Jennie Neumann was part of the ensemble in the Arts Club Theatre Company's 2009 production of Les Mis茅rables, a show so popular it was held over more than once and closed after an unprecedented 104 performances.
Six years later, the Arts Club is capping off its 2014/15 season with a remount of that successful production and Neumann is back, this time in the role of street-smart and lovelorn 脡ponine.
"She's a really special character," says Neumann. "She has a selfless love, which I think is very rare."
Based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo, the musical adaptation of Les Mis茅rables was created by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Sch枚nberg and the English version premiered in London in 1985. The saga follows Jean Valjean, a man condemned to 19 years of hard labour for stealing a loaf of bread. He breaks parole and attempts to start a new life with his ward Cosette in the years leading up to the Paris Uprising of 1832.
脡ponine is among the most sympathetic characters in the musical. Ragged and resourceful, the daughter of the sticky-fingered Th茅nardiers is driven by her deep and unrequited love for Marius, a young student and revolutionary.
"It's a very special relationship to her," Neumann says. "It doesn't matter if he's going to love her back. All that matters is that she can love, she's capable of that, and that's really beautiful to her."
Neumann's big spotlight moment is her solo, "On My Own," in which 脡ponine dreams of being with Marius.
"Everyone has an idea of that song. It's very iconic, so it's a bit daunting but exciting," she says.
One of the challenges in performing such a well-known song, she says, is resisting the influence of familiar Broadway cast recordings and working instead from the original music and lyrics. In her interpretation, "On My Own" is not the lament it may sound like on the surface. "There's a feeling of joy," she says, explaining that 脡ponine accepts the fact she can still love Marius, even if those feelings aren't returned.
"脡ponine will still go and help him find his true love, Cosette, even at her expense, which I think really shows her strength as well."
Neumann trained at North Vancouver's RNB Dance and Theatre Arts for 14 years and graduated from the three-year musical theatre diploma program at Capilano University (then College). These days, she splits her time between Toronto and North Vancouver.
In the interim between the 2009 run and this summer's remount, a blockbuster film adaptation of Les Mis茅rables starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway introduced new audiences to the story and music.
"I think Les Miz already had a giant interest and a giant following, even before the movie," Neumann says. "It's such an iconic show and I think even people who don't necessarily see theatre have seen Les Miz, which is a really cool thing, it's very special to people 鈥� but the movie definitely will widen audiences."
Neumann is one of several actors returning from the 2009 production, along with most of creative team, including director Bill Millerd, who is also artistic managing director of the Arts Club. Rounding out the 24-person cast is a number of fresh faces.
"This production has a lot of people making their Arts Club debuts, which is really exciting, so there's that energy in there," Neumann says. "Although it's faithful to our production we did six years ago, it's still quite different because there's new people, there's different energies, and the people that are returning have become different performers and are discovering new things."
The company is sizeable by Arts Club standards, but lean by Les Mis茅rables standards given the musical has played in some of the largest theatres in the world.
"It's really intimate, which is exciting," Neumann says of the pared-down Stanley Theatre version. "I find sometimes in a large theatre you don't get to see everything because it's big scale and you're farther away, but here you really get to feel that emotion and see it on everyone because you're so close, you feel like you're right there with us."
The intimate setting makes it all the more powerful when the entire cast comes together to belt out the anthemic "One Day More" at the end of the first act. It's one of Neumann's favourite moments.
"Nothing compares to that sound," she says.
Arts Club Theatre Company presents Les Mis茅rables until Aug. 16 at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, 2750 Granville St., Vancouver. Tickets start at $39, available at or by calling 604-687-1644.聽
