Les Mis Returns to the Playhouse

When the Erie Playhouse last produced Les Miserables in 2012, every single showing – all five weeks of them – was sold out.

If you missed it then, you'll have another chance to see the beloved, iconic, heart-stirring classic at the Playhouse, as Les Mis is returning for a special April run.

A second chance at Les Mis is, of course, fitting – it's a story of second chances, after all. A 35-year-old play, based on a 153-year-old book, it resonates still because its message of redeeming love is timeless and powerful. It's a second chance for the actors as well, as that original Erie Les Mis cast is reuniting for this latest production, including the Rev. Shawn Clerkin reprising his role as the heroic Jean Valjean. (Shawn Valshawn, if you will).

You know the songs, even if you don't know the story. You know the wrenching heartbreak of "I Dreamed a Dream" and the swelling hope of "One Day More" and "Do You Hear the People Sing?" You know the gut-deep pain of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables." You of course know the words, "to love another person is to see the face of God."

But, oh, the story. Valjean, an escaped convict rescues a young girl; the years pass and their lives become intertwined with young French revolutionaries. All the while, Valjean is pursued relentlessly by an obsessed police inspector. Revolution rages, hearts are broken and lives are taken, but the true story is the depth of sacrifice we are willing to make for those we love, and how that love ultimately redeems us in the end.

A second chance – we don't always get them. So rush to the barricades, listen to the people sing, maybe remind yourself that it's okay to weep in public, and go see Les Mis. Let yourself be swept up in something epic.  — Sara Toth

7:30 p.m. April 9-11, April 14-18, April 21-25, 2 p.m. April 12, 19, 25, 26// $22 Adults, $13.50 Students// Erie Playhouse 13 W. 10th Street// erieplayhouse.org/tickets