One of the all-time classic Broadway shows, Les Misérables, will take to the stage at Cleveland’s prized Playhouse Square theater district from September 18 – 22! Famed theater producer Cameron Mackintosh’s production of the Tony Award-winning musical by the French duo of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg is a longtime fan favorite since its first performances staged in Paris in 1980.
Actor Steve Czarnecki, who plays the roles of Factory Foreman and Brujon phoned CleveRock to discuss the show and its upcoming run in Cleveland!
The current production is returning to Playhouse Square for its second stint after debuting here in 2022!
“We’ve been running ever since, and we’ve been all over the country,” Czarnecki said. “This is going to be, I think, our second repeat city. We’re in Philadelphia right now, which is our first time coming back to a city on this leg of tour, and we’re coming back to Cleveland and super excited about it. It’ll be another great time of year to be there, too!”
Correct, Steve! Fall in Northeast Ohio is lovely.
“I try to make a point everywhere I go to see something that’s quintessential to that town. So I feel like last time I was in Cleveland, I went to Cuyahoga Falls; I got to see a Guardian’s game, and all sorts of things like that. It’s always nice to take advantage of being somewhere new all the time,” he said.
For the minimal amount of theater fans who aren’t familiar with the show or patrons coming to check out Les Misérables for the first time, Czarnecki was asked to give a quick synopsis!
“It’s a story of a man who is seeking redemption. Jean Valjean was imprisoned just for stealing a loaf of bread for 19 years. When he gets out, he realizes that he needs to change his life to become a better person because prison hurt him and changed him into something that he wasn’t; it turned him into a darker person, and he needs to find the light in this world,” he explained. “He interacts with all these different characters who are going through struggles of their own. Along the way, we get to meet all those people and feel for them and their individual struggles in this world. And at the end, hopefully, you leave feeling really uplifted and ready to face the world on your own as well.”
While the songs and storyline are the focal points of any musical, many other elements can be overlooked, including the lighting, wardrobe, special effects, and subtlety in the acting. While all of these elements are important in this production of Les Misérables, Czarnecki pinpoints one specific thing that audiences should pay close attention to.
“Something that’s really special about this show is the set design,” he said. “Obviously, the barricade is so grandiose, and our costumes are really ornate and beautiful, but what I really love about this design is some of the backdrops and settings that kind of look like watercolor or oil paintings within the show, that are actual paintings by Victor Hugo that have been blown up and used as kind of backdrops within the show. Victor Hugo is the author of the original novel of Les Miz. So it’s kind of like this wonderful homage to the art that he produced in his lifetime. And that’s something that’s really kind of special if you haven’t seen it before.”
Czarnecki was asked to pick his favorite moment to act out in the show:
“There’s so many! It’s tough,” he stumbled. “I play the Factory Foreman who throws Fantine out at the beginning of the show. He’s like the nastiest guy. . ..I hope that he is nothing like me, but I get to play with that idea a little.”
That may be his favorite moment, but nationwide audiences’ consensus may differ.
“I wave the flag at the end of ‘One Day More,’ which is the finale of Act One, and it’s kind of the pinnacle of musical theater,” Czarnecki said. “The flag starts to go. Everyone’s marching. There’s this huge vocal that comes from the chorus, and every time it gives me goosebumps, even just talking about it right now. I got a little excited about it.”
Czarnecki is no stranger to the great state of Ohio! He received his theater education here and is excited to return!
“I went to Otterbein University just outside of the Columbus area,” he said with pride. “My roommate from college lives in the Cleveland area. He is a middle school science teacher as well as a theater director. He’s the most wonderful guy and a huge patron of the arts in the Cleveland area, and I just can’t wait to see him!”
Is there any pressure to be on his A-game in front of his college buddies?
“No! There are definitely individuals that I get more nervous to perform for. You have that extra level of, ‘Oh gosh, they’re here.’ Whether it’s my family or close friends, luckily, most of my friends are the most loving, friendly folks, so they’re always just excited to be there,” he answered.
Why should Cleveland area residents come to check out Les Misérables when it is in Northeast Ohio?
“It’s going to be the hottest ticket in town. I mean, that’s kind of always the case,” Czarnecki said. “You don’t want to be left out at the office or school or wherever you are and hear someone talking about the life-changing, altering experience they had, seeing this show when you could have been there.”
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