Classically bold

Theatre Tulsa opens its season with a rebellion

Some like to avoid risk at all costs. Sara Phoenix is not one of those people.

Not only has she played an influential part in the restoration of Theatre Tulsa as a flourishing civic theatre company, but she has also taken on the colossal task of directing the company’s season opening production of “Les Misérables.” The curtain rises this weekend, on Friday, Aug. 8.

Based on Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name, “Les Misérables” is widely considered one of the greatest tales of the 19th century. The story follows the journey of Frenchman Jean Valjean from 1815 at the time of his confinement in a French prison until the June Rebellion in Paris in 1832. First adapted for the stage as a musical in 1980, the show is performed in an operetta style, which requires the actors to sing the entire time and hit every note with clarity.

Phoenix knows it’s an iconic show, a big task for a local company. “Honestly,” she said with a smile, “it’s been pretty fun and drama-free right now. I think we are starting to find our groove as a company, as a team, and that flows to the actors and volunteers who work with us.”

Selecting this show was a risk, but the potential for exposing and promoting the talent of the performing arts community in Tulsa far outweighed any concerns, Phoenix said.

“We’ve been taking risks since [Theatre Tulsa] was overhauled two years ago. Les Mis is no different. It’s a huge risk. It’s on another level, encompassing a bigger scope, than anything we’ve done before. I would venture to say it’s one of the biggest, most all-encompassing shows TT has ever done in its 92-year history. So, this is just another opportunity to push boundaries and see what can be done in Tulsa,” she said.

Pushing those boundaries, in this case, demands fearless commitment from cast and crew. Some scenes take place over a large expanse of time and various locations. Beyond that, in the vast battle choreography and dance sequences, up to 70 maneuver the stage at once.

The technical challenges alone might scare anyone else away, but Phoenix and Theatre Tulsa have assembled an immense team to support such a production. “The show is extremely difficult to execute when considering the staging, technical elements, and musical requirements. It takes a lot of expertise, time, and talent. So coordinating all of that and being able to find the funding to support all of that, the personnel and supplies, has been the biggest challenge.”

“I always knew Tulsa had the talent to do the show,” she added. “It was more a worry about finding the right people behind the scenes to pull it off.”

Theatre Tulsa has seen its share of trials in recent years, ending with a hard-earned resurgence in the local theatre scene. An exhilarating and rewarding season launch was in order. “We discovered last year that beginning our season with a big musical, with a lot of public interest and a large cast, was a great thing,” Phoenix said. “We knew we wanted something big. Les Mis has been so popular over the years because of the Broadway show and then, more recently, because of the [2012] movie.”

Though performed in a classic style with period staging, the themes reflected in the story still appeal to a modern audience. “Hugo’s characters face the same trials and quests as any person on the earth,” Phoenix said. “The search for love, the desire for self-actualization, to do right, to persevere through dark hours. These are common human endeavors that haven’t changed in the 200 years since the novel was written.”

With a cast that includes an array of beguiling characters, the show has become the embodiment of celebrated musical theatre. The challenge has been accepted, and Phoenix and Theatre Tulsa are looking forward to seeing this lauded work in its full bloom, to see the vision come to life on one of Tulsa’s largest stages.

Les Miserables
August 8-9, 14-16, 20-23, 8 p.m., August 10, 16-17, 23-24 2 p.m.
Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 110 E. Second Street
theatretulsa.org