Meet our two Jean Valjeans for Les Mis in Brighton this summer

SussexWorld

Craig Whiteley and James Harrington will be our Jean Valjean, sharing the role as  Brighton Theatre Group presents the UK amateur premiere of Les Misérables – Let The People Sing!

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon. My name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Well, you wait

00:06years for one Jean Valjean and then two come along at once. It's Brighton Theatre Group. You are

00:12doing Les Mis, Let the People Sing, all part of the 40th anniversary. And James and Craig,

00:18you are both Jean Valjean. Now, how do you share that role? Obviously, you're going to alternate,

00:23in effect, but you've really collaborated on the role together, haven't you, in preparation.

00:28Craig, explain that collaboration. How's it going? Well, I think for James and I, luckily,

00:35we've gone into the process as we were very good friends. We've known each other for

00:40over 20 years. So it was always going to be a team effort on this monster of a role. And

00:49sharing this roller coaster together. And when James is, you have your ups, you have your downs,

00:56you have scenes that you don't quite hit, you have notes sometimes that you don't quite

01:00get, and you collaborate. And James will, like, give me singing tips to go, well, I'm doing this

01:08with my, on the what? Try that. And I go, oh, I've not thought of that. So it's like having,

01:13and then you see the other person, and you go, oh, I like that. I'll steal that. And then, or you'll go,

01:20James will see me do something and go, I'm not going to do that. So you're taking,

01:24you're learning all the time when you're... Absolutely. And the incredible thing,

01:27James, is that you are coming to this. It's your first big musical theatre show for 20-odd years.

01:34It's coming back with a vengeance, isn't it? To come back and be Jean-Brunge. That's quite something.

01:39Yeah, I've sung in a, I sing in a Rat Pack tribute group with two of my close friends.

01:43Go on, say the name, say the name.

01:46Well, yeah, I sing with a flat pack. So shout out to the flat pack. But yeah, we, the last time I was just,

01:54as I was just saying just a moment ago, the last time I was on stage at the Theatre Royal was 20

01:58years ago. And I was playing Tony in West Side Story opposite Craig's wife. So yeah,

02:04Becky and I were treading the boards literally 20 years ago to the day. So yeah, it's going to be

02:10interesting. The cobwebs have definitely been dusted off over the last few months. But yeah,

02:15I can't wait to get stuck into it.

02:16Well, absolutely. And Craig, it really is an epic role, isn't it? There's just every emotion in that role,

02:21isn't there? Absolutely. The journey of Jean Valjean. I mean, you start off as this, you know,

02:27with all this hatred and, you know, as the convict and you are animalistic, everybody,

02:34you know, you're screaming at children, you're screaming at landladies, you know,

02:38you're getting into fights, you get beaten up whilst you're singing. And then obviously the priest blesses

02:44you and he says, I bought your soul for God. You have an hour problem. You either go,

02:51you go two ways here at this point, you know. And yeah, he goes, he goes, he takes

02:58a really interesting path of I'm going to do good in the world. And yeah, you then become,

03:04comes the mayor of the town. But obviously the relationship with Fontaine, he realizes he's messed

03:08up there and then takes on Cosette. But he's followed continuously by the incredible Wayne Roberts,

03:16who you're about to interview as well. He's a phenomenal Javert. And yeah, it's the journey to

03:23the end of his life. So when you then get to, you know, the old man and you've got to do the epilogue.

03:28And yeah, it's a, I mean, it's every actor's dream to play this.

03:34James, obviously you have to prepare massively for the actual show, but I wondered, do you have to

03:39prepare for when it's over as well? Because this is so massive. How are you going to feel on that last night?

03:45To be perfectly honest, I don't think I've thought that much about what's beyond the show. It's such a mammoth

03:50undertaking. And I think just trying to stay present in the process, in the moment and just enjoy.

03:57It's hard enough trying to build yourself up to, to convey the character. And I think both Craig

04:03and I just want to revel in that, make sure we deliver the best, yeah, we've got to deliver

04:08our best version of Jean Valjean that we can and just enjoy it. We're on stage with such an

04:14incredible company of talent. Brilliant. Well, I better go and speak to your Javert. Lovely to speak

04:19to you both and wish you all the very, very best with it. Phenomenal opportunity. It sounds like

04:25you are super hyped for it. Thank you both. Thanks.

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