Dover Area High School held its annual spring musical from March 6th to 8th. This year’s musical was, “Les Misérables.” It is an adaption of the Víctor Hugo novel and 2012 musical film.

When I heard of this year’s choice, I didn’t think our school would be able to handle it. Luckily, I was proven wrong. After attending the musical, our school perfected every aspect of a musical production. The main set well depicted a poor town in the midst of Revolution. For example, inspector Javert’s suicide scene had a lovely bridge that contrasted the lighting to help portray the devastating piece. Fantine’s death scene also used background lighting to illuminate her visions of her daughter, Cosette, to peacefully demonstrate her slow death. 

The costumes added to the show even more. Characters wore red and black uniforms to replicate the image of the Revolutionists. Young Cosette wore torn, dirty clothes to show how neglected and poor she was. The ladies were dressed in dresses that transported me into the culture of late Paris. 

Finally, the musical pieces were stellar. The complexity of this challenging musical was no match for these performers. The pit sounded like the orchestra right out of the musical film, and they executed the vibe of the musical very well. The ensemble was strong and added depth to the songs they were included in. “Lovely Ladies” was my personal favorite for its eerie tone and intense meaning.

Soloists gave emotional performances that left the crowd in awe. Éponine’s, “On My Own” was my favorite of the entire show as Sadie Roser captured the pure emotions of sorrow and heartbreak felt through every note. This musical is one of the best productions Dover has done! I suppose a musical all about misery wasn’t so miserable after all!