Student shines again at Rainbow Stage

Desautels Faculty of Music vocal performance student Colleen Furlan captured the hearts of audiences in the summer of 2014 at Rainbow Stage playing Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid.

This coming season, she returns to the same stage in July playing Cosette in Les Miserables.

The etching of Cosette by Émile Bayard (1837 – 1891), an Illustration from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. The etching served as the model for the musical’s emblem.

“Cosette is definitely a dream role of mine and I never thought I’d be playing it so soon in my career,” said Furlan. “She is often a character whose past gets over looked. To me she is a symbol of hope in a very dark world. It is a challenging role, but I am up for it!”

While this is Furlan’s first time playing Cosette, it isn’t her first time being part of the production. While in high school, she was part of Balmoral Hall’s presentation of Les Mis, playing Jean Valjean. She is looking forward to playing this role and rehearsing with the talented cast beginning in June.

Rehearsals won’t stop there, as Furlan will be back on stage three weeks later playing Sister Mary Robert in Sister Act.

“I am extremely pumped to play a nun who riffs like a pop star,” said Furlan. “The two roles could not be more different in regards to singing style. It’s a very different style of singing for me, so I am looking forward to showing a different side of my voice for audiences this summer.”

Though the weather in February makes the Summer seem far away, Furlan is already familiarizing herself with the tunes she’ll sing this summer.

“Putting Les Miserables and Sister Act on my resume is huge,” she said, “but I am more thrilled to be working at the fabulous Rainbow Stage for a third time!”

Furlan’s debut at Rainbow Stage was in 2013 in Mary Poppins. She was recognized nationally on CBC’s Over The Rainbow (2012) where she came in 4th place.

Ticket information for Les Mis and Sister Act can be found on Rainbow Stage’s website here.

Chris Reid