Les Mis is back 25 years on
The worldwide smash-hit musical Les Miserables is returning to New Plymouth for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century.
The acclaimed show, which became an Oscar-winning film, will be the New Plymouth Operatic Society’s major production next year and will use sets and costumes together costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Society president Kevin Landrigan said Les Miserables would be performed in July 2018 after a successful bid for the performance rights.
‘‘The rights for Les Miserables have been unavailable for some time, and we have had to chase pretty hard to get them.’’
Les Miserables is set in 19th century France, and tells the story of Jean Valjean, who is released from 19 years of unjust imprisonment. He breaks his parole in hopes of starting a new life, initiating a lifelong struggle for redemption as he is relentlessly pursued by police inspector Javert.
‘‘Just about without exception, Les Miserables is a firm favourite with everyone at New Plymouth Operatic,’’ Landrigan said, ‘‘and we are thrilled to be able to this new production back to Taranaki for an all new generation of theatre-goers’’.
The Society first staged Les Miserables in 1994, and 2018’s production will mark the premiere of the NZ Musical Theatre Consortium’s 25th Anniversary tour.
‘‘Twenty-five years ago, seven societies from around New Zealand joined together to bring this iconic musical to our New Zealand audiences for the very first time.
‘‘The same seven societies have great pleasure in doing the same once again, 25 years later, in a marker of what has been a quarter of a century of great friendship between these societies, which has been to the great betterment of all those societies.’’
The sets will be built from the old set of plans, but modernised, he said.
‘‘It’s going to be a very professional set. A 2017/18 type modern Les Miserables set.’’
The sets and costumes will probably cost about $350,000, which will be paid for by the seven societies, he said. And they will travel around for each society to use.
The cast will be from Taranaki, he added.
‘‘We try to cast locally first and only go outside if we can’t find the right people for a certain part.
‘‘How many people there will be in the cast is up to director, but probably 30 or 40.’’
Rehearsals won’t start until early 2018, he said.
The society stages the Disney classic Mary Poppins in July this year, which will be performed at the TSB Showplace from July 6-22.
‘‘We have timetabled Mary Poppins to run right through the winter school holiday and we are hopeful it will be a school holiday treat for many of the regions young people.’’
Local Soprano Bryony Williams returns to Taranaki to take the title role in Mary Poppins, the role made famous by Julie Andrews in the 1964 film. Lawnmowing in the rain is never much fun - unless you’re lawnmower racing and love the mud.
And that was the situation at Lepperton School’s ride-on Lawnmower Race Day on Saturday.
The annual grassroots event was the school’s major fundraiser and racers converged from as afar afield as Auckland.
Taranaki’s Dave Coxhead takes trucks apart for a living and, aged 60 plus, ripped up the field like a pro on his John Deere.
‘‘Wet is usually good, going sideways in the dirt - thats the one,’’ Coxhead said.
Coxhead was a former speedway racer for 30 years, and is now a member of the Taranaki Lawnmower Racing Club. He still races to win.
Unfortunately the late delivery of a lawnmowing ‘‘beast’’ from the United States, one he had bought specifically for the event, gave him little time to test his machine.
‘‘The engine in this thing is too big for the wet, I’ll see how she goes in the next race - I might have to bring out my old faithful,’’ he said, midway through the day.
Battling it out on the track and holding her own was teenager Sara Mulder.
Mulder was a fan of the muddy track because of the ‘‘slipping and sliding.’’
‘‘I’ve been attending the race day for quite a few years now and it’s kinda like a family tradition,’’ she said.
The conditions suited her dad, Brian Mulder’s, style of racing too.
A third of the way through the day’s competition the president of the Taranaki Lawnmower Racing Club’s race tally sat at four wins and two second places.
On offer for those who preferred to stay back from the mud, noise, and petrol fumes under the luxury of the multiple food and stall tents included; the smasha-car, a silent auction, wonky bikes, CJ da Clown, and a Nerf shooting range.
Behind the scenes parents and grandparents pulled finger to help run the stalls.
Mayor Neil Holdom was there in a fatherly capacity, he was more than happy selling pulled pork buns and scrubbing oil off the cooker in the name of raising cash for his children’s school.
‘‘I’m getting into the races too, I’m a bit of a petrol head so it’s been an awesome day.’’
The event’s organiser Kat McNab was rapt at how the day turned out.
Money raised will go towards the school’s new build, she said.