A SIXTY-strong cast of young people have been starring in a production of the musical Les Miserables this week.

Members of Stagecoach Theatre Arts, aged eight to 18, from Oxford, Bicester, Bloxham and Witney have been wowing audiences and playing to packed houses at Headington School’s theatre, finishing with a black tie event. They were joined by 13 students from Malta, visiting as part of an annual exchange.

Some of the Oxfordshire children visited Malta a few weeks ago to take part in a production of the musical Fame at a converted fort.

Stagecoach principal Maya Sprigg is marking a milestone birthday this year — she wouldn’t reveal which one — and celebrated by staging the production of Les Miserables.

She said: “It’s something I have wanted to do for years. We literally cast on day one and they learned the entire Act One in one-and-a-half days. It was like jumping on an express train. It was quite amazing.”