By way of the theatre’s 50-year anniversary
The theatre at Christ’s Hospital is a special place and last year marked the 50th anniversary of its opening. There could be no better way to celebrate this occasion than by with a stellar whole school production of Les Misérables as adapted from Victor Hugo’s seminal novel by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg.
The glossy souvenir edition of the programme reminded the audience in advance that “there are few greater shows than the long running Les Misérables, running for almost as long as CH theatre has been in existence.”.
With a principal caste and ensemble of nearly 100 students, along with a further 30 students playing in the orchestra or working as stage crew, this was always going to be an ambitious production. But as the lights dimmed, the revolving set and dramatic costumes set the tone for what was going to be a production that was as emotive and powerful as it was professional. There is certainly nothing about a Christ’s Hospital theatrical or musical production that is amateur and this show was no exception.
The portrayal of Javert was delivered with all the depth and sinister gravitas of a man irrationally obsessed with enforcing the letter of the law whilst the purity of love felt between Cosette and Marius felt almost tangible. There was not a dry eye in the house with Gavroche’s demise or at the unjust fall of Fantine.
The brilliant voices of the caste were faultless throughout while Thenardier and Madame Thenardier rewarded the audience with a rendition of the Master of the House that was delivered with panache, flair and lashings of humour and personality.
Above all else, the audience was left in awe by the versality of Jean Valjean and his pitch perfect performance of the many challenging numbers that are the backbone of this production. As the final curtain fell, there was not a dry eye in the house and the audience was left with the distinct impression they’d spent an evening at a top London theatre.
The Christ’s Hospital theatre
The multi-purpose theatre was originally designed as an Arts Centre for professional and student productions. It seats up to 500 people in various formats including ‘in the round’ and the architectural design was not only pioneering and innovative at the time, but also created by an award-winning architect, Professor William Howell.
The theatre was opened by HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester in 1975 and it won the Southeast Region RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) prize and came 4th in the national competition, pushing the boundaries of classically designed theatres of the time. The Arts Centre was also commended for fitting well into the surrounding Edwardian buildings by the intelligent relationship to the geometry of the original designs of Sir Aston Webb (the architect of the Horsham site), specifically the octagonal turrets.
2020 saw the first extensive refurbishment of the theatre with the building reopened to audiences in 2021. In its 50-year history, it has seen performances by a young Ian McKellen, Sir Tim Rice, Penelope Keith, Geraldine McKewan, Roger Allam (an Old Blue) and Michael Morpurgo.
You can find out more about Christ’s Hospital school near Horsham here:
Christ’s Hospital Band “Beats the Retreat” At the Tower of London
