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)