Morung Express News
Dimapur | November 7
The Nagaland Conservatory of Music (NCM) will be staging one of the successful musicals, Les Miserables for a consecutive three-day repeat performance beginning from November 23 at the Lorin Hall, Tetso College Chümoukedima. This was announced by the organisers during a press conference held at NCM premises, Full Nagarjan Dimapur on November 7.
Les Miserables is a sung-through musical with music by Claude-Michel Schonberg and Boublil based on the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The original musical, in French, premiered in Paris in 1980.
Set in early 19th Century France, the story follows the character of Jean Valjean, a French peasant and his quest for redemption after serving nineteen years in jail, five for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister’s starving child and fourteen for numerous escape attempts. Valjean and the slew of other main characters swept into a revolutionary period in France where a group of idealists attempt to over throw the government.
“It is a one and half-hour non-stop performance of music and drama,” Lipokmar Tzudir, Production Manager and Chairman of NCM shared. “What started as a case study of the Department of Voice at NCM of various genres of music, broad-way was to be covered in this particular semester,” he explained. This inquiry on musical production later gave the opportunity for the students and teachers to bring about the play, Les Miserables which will be a first of its kind in the state of this magnitude.
As far as the talent is concerned, Tzudir also noted that, “NCM is a storehouse of talent with sufficient people capable of both singing and acting.” The cast will feature about 50 individuals (former and current students) in various lead and supporting roles.
He explained that all the costumes and stage props have been built from scratch with extensive foraging through second-hand shops to get the correct period clothes.
With the venue only having a maximum capacity of 400 seats, the team decided on presenting the play for a repeat of three days and also to let more audiences, “appreciate the massive scale of production,” going into making the play.
“In many ways this musical reflects societies that are fighting against corruption, discrimination so it carries a good ground of moral message,” he added.
Meanwhile, Tiakumzuk Imchen, Director of the production noted that preparations for the play had been going on for the last eight months.
The other team members include, Vini Assumi, Assistant Director (costume & props) and Moanungsang Longkumer, Production consultant. Make-up for the artists will be supervised by Annalia Beauty, sound by Audio Garage, lights by MP Lights and Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) for logistical support. Other organisations which have agreed to support the production include, North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC) and Task Force for Music and Arts (TaFMA).
