follow. Jean Valjean is supposed to be stronger than other men,
and so physically should appear robust. He should reasonably carry
himself as mature and paternal. Valjean's ability to change is his
greatest asset. the key to his character is his great humanity and
compassion. Jean Valjean is a vocally demanding role. |
JAVERT |
Javert is the inspector who serves as antagonist to Jean Valjean. Javert
is unswerving in his belief that men cannot change for the good.
"Once a thief, always a thief" is his mantra. At first
glance Javert might appear to be the villain of the story, but on
closer examination it is clear that he is not an evil man. He is
aware that in society some people achieve control through evil and
others through power of the law. He is a dedicated policeman, with
a profound sense of duty. Unlike Valjean he cannot change. His
attitudes are rigid and unmovable. He is stern, forbidding and
lacking in compassion. Javert should be an actor who can
convincingly stand up to Jean Valjean. |
CHAIN GANG |
The Chain Gang consists of Jean Valjean's fellow prisoners. There are
four soloists (indicated as Convict 1,2,3,4.) The overall vocal
range of the convicts is low and they should be able to sing in a
rich baritone if possible. |
CONSTABLE 1 & 2 |
There are two Constables with solos in the show. |
FARMER |
The Farmer has solo lines that are a bit difficult to sing. There may
be additional non-singing farmers. |
LABOURERS |
The Laborer has solo lines that are a bit difficult to sing. There may
be additional non-singing laborers. |
BISHOP OF DIGNE |
The Bishop is a good man who saves Valjean with his compassion. Don't
overlook the importance of this role. The Bishop of Digne's
compassion carefully establishes the premise of the show by
literally buying Jean Valjean's soul for God. |
FANTINE |
Fantine is the beautiful young girl who, abandoned by her lover, is left
to fend for herself and her daughter Cosette. She is rejected by
society and forced through circumstances to become a prostitute.
She is a brave woman defeated by life, sustained by her love for
her daughter, and clinging to her dignity. Sick with consumption,
we witness her descent through poverty, hunger, cold, loneliness
and destitution to death. She is a noble character, whose life
becomes is a series of terrible events that rob her of her pride,
character, and ultimately her life. |
FOREMAN |
The Foreman begins Fantine on her downward spiral of desperation. He
should be virile, commanding and a bit sleazy around the edges. |
FACTORY GIRL (GIRL 5) |
The Shop Girl fights with Fantine. She is mean, catty, and selfish.
She also is most likely having an affair with the Foreman and
jealous of Fantine. |
SAILORS |
Three sailors begin The Docks scene. All three have solos. |
BAMATABOIS |
Bamatabois is the "customer" who taunts Fantine into violence. He
is dressed in expensive clothes. He is a wealthy, dissolute young
man who thinks of himself as a gentleman. He is drunk and in a
sadistic mood and chauvinistically feels it is his right to buy
anything, even Fantine. |
OLD WOMAN |
The Old Woman is a nice feature part. This is the character that
purchases Fantine's hair. |
PIMP |
The Pimp controls the prostitutes at the docks. he is mean, aggressive
and abusive. The Pimp has a small solo line in The Docks. |
FAUCHELEVANT |
He is the victim of the cart crash. The role requires a few solo
lines and some painful yelps. |
YOUNG COSETTE |
She is the child of Fantine. She is the ward of the Thenardiers,
forced into child labor, and sings "Castle On A Cloud."
She is a trembling little creature, underfed, beaten by Madame
Thenardier and bullied by Eponine. Young Cosette must be small in
stature and look properly pathetic. She warms the audience's
heart to be sympathetic to her plight. She should be a smaller
version of grown Cosette and resemble her features. |
MADAME THÉNARDIER |
She is the wife of Thenardier, Madame Thenardier is as "one"
with Thenardier. Together they con the world as partners in crime.
They were made for each other, although she complains about him,
she loves him deeply. She is coarse and vulgar, unhappy in her
existence without knowing why. She is romantic, greedy, stupid,
evil and larger than life. She is mean and nasty to Young Cosette,
and able to improvise in nearly any situation. |
THÉNARDIER |
Thenardier is the true villain of Les
Misérables.
He is embodiment of evil. That said, he should also possess a
wicked sense of humor. He delights in cheating, robbing, fraud and
blackmail, relishing every aspect of them with glee. He is tough,
greedy, brutal, stupid and crafty and yet irresistible. He hates
society and blames it and everyone else for all his misfortune.
Thenardier is also the opportunist and realist of the show. He is
a thief, a liar, a cheat, steals valuables from the dead with no
remorse. He is also the comic relief of the production. However,
his comedy is based in reality and shouldn't be too exaggerated.
He is married to Madame Thenardier and father to Eponine and
Gavroche (although he has abandoned Gavroche to the streets of
Paris.) |
GAVROCHE |
Gavroche is Thenardier's son. He is left to fend for himself and lives by
his wits in the streets of Paris. His "arch enemy" is
Javert the Policeman. He is brave and witty. Think a young Artful
Dodger. Gavroche has a very dramatic death at the barricade. |
GAVROCHE’S GANG |
Paris at this time would be full of orphans (due to years of wars and revolutions). |
EPONINE |
Eponine is the daughter of the Thenardiers. She is a young girl who is
streetwise and tough, but also sensitive and lonely. She is in
love with Marius, knowing that he will never love her. She bravely
follows Marius to the barricades in the hope that they will die
there together. Once grown up, Eponine moves with her family to
Paris where they fall on hard times. Now poor, living hand to
mouth, she survives by helping her father break the law. Eponine
is a tragic character, hopelessly in love with Marius. She sings
one of the most famous numbers in the show, "On My Own”. |
ENJOLRAS |
Enjolras is the student leader. He is handsome, brave, daring, and
youthful. He combines his revolutionary ideals with a strong
charismatic leadership. He is described by Victor Hugo as "a
thinker, and a man of action". On the barricade he physically
and vocally should dominate everyone else. He should ooze with
charisma, be a natural leader, be good looking, and have a very
strong high baritone or a tenor voice. Remember, Enjolras must
lead the students to fight and ultimately die. His death at the
barricade is one of the dramatic highlights of the show. |
MARIUS |
Marius is the handsome romantic hero of the story. He is impulsive,
passionate, willful and headstrong. His moods change according to
his circumstances. He is sweet and tender, but also capable of
great courage and compassion. In Act 1 Marius plays Romeo to
Cosette's Juliet. Marius matures after the Cafe Song as a result
of his experiences on the barricade. Marius should have a lovely,
lyrical voice. |
COSETTE |
Cosette is the beautiful daughter of Fantine. She is strong willed and
loving. She is an intelligent, inquiring, personable girl. She is
not in any sense a "soppy" romantic heroine. Once
adopted by Jean Valjean, Cosette lives a comfortable, if secluded
life. She is challenging to Valjean, behaving always with
imagination and dignity. She falls instantly in love with Marius,
changing her world and her priorities. |
BRUJON |
Member of Thenardier's gang of thieves. Physically very strong, with the
body of a bear and a pea sized brain. A genuine gangster, he is
stupid and evil. |
BABET |
Member of Thenardier's gang of thieves. Physically frail, he is lean and
cunning. |
CLAQUESOUS |
Member of Thenardier's gang of thieves. Tough, dangerous and secretive.
|
MONTPARNASSE |
Member of Thenardier's gang of thieves. He is a teenager, handsome and
dangerous. He kills with a knife. He is well dressed, strongly
built, and athletic. |
COMBEFERRE |
Member of the ABC Society. The philosopher and believer in peace, he is
gentle, humane, strong and brave. |
FEUILLY |
Member of the ABC Society. A worker, self-educated and an orphan, he is a
believer in "nationality", affectionate, warm and
poetic. |
COURFEYRAC |
Member of the ABC Society, and a student. He is youthful, passionate and
fearless. |
JOLY |
Member of the ABC Society, and a medical student. He is eccentric and
light-hearted, although sometimes morbid. His name is derived from
the English word "Jolly." |
PROUVAIRE |
Member of the ABC Society, and a student of social studies. He is kind,
softly spoken and at the right moments strong and masterful. He is
also a poet. |
LESGLES |
Member of the ABC Society. A student. Cheerful. laughing at life but
unlucky. His close friend is Joly. |
GRANTAIRE |
Member of the ABC Society, and a student. He is the opposite of Enjolars;
he believes in nothing. Although he admires Enjolras, he loves to
mock him. Witty and drunken, he is happy being with the group and
they put up with him because of his good humor. He also keeps a
watchful eye on Gavoche, the mascot of the group, and is most
heartbroken when Gavroche is killed. So much so that Grantaire
abandons his cynicism and rushes to die on the barricade. |
Non-singing Roles (although may be doubled into singing chorus roles):
Character(s) | Description |
---|---|
JUDGE |
The Judge or Judges are non-singing roles. |
IMPOSTER JEAN VALJEAN AND FAMILY |
These characters are also non-singing. This is the man who Javert believes to be Jean Valjean. |
YOUNG EPONINE |
Little Eponine is the pampered daughter of the Thenardiers. She does little except enter the stage and taunt Little Cosette. The role requires no singing or speaking. She should be a smaller version of grown Eponine and resemble Eponine in appearance and features. |
Theatre de Jeunesse does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, mental or physical challenge, or national origin in its programs or policies.
Cast Members
Jacob Holmes, 2011
Les Misérables School Edition
Celia Smith, 2012
Once Upon A Mattress
Kayla Morehead, 2012
Once Upon A Mattress
Dustin Digman, 2012
Once Upon A Mattress
Site by Frogtails