Central Catholic All-Ohio defensive back Alfred Dailey is used to being the center of attention for opposing offenses. This spring he’s stepped into a different kind of spotlight.
Dailey joined the Central Catholic glee club his senior year and auditioned for his first-ever musical.
“I wanted to go out with a bang,” Dailey said with a laugh. “A lot of people have told me I could really sing and that they could really use me in glee club, so I was just like, ‘Why not?’”
Dailey landed the lead role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables. It’s Central Catholic’s 90th spring musical and will run May 3-5 at the Valentine Theatre.
The show is a difficult one, with the Broadway version clocking in at just over three hours. While Central Catholic will perform the abridged school edition, the part of Valjean requires loads of vocal range and serious acting chops.
“There’s parts when I have to do a falsetto and then I have to be really strong right after it,” he said. “But I can handle it.”
It’s hard to argue with that.
Dailey’s approaching acting the say way he does football. One moment he’s lying back in zone coverage, somberly offering comfort to the character of Fantine on her deathbed.
One song later, he’s blitzing the quarterback — assured, boisterous, and standing tall as he confronts the villain, Javert.
As on the field, his range commands attention.
“He’s dedicated, he’s focused, he wants to perfect things,” said Central Catholic glee club director Deb Barrow. “I watched him on the football field too, and I saw a lot of that in what he did.”
For those that don’t know, Les Mis is about Valjean’s search for redemption after serving a 19-year prison sentence for stealing a loaf of bread. But before glee club, Dailey knew nothing about the musical set in 1800s France.
To prepare for the role, Dailey watched the 2012 film version.
Now, when he talks about his character, the smile won’t leave his face. He’s even found a way to relate the part and the experience to football.
“My defensive coordinator [Ryan Brown] would always tell me to never stop playing,” he said. “That’s what Jean Valjean is doing. He never stops, no matter what.
“It puts me in the same mind-set as football for how much you have to put in so you can get enough out. Plus, you want to make sure that you’re up to date on everything so you don’t bring other people behind.”
Dailey has been singing since he was 8. He sang in the Southern Missionary Baptist Church choir, where his mom, Crystal Harris, served as director, and he’s been hooked ever since. But landing the lead role in the school play was a bit unexpected.
“When he came and told me, my mouth dropped,” Harris said. “He takes it so seriously, everything he does. He’s a different kid.
“He’s so focused on building a future for himself.”
Dailey, who will play football at Division II Saginaw Valley State University next year, isn’t the first Central Catholic football player to star in a musical. Over the last four years, there have been football players in various lead roles.
One of the people most excited to see Dailey in the musical is football coach Greg Dempsey.
“To see a kid being in the lead from the football team, it means a lot to me,” Dempsey said of Dailey, a defensive back who recorded 56 tackles last year. “I’m proud. You want them to be well-rounded kids, and Alfred is definitely that.
“The kid is a heck of a lot more than just a football player.”
There are nine football players and 39 Central Catholic athletes overall in the musical, including seniors Rachel Gorman (tennis), Cassie Ye (an international student and cheerleader), and Nate Erickson (football, crew).
“It’s just nice to be a part of something else with [Dailey], be a part of something with my brother, and watch and help him to succeed,” Erickson said.
Dailey’s perfectionist nature has aided him throughout this process, but Harris says it also helps that Dailey shares many traits with the character he plays.
“He’s a very kind person, always reaching out to help everybody,” she said. “He always said, ‘Mom, I watch you and I see how you work hard and I want the best — I don’t want you to have to worry.’”
Dailey may share traits with his character, but he is entirely his own person.
That’s why he tried out for the show in the first place.
“I don’t want to be normal,” he said. “Why just stick to one thing when there are a lot of different opportunities to go out for? Live your life and live it to the fullest.”
First Published April 30, 2019, 1:15 p.m.
