Boardman summer stock presents ‘Les Miserables’ this week

BOARDMAN — Broadway returns to the Boardman Performing Arts Center stage this week.

Boardman Community Theatre’s summer stock will stage “Les Miserables” Thursday through Saturday at the center at the high school on Glenwood Avenue.

The production involves about 80 people including cast, orchestra and stage crew from eight different school districts. This marks the third year for summer stock.

“We have such a nice facility here and we wanted to extend it to the whole community,” said David Mullane II, a Boardman High School teacher and the show’s director.

Work to build the set, including retrofitting a 24-foot revolving stage, and rehearsals for the show started at the end of May.

“We have four weeks to rehearse, but we go all day,” Mullane said.

Rehearsals run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The voices of Tim Welsh, Brittany Myhal and Max Hanni, who portray Jean Valjean, Fantine and Javert, respectively, rang through the school building at a morning rehearsal last week.

“‘Les Miserables’ is really a redemption story,” said Tim, who will be a junior at Boardman next school year.

Jean Valjean, Tim’s character and the lead, is a petty thief who is released from prison and violates his parole. But he transforms from a greedy, selfish person to a person of loyalty and service, Tim said.

When Fantine, a factory worker dies, Valjean vows to find and look after her daughter, Cosette. Javert, a police inspector and Hanni’s character, doggedly pursues him, Tim said.

“Javert is a very complex character,” said Hanni, a Youngstown State University student and 2007 Canfield High School graduate. “He’s a cop who’s following Jean Valjean.”