SALT LAKE CITY -- The epic stage musical Les Miserables has returned to Utah after its record-breaking regional premiere here in 2007 with the Pioneer Theatre Company.
Joe Cassidy plays the lead in the play, Jean Valjean, and he said he enjoys bringing the play to the people.
“It’s wonderful to get to tell such a profound story that spans decades that has touched millions of people’s hearts and minds over the years, over the decades in real life,” he said.
The show will be performed at the Roy W. and Elizabeth E. Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theater at the University of Utah. Cassidy said theater in Utah has a different feel than it does in other places.
“Everyone’s so dang friendly here,” he said. “You know, it’s nice. It’s different than NYC can be sometimes.”
Guest director Charles Morey, Pioneer Theatre Company, said they aim to make this year’s run better than ever.
“I think we've got a stronger handle on the show,” he said. “We were able to go into it saying, ‘We know this works. We know that works. Let’s try a little something different here and make it a little bit better where we can.'”
Morey said people who have seen the recently released movie still have plenty to gain by seeing the play on stage.
“Movies are a very different animal than live theater, so there’s much they can do that we can, and there's an awful lot that we can do, particularly with something like this, that they can't even think of doing,” he said. “There’s no comparison seeing somebody sing ‘Bring Him Home’, or ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ live at full voice than someone singing it in a movie. There’s no comparison.”
The play will run until June 1. Click here for more information about the production.
Click here for a sneak peek at the cast’s dress rehearsal of the hit song “One Day More.”
