Musical blockbuster 'Les Misérables' ready to bring emotion to Central Valley
Every time Nick Cartell sings “Bring Him Home” during the second act of “Les Misérables,” he knows his mother is listening.
“If she was still here, she would have seen the show probably 15 times by this point,” the actor who has plays Jean Valjean on the national tour coming starting July 25 for a week-long run at the Saroyan Theater in downtown Fresno. “She would definitely be a ‘Les Mis’ groupie.”
“Les Misérables” — based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo and set in 19th-century France — tells the story of Valjean. The former prisoner — locked away for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister's starving child — tries to begin his life again after a bishop inspires him with an act of mercy.
Motivated by his new religious convictions, Valjean breaks his parole, assumes a new identity and becomes a wealthy factory owner. He later adopts a young girl named Cosette after making a promise to her dying mother, who had worked in his factory.
Set against the backdrop of the Paris uprising of 1832, Valjean tries to live a safe life to stay off the radar of police inspector Javert, who continues to pursue him.
The musical is the fifth longest-running production on Broadway. London’s West End has been running the show continuously since 1985, which makes it the second longest-running musical in the world.
Playing Valjean on the national tour almost didn't happen for Cartell.
“My mom had been battling ovarian cancer for six years, and we got to the week of my final callback and my parents called me on a Monday morning and said, ‘Listen, I don’t think it’s going to be much longer,’” he says. "I was immediately like ‘I’m coming home.’”
Understanding that a role like Valjean was a game changer for any actor, both of Cartell’s parents told him he needed to stay to continue the audition process.
“Both of my parents were like, ‘No, no, this is your dream, and this opportunity could be life-changing,'” he says. “'You need to stay. You need to see this through. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen, but you have our support. We love you no matter what, and you need to be there and you need to see this through for us.’”
Cartell says he always knew that musical theater was his calling, but that didn’t always make it easy. Despite his current success, when the actor was in college at Arizona State University, he didn’t make it into the musical theater program and instead received a degree in theater performance.
“There is so much rejection in this industry to begin with,” he says. “I knew that I may not be able to do musical theater in college, but I can still get a degree in theater. I can still learn the craft of acting and everything that comes with that.”
While working toward his degree, Cartell went outside the university to take private voice lessons, which he feels fortunate about because it pushed him to work harder.
“I hold no ill will whatsoever toward the musical theater department at Arizona State, for sure,” he says. “My journey was just different from some other journeys.”
His journey took him full circle when the tour made a stop at Arizona State University's Grandt Gammage Memorial Auditorium, better known as Gammage.
“It’s where I grew up seeing theater,” he says. “The first time that I saw 'Les Mis’ live, that’s where I saw it. So to really, truly 'Bring Him Home,' it really was one of the most beautiful moments that I have had on this tour.”
Cartell's mother died the night before his final callback. The next day, he walked into the room and sang “Bring Him Home” to secure the role of Valjean.
“I was able to take that energy into the room knowing that I had an angel on my shoulder that day,” he says. “‘Bring Him Home’ is my favorite moment in the show every night.”
The actor says that when he sings "Bring Him Home," he connects the sacrifices his Valjean is making in the show with the sacrifices his mother made when he was on the national tour of “The Phantom of the Opera” several years ago and when he performed in Cirque du Soleil's "Paramour" on Broadway.
“She would have a chemo treatment and get on a plane and come and see me in a show,” Cartell says. “When I was on Broadway, she would come and see me. She was fighting through her pain and her struggle to be there for me. … I really feel like, for me, it’s one of the most beautiful moments in the show that I am able to connect to the character and also to her."
How to attend
What: "Les Miserables"
When: July 25-30
Where: Saroyan Theatre at the Fresno Convention Center
Tickets: $25-$145
Information: https://fresno.broadway.com/
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: 'Les Misérables' ready to bring emotion to Central Valley
