In 2002, I watched my niece play violin in a performance of Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil’s superb musical Les Miserables.

It was a momentous occasion as not only was Stanwell School in Penarth the first school in Europe to perform the school edition of the musical, but Cameron Mackintosh himself attended one of the performances. Although I have seen the musical on numerous occasions, I have never seen the school edition performed since, so I was looking forward to Trowbridge Youth Theatre’s performance, where the average age of the performers is only 15. As the name suggests, the musical is sad, emotional and, occasionally, for me, harrowing.

From the overture at the beginning of the performance to the closing song, the audience was hooked. The performance flowed – interrupted only by the audience’s spontaneous applause – and the choreography was seamless. The stage planning was very effective, with the orchestra almost surrounded by the action on all sides. The backdrop was a screen with photos of France in 1815.

It always seems unfair to single out individuals, as the chorus held the pace and their on-stage acting was believable for the entire two and half hours of the show.

I had to keep reminding myself that the performers were all still at school.

The only light moment is the raucous song Master of the House sung by the innkeeper and his wife, Monsieur and Madame Thenardier, played expertly by Ieuan Turner and Katey Baker. Theo Moran-Walker (Valjean) and Joshua Grigg (Javert) performed admirably. The songs from Les Mis are tricky, cover a huge vocal range and quite often have lots of words but these two held up their intricate characters.

Tom Mullings (Enjolras) was wonderful as the leader of the student revolutionaries, and had a stoic, confident presence on the stage. Abigail Ibbetson, as Cosette, was beautiful, gentle and in A Heart Full of Love hit the highest note with clarity and ease. Ryan Chown, as the love- struck Marius, played his part well, gently portraying his conflict between his love for Cosette and his duty to stand by his friends in the Revolution.

I rate my experience of Les Mis performances on two things: whether Fantine’s death makes me weep and then, further on, whether Eponine’s death in Marius’ arms reduces me to a sobbing heap. I was not disappointed! Lydia Stevens (Fantine, Cosette’s mother) was superb. Her portrayal of a woman fired from her position in the factory, turning to prostitution and eventually handing over the care of her daughter to Valjean before her death, was lovely. However, my favourite performer was Clover Kayne (Eponine). Her voice was beautiful, her acting faultless and her performance was mesmerising.