Junior Alex Hunter-Nickels scored one of the lead roles in this year’s musical, Les Misérables. Hunter-Nickels plays the crime solving police officer, Javert, who is obsessed with catching the ex-convict Jean Valjean, played by junior Sam St. Ours.

“Going into the audition, I didn’t really have a plan, I just did it,” Hunter-Nickels said. When the cast list went up a week later, Hunter-Nickels was surprised by his success, but enthusiastic to start working. The first month of practice, Hunter-Nickels worked extremely hard on his solo song “Stars”, which talks about the struggle of finding Valjean, and how he will live his life by the law. Junior Caitlin Kelly thinks Hunter-Nickels is just the right person to play Javert.

“He is working really hard on the music as well as making sure that Javert has a true character,” Kelly said.

“I spend ten to fifteen minutes before practice meditating. I just sit down, close my eyes and kind of become Javert, feel his emotions and get into character,” Hunter-Nickels said.

Hunter-Nickels has also developed a strategy to help improve his singing. He records himself while he practices, and then listens to it, listening for places that need improvement.

“The hardest song for me to sing vocally is during The Robbery. I have to start on a really low, intense first note, but my favorite scene has to be when Javert commits suicide during Act 2. It is so twisted and emotional, I try to make my voice mirror Javert’s pain,” Hunter-Nickels said.

Hunter-Nickels plans on doing the musical again next year, but not into college.

“I definitely plan on playing music, even if I don’t continue with musical. I love to jam on the guitar with people,” Hunter-Nickels said.

Dates of Les Misérables are the 15th-18th at 7 p.m. and Sunday the 19th and 3 p.m.