Opening on December 2, Signature Theatre's innovative new production of the beloved 1985 musical Les Misérables is staged by Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer. By special permission from producer Cameron Mackintosh, Signature Theatre is producing a brand-new version of Les Miz by creating an environmental staging that combines the epic scale of 28 actors, 138 costumes, a Broadway-sized 14-piece orchestra, and a five-ton steel set with the intimacy of a 280-seat theater. Joining 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.
The cast also 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. Cosette will be played by Stephanie Waters, who also performed 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.
One of the most popular musicals of all time, Boublil 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 1862 novel, Les Miz is full of show-stopping numbers such as "I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," and "One Day More."
Les Misérables will play in The MAX Theatre December 2, 2008 through January 25, 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.
BOUBLIL and SCHÖNBERG'S
Les Misérables
A musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on a novel by Victor Hugo. Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg. Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Original French Text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel. Additional material by James Fenton. Orchestrations by John Cameron. Scenic Design by Walt Spangler. Costume Design by Kathleen Geldard. Lighting Design by Mark Lanks. Sound Design by Matt Rowe. Music Direction by Jon Kalbfleisch. Choreography by Karma Camp. Directed by Eric Schaeffer. The original London Production was adapted and directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. This production is licensed by Music Theatre International by arrangement with Cameron Mackintosh.
CAST
Greg Stone Jean Valjean
Tom Zemon Javert
Andrew Call Marius
Tracy Lynn Olivera Fantine
Stephanie Waters Cosette
Felicia Curry Eponine
Christopher Bloch Thenardier
Sherri L. Edelen Madame Thenardier
Chris Sizemore Enjolras
Kurt Boehm Fauchelevant/Claquesous
Matt Conner Montparnasse
James Gardiner Babet
Adam Ethan Grabau Bamatbois/Grantaire
Michael Grew Courfeyrac
Thomas Hunter Hedgpeth Jean Prouvaire
Sam Ludwig Feuilly
Aaron Reeder Bishop of Digne/Lesgles
Thomas Adrian Simpson Combeferre/Foreman
Russell Sunday Brujon/Army Officer
Eleasha Gamble Ensemble
Channez McQuay Ensemble
Amy McWilliams Ensemble
Hannah Willman Ensemble
Weslie Woodley Ensemble
Children
Rachel Boyd Young Cosette
AJ Breivik Gavroche
Anna Nowalk Young Cosette
Jordi Parry Gavroche
Elizabeth Rader Young Eponine
Avery Watkins Young Eponine
Les Misérables is sponsored in part by JayLee Mead. Signature Theatre's 2008-2009 season is partially supported by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Under the leadership of Co-founder and Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer and Managing Director Maggie Boland, Signature is a non-profit professional theater company dedicated to producing contemporary musicals and plays, reinventing classic musicals, and developing new work. To date, Signature has presented over 25 world premiere productions and is renowned for combining Broadway-quality productions with intimate playing spaces. In addition to the finest talent from the DC metropolitan area and New York, Signature has been a home to such theater luminaries as John Kander and Fred Ebb, Cameron Mackintosh, Terrence McNally, and the company's signature, Stephen Sondheim. Signature has been nominated for 234 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the professional theater and has been honored with 59 Helen Hayes Awards, including Outstanding Musical in 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2005, and 2006, and Outstanding Play in 1999.
Signature Theatre is just 12 minutes from downtown Washington, DC in Arlington's Shirlington Village. The new theater complex is located at 4200 Campbell Avenue (22206) off I-395 at the Shirlington exit. After the exit, blue Signature signs mark the way to the Theatre. Free parking is available in two adjacent public garages. Please note that Campbell Avenue is a new street and some GPS online mapping systems do not yet recognize Signature Theatre's address. For directions visit www.signature-theatre.org.
Contact Information
Ticketmaster (703) 573-SEAT (7328)
Signature Theatre- 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206
http://www.signature-theatre.org
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