‘Les Misérables’ for the next generation

Editor’s note: This is taken from an Idyllwild Arts Academy (IAA) press release.

“Gavroche,” the new musical the Idyllwild Arts Theatre Department will perform to the public 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, is a fresh take on “Les Misérables.”

The musical, to be livestreamed at https://idyllwildarts.zoom.us/j/95125102317, features a pop, contemporary score, and is told from the point of view of the teenagers and younger children in Victor Hugo’s classic novel of 1862. The IAA production is the West Coast premiere of the new work.

Written by Bonnie Gleicher, the musical stars the scrappy street urchin Gavroche Thénardier and his sisters, Éponine and Azelma, who are thrown onto the cobblestone streets of Paris in the middle of an attempt to overthrow the French monarchy.

“Much like Wicked does with ‘The Wizard of Oz,’” Gleicher says, “Gavroche shifts the perspective on a classic story in a way that’s contemporary and energizing and exciting. It’s really ‘Les Misérables’ for the next generation.”

Fittingly, then, the cast and crew are made up of 10th- through 12th- grade students from eight different countries. In a multi-disciplinary collaboration, the musical numbers will be performed live by nine student musicians, arranged by Musical Director Daphne Honna, IA Foundation faculty and IAA alumna.

The opportunity for IAA came as Gleicher decided to use grant money she received for “Gavroche” to help a couple of hand-selected theater programs produce the show for free. Gleicher personally chose IAA for the West Coast premiere after hearing about the school from a friend in Palm Springs who was a fan of IAA’s theater program and productions.

When Gleicher began writing “Gavroche,” she was enjoying a triumph as the composer/lyricist for the off-Broadway musical “Addy & Uno.” “Addy & Uno” tells the story of Nava Silton’s five puppet characters who are bullied in school because of autism, ADHD, and physical, visual and hearing disabilities. The musical ran for nearly two years off-Broadway and also tours schools in the Northeast.

However, the work generated by the success of “Addy & Uno — arranging to satisfy the demand for more performances — had kept Gleicher away from the work she loves. She was eager to write another musical when a collaborator suggested exploring the rich background of “Les Misérables.” Instantly, the idea struck a chord.

“I could right away hear how playful and poignant the music could be, how I could bring to life the charismatic yet vulnerable Gavroche, his neglected younger brothers, and their two passionate and stubborn teen sisters. It felt special and had to exist, and I knew I was the one to do it.”

Gavroche includes only two adult characters, and you won’t see Jean Valjean.

Of the title character who joins the failed rebellion of June 1832, Gleicher said, “Gavroche finds such an uplifting purpose in the rebellion, and a family in these idealistic rebels. But most of all, he finds a reason to ‘hold on,’ even when the fight is slowing and hope feels fragile, and that’s the message I hope audiences will walk away with.”

“Gavroche” was first performed in June 2020 at the StarStruck Academy Theatre, in Stuart, Florida. Gleicher’s week on campus from Nov. 28 to Dec. 5 will mark her first visit to Idyllwild.

“I hear Idyllwild is beautiful, and I can’t wait to work with this talented cast and crew. I grew up in Armonk, an hour outside New York City, so I love the fresh air and woods and wilderness.”