{"id":245319,"date":"2012-08-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-31T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/les-miserables-returns-to-san-diego-in-reimagined-staging\/"},"modified":"2012-08-31T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-08-31T07:00:00","slug":"les-miserables-returns-to-san-diego-in-reimagined-staging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/les-miserables-returns-to-san-diego-in-reimagined-staging\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Les Mis\u00e9rables\u2019 returns to San Diego in reimagined staging"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\u2018Les
The 25th annual production of \u2018Les Miserables\u2019 returns with a six-show run. (Courtesy Broadway San Diego)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Por Antonio Rey | Editor SDUN<\/strong><\/p>\n

Broadway San Diego continues their 2012 season with the classic \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables,\u201d which opened Tuesday, Aug. 28 for a six-show run, ending Sunday, Sept. 2. The tour, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Cameron Mackintosh production, began in 2010 and represents a new direction in regards to the staging, one that actor Jason Forbach said was a big hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re showing [audiences] something completely new,\u201d he said. Forbach, who is one of a handful of players that were a part of the original touring company, said they did not know what to expect when they began staging the production.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were all shocked at the reception we\u2019ve had. It\u2019s like an audience at a rock concert,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it is just a testament to this show. People love this show and they love this music.\u201d<\/p>\n

That admiration is one reason Broadway San Diego included it in their season, which most recently featured \u201cLa Cage aux Folles,\u201d and follows \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d with \u201cJekyll & Hyde\u201d in early October.<\/p>\n

\u201cProductions such as these add vitality to the art community in San Diego by offering exhilarating, fulfilling, top-notch musicals to those who otherwise would not be able to experience a Broadway production,\u201d said Carl Thompson, director of marketing and business development. \u201cWe take great pride in contributing to the arts community, cultural enhancement and economic development of San Diego by bringing people together to experience the thrill of live theatre.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the 25th anniversary production\u2019s re-conception sees the removal of the iconic rotating stage. The production also incorporates images of art \u2013 photos of paintings created by Victor Hugo, the author of the book on which the original play was based \u2013 projected on stage to help dramatize the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is gritty and very real, very raw. The emotion is very high,\u201d Forbach said. \u201cIts much more thematic and epic in scope than that minimalist turn table [staging]. I don\u2019t think anyone has a second to miss the old stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forbach plays Enjorlas, the leader of a group of students and revolutionaries in early 1800s Paris, and good friend to Marius, one of the story\u2019s main characters. The actor\u2019s previous credits include \u201cThe Phantom of the Opera,\u201d \u201cThe Music Teacher\u201d and \u201cAs You Like It,\u201d among others.<\/p>\n

In addition to his stage work, Forbach has also recorded two albums: \u201cA New Leading Man\u201d and \u201cRemember to Dream,\u201d which is a holiday EP featuring his official foray into song writing. \u201cRemember to Dream\u201d was used as a platform for a holiday concert in Minneapolis, Minn. last December, which Forbach helped organize as a fundraiser for Broadway Cares\/Equity Fights AIDS. The concert featured Forbach and members of the touring \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d cast along with the Twin Cities Gay Men\u2019s Chorus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted the opportunity for the company to get together and get into the spirit of the holidays,\u201d Forbach said, adding that he appreciated the opportunity to work with the Gay Men\u2019s Chorus, meet their board members and explore the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everyone in the theatrical community feels passionately about supporting AIDS organizations and finding a cure,\u201d Forbach said. All proceeds from the evening went to Broadway Cares, which then distributes the money to AIDS and HIV organizations nationally.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had complied letters of appreciation from all of these different groups saying how Broadway Cares helped their organization stay afloat and thrive,\u201d Forbach said. \u201cWe had people read those letters throughout the evening. It was a pretty poignant night.\u201d<\/p>\n

The touring company has given back in other ways in its two-year run, most recently with another benefit concert held their last week in San Francisco, just before the show came to San Diego.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think any time we can bring attention to these causes, in a way that we can through entertaining and music,\u201d Forbach said, \u201cit\u2019s the least we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forbach said he is looking forward to being in San Diego, even for the short amount of time. Performances run through Sept. 2: Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday at 1 and 6 p.m. All performances are at the San Diego Civic Theatre, located at 1100 Third Ave. For ticket information visit broadwaysd.com or call 619-564-3001.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Anthony King | SDUN Editor Broadway San Diego continues their 2012 season with the classic \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables,\u201d which opened Tuesday, Aug. 28 for a six-show run, ending Sunday, Sept. 2. The tour, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Cameron Mackintosh production, began in 2010 and represents a new direction in regards to the staging, […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":245320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"\u2018Les Mis\u00e9rables\u2019 returns to San Diego in reimagined staging","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11547,11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-245319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-features","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}