Les Miserables

 

During the 2013-14 academic year if you spent any time in Hesperus you were sure to hear the Lower Sixth singing along to the Les Miserables soundtrack! The singing was often led by the dubious talents of GB Junior rower Luke Towers and 1XV rugby player Stuart McLeish, however they were never short of a supporting cast and a ‘Les Mis’ obsession quickly took hold of the house. Therefore, when a start of term trip was planned last summer the Lower Sixth were quick to demand that the whole house attended Les Miserables on the West End.

Fast forward three months to the 3^rd September, the first night of the year, and Hesperus with the ‘Les Mis fanatics’, now leading the house in the Upper Sixth, boarded a coach with a group of parents, Hesperus tutors and our Matron to watch the ‘World’s longest running musical’ at the Queens Theatre, Shaftsbury Avenue. The trip was run entirely by the Upper Sixth who were each in charge of a group of eight students made up from all Forms and this proved a great opportunity for the senior boys to demonstrate their leadership skills. Once in the theatre the sight of comedian Jimmy Carr sitting two rows in front of us (house seats no doubt) provided a moment of excitement and then the show began. Over the next three hours the boys were treated to an array of powerful songs and outstanding staging.  Apparently Luke Towers had to be restrained from jumping on stage to join in. In between singing along I hope the boys were also able to reflect on the show’s dark storyline and themes of desperation, duty, love and sacrifice.

This house trip provided the Hesperus boys with a great opportunity to watch a superb production and, perhaps more importantly, allowed new and returning students to quickly feel part of the house community this year. Well done to the Upper Sixth for their organisation and leadership and thank you to parents who brought their sons in early and collected day boys at a quarter past midnight!