www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/20080521_Rethinking.html
Howard Shapiro in the Phila. Inquirer, May 21:
Producer Cameron Mackintosh chose a few theaters in 2006 as places that could restage and re-envision Les Miz. (Except for cut-down school shows, it was supposed the be staged the same way everywhere since its '85 RSC premiere.)
It's opening this week at Philadelphia's Walnut Theater: no turntable, cast of 36, big one-piece barricade, emphasis on story over spectacle, numerous other staging changes. Implications for the Aug. 9-23 production at CdA Summer Theater?
Roger Welch of CdA Summer Theatre reports that "We will have a turntable and a barricade, a cast of more than 30, full orchestrations, and Douglas Webster playing Jean Valjean — he played
ReplyDeletethe role on Broadway and the national tour.
"We got the call from Music Theatre International that we were selected as one of the theaters receiving the rights after Cameron Macintosh
approved us from the list. I have been in contact trying to get this for several years. I am always negotiating with or taking to lunch folks who will help us out — and this one really paid off."