Only one adult island actress — as I recall –has brought her talent to the beloved story of Victor Hugo’s wartime drama, “Les Misérables,” back in the day.
As Diamond Head Theatre launches its weekend premiere of “Les Mis” today (July 31), tomorrow (Aug.1) and Sunday (Aug. 3) – despite several performances last week (holdover shows staged before the premiere party which constitutes “add-on” playdates – it might be proper to salute the young troupers from Hawaii whose participation in the classic still bring back memories.?
The alumni of child actors in the “Les Mis” hall of fame:
- Janelle Parrish – who was cast as Young Cosette. Well before she gained fame in “Pretty Little Liars,” Janelle excelled as Cosette in the National Tour of “Les Mis” in 1996. Her beloved performance was highly celebrated when the Broadway touring company visited Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu, enabling her to slip on the costume and shoes of Cosette at the Imperial Theatre, to bring down the house by singing her signature tune, “Castle in the Cloud.” (She was a super fan of Broadway music, and could sing all the arias in “The Phantom of the Opera.”
- Jason Tam – who was cast as Gavroche. He lived in Aina Haina, graduated from Punahou School, and was his era’s most popular urchin of the musical. When the national tour visited Honolulu, it was his gate to the Gavroche He subsequently moved Gavroche became his stepping stone to a fantastic and luminous career, with a portfolio that includes the lead role of Paul San Marco in “A Chorus Life,” in which he delivered a show-stopping monologue setting up the musical’s “One Singular Sensation;” and further, he was heard but not seen doing voice-over participation in ”Dear Evan Hansen,” plus roles in such plays as “Be More Chill,” among others.
- Ryan Rumbaugh — another local from Hawaii, who wound up in the pivotal barricade scene, performing the character’s send-off tune, “Little People,” in the Broadway company’s original run.
- Milo Maharlika – a youngster from Ewa Beach and an alumnus of DHT, making his own history in 2023 when he became the first Gavroche also cast as Gavroche, but making his own history as the first Filipino-American at age 9 to perform the role in an American Broadway tour.
Ann Harada is sort of a Lone Ranger when it comes to “Les Misérables.” As far as we could determine, she’s the only adult actor from Hawaii to inhabit a “Les Miserable” character.
A Punahou grad, Harada portrayed the mischievous Madame Thenardier, in the last Broadway revival of the popular show. I saw and remember her performance — proof she can handle any role.
Otherwise, Harada has amassed a remarkable range of roles, perhaps because she goes for character roles, not ethnic (Asian) parts, relying on her versatility as both singer and actress.
She currently is featured in the wildly successful “Schmigadoon” musical, at the Nederlander Theatre, where she is having tons of fun and curtain calls, without the comedic of the Thenardier character. Her enviable, wide-ranging credits, include the part of Christmas Eve in the Tony Award-winning “Avenue Q,” “Cinderella,” “9 to 5,” “M. Butterfly” and “Seussical.”