Signature Theatre To Present New Version of 'Les Miz' Starting 12/2

Signature Theatre today announced that the company will present an innovative new production of the beloved 1985 musical Les Misérables, to be staged by Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer this December.  By special permission from producer Cameron Mackintosh, Signature Theatre will produce a brand-new version of Les Miz by creating an environmental staging that combines the epic scale of 30 actors, 138 costumes, a Broadway-sized 14-piece orchestra, and a five-ton steel set with the intimacy of a 280-seat theater.  Mackintosh stated, “One of the great pleasures of being involved with the creation of Les Misérables is seeing this marvelous musical being done in a completely different and original way.  Having seen many shows brilliantly reimagined at Signature I have no doubt that Eric and his team will come up with a revolutionary new take on Les Miz unlike anything anyone has seen before.  Viva la différence!”  Les Misérables will open in Signature’s MAX Theatre on December 2.

One of the most popular musicals of all time, Boubil and Schönberg’s Les Misérables is a passionate saga of love and betrayal set during the upheaval of post revolutionary France.  At its center, fugitive Jean Valjean is pitted against the tenacious Inspector Javert in a lifelong struggle to evade capture.  This deeply personal drama of a man seeking redemption is played out against a sweeping historical backdrop of unparalleled scale, where the worlds of student revolutionaries, thieves and criminals, and desperate young lovers collide.  Based on Victor Hugo’s classic 1892 novel, Les Miz is full of show-stopping numbers such as “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” and “One Day More.”

The impressive cast includes Greg Stone, from the national touring companies of Les Misérables and Miss Saigon, as the fugitive Jean Valjean.  Tom Zemon, of the Broadway productions of Les Miz and The Scarlet Pimpernel, is his relentless pursuer Javert.  Doug Kreeger of the Broadway cast of Les Miz is the student revolutionary Marius, in love with Cosette, Stephanie Waters, who also played the role on Broadway and was featured in Signature’s Into the Woods.  Playing Cosette’s mother Fantine is Signature Theatre favorite and two-time Helen Hayes nominee Tracy Lynn Olivera.  Christopher Bloch of Signature’s Urinetown is Thenardier and Signature’s Helen Hayes Award winner Sherri L. Edelen is Madame Thenardier, with the exciting young actress Felicia Curry playing their daughter Eponine.  Chris Sizemore makes his Signature debut as the student leader Enjolras.

 Joining Eric Schaeffer on the creative team are choreographer Karma Camp, musical director Jon Kalbfleisch, set designer Walt Spangler, costumer designer Kathleen Geldard, lighting designer Mark Lanks, and sound designer Matt Rowe.

Director Schaeffer commented, “Les Misérables is the perfect show for Signature because we’re known for reinventing the Broadway musical. We’re taking a great work like Les Miz and reimagining it for our stage and our audience.  It’s an epic show to be seen in the intimate setting of only 280 seats and we’re setting it in a whole different world.  Walt Spangler’s set will encase the entire theater, where the audience cannot help but be in Paris, in the barricades, in the tavern.  It’s really exciting to have people who think they know the show rediscover it in this truly amazing way.”

Schaeffer continued, “Most productions follow the romanticism of Les Misérables.  Signature will have that romanticism but at the same time emphasize the fact that it’s a story about a war, a revolution with blood and death that’s tearing people apart. The cast is made up of amazing Washington area performers plus great people I’ve worked with in New York.  In The MAX Theatre, hearing all those voices and using the Broadway orchestration will be thrilling.  No one in our country will ever have witnessed Les Misérables like this.  That is what makes this production so special.”

Les Misérables will play in The MAX Theatre December 2, 2008 through February 22, 2009.  Tickets, ranging in price from $65 to $87, are on sale by calling Ticketmaster at (703) 573-7328 or visiting www.signature-theatre.org.  Show times are Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 pm, Thursday and Friday at 8:00 pm, Saturday at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sunday at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm.  Special 8:00 pm holiday performances are scheduled for December 23 and 30.  No performances will take place on December 16, 24, 25, and January 1.

Special packages are available to enhance patrons’ experience of Les Misérables.  There are “Miz Kids” family offerings, “The Paris Pass,” which includes drinks, souvenir programs and more, and “Beyond the Barricade” backstage tours held throughout the run, as well as a New Year’s Eve gala performance and party.  For more information on these packages call the Signature Theatre Box Office at (703) 820-9771.

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