The 2-week, 10-show run of Staples Players’ “Les Misérables” has ended.
All those lucky enough to see it are talking about it.
They will be, for quite a while.
Rachel Markus speaks for many. She says:
Ten shows. Hundreds of costumes. Countless hours of rehearsals. Technical learning, testing, set building, painting, prop making, wigs, makeup, meals for 70+ students, rides to and from Staples, publicity runs, student and professional musicians providing the score, a successful food drive, and — by my estimate — over 8,000 tickets sold.
Ten thousand lives touched.
My gratitude is unbridled. To the firector and producers, to the entire Staples Players cast and crew, to the Players parents who volunteer in every imaginable way, and to the former Players parents who continue to show up — taking on major roles like costuming — simply for the love of theater, students, and the staff and advisors who guide them.
It truly takes a village.
Thank you to the local businesses and benefactors who donated funds and meals, helping make this production possible and giving students the fuel they needed to rehearse “just one hour more.”
Thank you to every patron who came, cried, cheered and celebrated the passion and dedication behind this majestic, epic run — one that rivaled professional productions. This community values the arts. It expects excellence, rewards it, and spreads the word when a show cannot be missed.
Staples Players’ “Les Misérables” was more than a testament to teamwork or the power of music and drama to move us. It was months of quiet, unsung sacrifices that culminated in roughly 1,650 minutes of transformation and transcendence. No one sat in a suburban high school auditorium — together, we were transported to 19th-century France, into a world of love, pain, loss, and revolution.
To everyone in 06880 and beyond who contributed to this unforgettable theatrical run: You are the heroes.
(All photos/Kerry Long)
was an inspiring show thank you staples players
We ate so blessed to be in a town that loves theater as much as we love Friday night lights. My middle school theater students goal is to join Staples Players as soon as they get to high school. Congrats! It definitely takes a village!
truly amazing – I know how much time and effort and dedication it takes and it is truly inspiring- thank you Staples Players and all the volunteers that helped for many many hours behind the scenes to make it truly unforgettable.
Completely blown away by the caliber of this production, and level of talent and passion in each and every player. Truly unforgettable.
We are so so lucky to have something this special in our community.
We are still in awe! One of the best shows I have ever seen. The talent, the cast, the voices, the sets, all perfect! Flawless show! I am so lucky to have seen this show 8 times!
Saw it last Thursday. Absolutely terrific show! Keep em comin!!
BLOWN AWAY! JUST WOW!!!! I have never!
For the past two weeks Les Miz has been the talk of the town. Virtually everyone I know has seen it, and each of them has been blown away by it.
Thank you to Rachel Marcus for her praises of Les Mis! Of course, as the mother and mother in law of the Directors, I am prejudiced. That said, this show, more than any other of the Players’ shows, hit all the marks. It was a confluence of so many factors – but mostly, it is the sheer talent of all who made this show happen. But, it is also the community which embraced this spectacular show and shared their praises with everyone these last two weeks. Thank you, Players — and thank you, Westport, you took my breath away.
Thank you Staples Players for your unbelievable production. Brought literal tears of pride — and not one of our 5 Staples grandchildren was involved!!!
We’re still talking about this!
One of our grandkids (Leila) was a dancer in Les Mis. So I had two reasons to get teary!! First- Incredible Broadway quality production with amazing acting and singing. Second- beautiful dancing and dancers, especially paying attention all the time our dancer was dancing her heart out!
Les Mis is my all time favorite – I saw it as a teen when it opened in London in 1985 and have seen every run and revival since, multiple times. This production was absolutely Broadway quality and I felt so privileged to be able to see it without leaving our town. The cast, the costumes, the sets… incredible