At the climax of Act I in “Les Misérables,” revolutionaries sing, “Do You Hear the People Sing?” an anthem that announces the start of the French Revolution.
Rye High School music director Tom Snowden faced a revolution of his own last fall when his students rallied to convince him to stage the famously demanding show.
Snowden initially hesitated.
“It’s such a big musical,” he said. “The entire show is sung. There are no spoken lines, and it’s two-and-a-half hours long, so making sure we had the voices was very important to me. I told them I wasn’t sure this was the year.”
But the students didn’t give up.
Photos by Anne and Joel Darelius
“When I saw how excited they still were about doing it, I said, ‘I’ll tell you what — prove to me we have the voices, and I’ll consider it,’” said Snowden, who had been thinking about “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Shrek,” and “The Wizard of Oz.”
And then students started showing up in Snowden’s room — before school and during lunch, belting out songs like “On My Own,” “I Dreamed a Dream,” and “One Day More.”
It went on for weeks.
Senior Fiona Green said the idea of performing “Les Misérables” began spreading among students a year earlier. When they later heard that the musical might no longer be under consideration, Green and her friends doubled down.
“We were like, ‘Please, Mr. Snowden! We know we can put on a great ‘Les Mis,’’” she recalled.
Green and junior Mia Escaleira even co-wrote a two-page letter explaining why Snowden should give them the chance.
“Eventually he told us it was back on the table — and we took that and ran with it,” Green said.
Among Snowden’s concerns was whether there would be strong enough male voices for the show. Green and Escaleira recruited male classmates to join the impromptu singing around school.
Snowden, you could say, heard the people sing.
In December, he agreed to stage the show. When Principal Andrew Hara announced the name of the musical over the loudspeaker, Snowden recalled, “The kids were so excited. They ran into my room with this energy and excitement that carried us through auditions, rehearsals, and tech week.”
Over the first weekend of March, the school offered three sold-out performances of the Tony-award winning musical. Green was cast as Eponine while Escaleira took on the role of Fantine.
“It’s one of those quintessential musicals — like a brass ring or a gold medal in theater,” said parent Diana Page, who led ad sales for the show’s program. Her son Jackson, a senior, played Inspector Javert, the relentless police officer pursuing Jean Valjean, a former convict trying to live a moral life. Valjean was played by senior Charlotte Dinger.
“We are so lucky to have Tom Snowden,” Page added. “He’s such a wonderful director and mentor. He makes a place for every single kid who wants to be in the show, and he’s careful each year to pick a show that fits the talent.”
Page lauded the drama club students, known as the Parsons Street Players, for their relentless pursuit of their goal.
“They worked hard and got the OK,” she said. “But the real triumph is they didn’t just squeak through it — they crushed it.”
A cast of 44 students brought the production to life, while behind the scenes, stage manager Dean Degnan, a junior, and a crew of 22 managed the nearly 100 quick costume changes to intricate lighting and microphone cues. Each performance ended with resounding standing ovations.
Page said praise came from all corners of the community, including a former professional theater director who described the performance as “mesmerizing” and praised the cast’s deep understanding of their characters’ journeys and emotional connection to the music.
“I was excited to play a character with such strong emotions,” Green said. “She starts out playful and gets heartbroken (by Marius, played by senior Faas Smits, who falls for Cosette, played by junior Clara Meszkat). I loved performing the final scene because it’s so tragic.”
Éponine, of course, dies in the arms of her unrequited love.
“I felt her sadness and started to cry,” Green said.
For Escaleira, who had previously appeared in the ensemble of “Les Misérables” with Sandbox Theatre, playing the poor factory worker Fantine — who sacrifices everything for her daughter Cosette — was a true dream role. Her song, “I Dreamed a Dream,” is a defining moment of despair in the story.
“I’d never played a part that satisfying,” she said. “I’m so thankful that Mr. Snowden gave me the chance to share her song with the Rye community.”
As Javert, Jackson Page had a chance to play his favorite role in his favorite musical.
“To get into that space, I relied on sensory recall,” he said. “Obviously, I don’t have the same experience of a frustrated French inspector chasing someone for 20 years, but I tried to find parallels in my own life — moments when I’ve been completely at my wit’s end.”
Especially meaningful praise came from Rye resident Nina Okada, who once played Cosette in the Broadway national tour. During tech week, she and her castmate Melissa McGowan, who played Éponine, spoke with the students on Google Meet about the realities of professional performing. On closing night, Okada visited the cast backstage during intermission.
She also wrote the students a letter expressing how their vulnerability allowed the audience to fully experience the story.
“We all had such empathy for every single person on that stage,” Okada wrote. “It is what people come to the theater for. To care. To be moved. And to come out with a better understanding of life, love, and relationships.”
Hara said he was similarly moved on opening night.
“What impressed me most was not only the remarkable talent of our students on stage, but also the dedication and professionalism of the entire cast and crew,” he said. “Seeing students collaborate at such a high level to bring a production of this scale and emotional depth to life made me extremely proud of our performing arts program and the community that supports it.”
That community included Rye business owners, who bought a record $14,000 in ads — up from $6,000 for “Mamma Mia!” in 2024 and $8,000 for “Grease” last year.
Producing the show cost about $45,000, including performance rights, costumes, props, programs, and an 18-piece professional orchestra. Community support covered the budget and raised additional money for the Parsons Street Players to use next year.
Parents also contributed money, time, and items for the concession stand. They arranged flower bouquets and baked professionally designed “Les Mis”-themed cookies.
Les Mis was last performed at Rye High School in 2019.
