A WITTY Ealing musical star is looking to fundraise for her parody show, The Miserables, which will be performed at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Gemma Seren, of Ealing Broadway, is playing the lead role in a remake of Les Miserables that replaces the French revolutionary theme of the original with a humorous take on the disillusioned lifestyle of office work.

The musical’s team are bringing the show to the festival in August and have launched a fundraising scheme that offers fans humorous gifts in exchange for donations.

Gemma said: “The Edinburgh Festival, especially for a new show or something that is up and coming, is sort of the pinnacle of the year.

“If you can get yourself up to Edinburgh it is a huge thing because basically all performers and critics from the UK will decamp up to Edinburgh for the whole of August.”

The musical will take Les Mis songs and reconfigure them so that they better suit the show’s new setting — the head office of the 'Land of Laminates' where workers are simply trying to get through their day.

It will follow two unhappy administrators and their workaholic boss in what is billed as a perfect story for anybody who has ever had a job they hated.

Gifts in exchange for fundraising donations match this theme with lucky funders who contribute £2,000 earning the right to name the musical’s boss after their own boss or a disliked colleague.

However, Gemma struggles with this as one of her songs references the boss’s name frequently, she said: “I was really hoping that I don’t get something very, very long because if it ends up being about seven syllables, I am not sure I can fit it in.

“I need it to be like a Mr Jones. Something nice and short.”

Money raised will cover festival registration and venue costs as well as accommodation, travel and contingency money.

Any funds raised over £7,000 will go towards ensuring the cast and creatives can take a month off their jobs for the show.

The show was previously previewed at the Etcetera Theatre in London in February and received a five-star review after its very first public performance.

Writer, director and producer, Nicola Masters, said: “We’ve been amazed by the great response we’ve had to the show in it’s early stages, but the cost of taking a show to Edinburgh is prohibitive and there is very little funding available to comedy shows like ours.

“We hope to be able to raise this money to ensure that we’re able to put on the best production we possibly can at the Edinburgh Fringe in August, and to give people the chance to contribute in a totally unique way.”

Ms Seren was born in Caerphilly, Wales, and to Twickenham University before attending drama school in London.

The actress is well-experienced in her profession having played the fairy godmother in numerous London pantomimes and having performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the world premiere of the musical Hey Sister.

The Miserables cast are paid on a profit-share basis meaning their wages are dispensed in relation to how much profit the show makes.

Gemma said: “You have to make that decision when you know it’s going to be a profit-share show.

“How much do you really care about it? How much are you invested?

“For me it was a no-brainer.”

The star believes the one-hour performance will leave Les Mis fans happy having seen a clever rethinking of its great songs.

She said: “I think it’s going to appeal to a lot of people because a lot of people will get that general idea of disenchantment.”

The Miserables will be put on at Just The Tonic at The Caves during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and previews will be held at the Etcetera Theatre in London July 25-26.

The cast have raised 10% of their target to date, you can donate to them here.