Freshmen’s ‘Les Mis’ flash mob goes viral

When freshmen Natalie Bell and Robert Nichols were ready to start a carefully-planned flash mob of a “Les Miserables” hit at the Caf Wednesday night, they found their performance wasn’t exactly a secret.

“Right when we started, it got really quiet,” Bell said. “And the phones came out.”

Once someone posted video of the routine to YouTube, the views quickly followed. By Thursday night, one video of the routine had more than 15,000 hits.

Both Nichols and Bell said they never expected that kind of attention from an idea that started with a Facebook post.

“We were just doing it for fun,” he said.

The duo decided to start working on a flash mob during Winter Break after Nichols told Bell about one he was working on in his Arizona hoem. Once seeing “Les Miserables” days after it was released, they knew they had the right song in “One Day More”, the musical’s first act finale.

If any campus could perform and appreciate an impromptu musical performance, it would be Belmont, they said. They found more than 20 people, mostly underclassmen, willing to practice and participate in the project.

“Here, everyone can sing,” Bell said. “It was just who gets the part best.”

The “One Day More” performance came weeks before the Musical Theatre department opens their version of “Les Miserables.” Ironically, neither Bell or Nichols are musical theatre majors or part of the show and its promotion whatsoever.

“We’re all going to see that show though,” Nichols said.

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