As you know, Monday night I saw his littlest sister, Courtney, in Beauty and the Beast Jr. Then Tuesday night, I went with his family to see his second littlest sister, Amy, play Cosette in Les Miserables: School Edition at the Scera in Orem, Utah. I must say, that Acting Up! did a great job, and kudos to their director (and friend of ours) Laurel Barham! For a group of teenagers, I was impressed with their sincerity and believability handling such heavy themes as the worth of a soul, death, oppression, liberty, and love. The tale of Jean Val Jean is an interesting one. He begins as a criminal, and throughout the show redeems himself little by little until he dies an honest man.
Amy did an outstanding job as the grown-up Cosette, the character that gets everything moving. For her dying, prostitute mother Fantine she is the reason to keep on fighting. For Jean Val Jean she is the focus of his love and care, a driving force to keep his life in the light. For young Marius she is his one true love, and for her he fights for liberty. Her character is the crux of the show, although she does have limited stage time. But when she's there, she's breathtaking. Amy is a beautiful girl, with a terrific singing voice. Nobody else involved in Acting Up! could have hit such high notes and make them sound so clear and effortless. We were all very proud of her. Go see it! It runs through Saturday.
During the final number there is a line that says, "To love another person is to see the face of God," and I must say that those are probably my favorite words in the entire show. Tears streamed down my face as I pondered on the meaning of that phrase, and my heart swelled with gratitude for all the many people in my life who I've loved and who love me.
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