BWW Preview: California Premiere of GAVROCHE Musical will Take Place at Idyllwild Arts Academy

GAVROCHE, a new musical based on Victor Hugo's novel, "Les Misérables," with book, music, and lyrics by Bonnie Gleicher, is having its California premiere at the Idyllwild Arts Academy. Idyllwild Arts' theatre department chair, Bonnie Carpenter, is directing the production, whose cast is made up entirely of Academy Theatre arts students in grades ten through twelve. GAVROCHE will run from December 3rd-5th.

The Boublil and Schoenberg adaptation of LES MISÉRABLES barely skims the surface of Victor Hugo's tome. For example, in the LES MIZ musical, Gavroche has no origin story, but in the novel, he is the son of the wicked Thenardiers. He also has two brothers and another sister that the stage Master and Mistress of the House do not. Ms. Gleicher, a 33-year-old New York based songwriter with screen and off-Broadway credits, including as the composer and lyricist for the off-Broadway musical ADDY & UNO, chose to mine the richly-layered LES MISÉRABLES novel for a musical focusing on the teen characters.

Ms. Gleicher told Broadway World in an email that she sees Gavroche much as she sees the title character in the musical OLIVER: "Gavroche does steal out of necessity, but he's a good kid." She adds, "He'll give anything for the people he loves: the two boys, Enjolras, Eponine, the rebellion."

"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," Ms. Gleicher says. She set out to write what she calls "LES MISÉRABLES for the next generation." The pop, contemporary score and the young ages of the characters - there are only two adult roles - led her to realize that she was reinventing a classic story for young audiences, with a contemporary, pop score.

Ms. Gleicher's take contains levity that arises from the relationship between Gavroche and his brothers. She told Broadway World in an email, "Gavroche teaches the boys the tricks of living on the streets, and they look up to him...." She points out that Gavroche, who "was thrown onto the street at such a young age ... needs this play and laughter...."

Idyllwild Arts Academy is an academic, college prep boarding high school, whose focus is to prepare students for careers in the visual or performing arts. One of the benefits of having the school present a new musical is the ability to tap its own instrumental music program to accompany the singers, in this case, an orchestra of nine student musicians, directed by faculty member Daphne Honma.

The cast and crew are composed of students from eight different countries. Director Bonnie Carpenter told Broadway World that the school is willing to gender bend and otherwise apply non-traditional casting in its productions. For example, the three lead roles, all male, are being performed by female actors.

Ms. Carpenter told Broadway World that the school puts the focus on acting first, as opposed to dancing or singing, because all performers must act to communicate with the audience regardless of whether they are actors, dancers, or singers.

Live attendance at the performances of GAVROCHE is only open to IAF faculty, students, and staff as well as family members of cast and crew. Those performances will be staged in the round in the school's black box theater in Rush Hall. Audience members must provide proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test.

The Friday night livestream will be available to all, at https://idyllwildarts.zoom.us/j/95125102317 , at 7:30 pm PST, and will at some point be repeated.

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