Evan, Hunt, Rivette & Dixon Lead TUTS' LES MISERABLES 3/24 - 4/5

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is delighted to announce that full casting is complete for LES MISERABLES, the recent addition to the TUTS 41st season! Les Miserables, which takes place of the previously scheduled Meet Me In St. Louis, will play for two weeks, March 24 - April 5, 2009 at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Houston.

Jean Valjean will be performed by Rob Evan, who starred in the role on Broadway and was most recently seen at TUTS in the 1995 production of Jekyll and Hyde. Evan has appeared in such Broadway classics as Tarzan and Little Shop Of Horrors.

His pursuer, Javert, will be played by Robert Hunt, who also starred in the role in the Broadway production and first National Tour of Les Miserables. Hunt was last at Theatre Under The Stars in the role of Freddie in the classic My Fair Lady.

Fantine will be portrayed by Andrea Rivette, in her debut performance at Theatre Under The Stars. Rivette has also been in the Broadway productions of Jekyll and Hyde, and Miss Saigon.
Houston locals and Humphreys School of Musical Theatre (HMST) Academy students, Maddie Dyer and Mallory Bechtel will take the roles of both young Cosette and young Eponine in alternation. Bechtel recently appeared as Susan in TUTS' production of Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Sam Linda, also a local HMST Academy student, will hold the role of Gavroche. The role of adult Cosette will be performed by Leah Horowitz (Broadway revival) while Sarah Shahinian will hold the role of adult Eponine. This will be the debut TUTS performance for both actresses.

Joining the principals are TUTS veterans, Ed Dixon as Thenardier (who starred as Thenardier in the Broadway original) and Ed Watts as Enjolras as well as Mary Gutzi (Broadway original ensemble) as Madame Thenardier, and Anderson Davis (from the Broadway revival) as Marius.
Also cast are Siri Howard, Jen Sese, Margaret Kelly, Robyn Payne, Anita Vasan, Nina Sturtz, Shawna M. Hamic, Jennifer Semrick, C. Mingo Long, David Weitzer, Cole Burden, Jason Ostrowski, Kevin Reed, Devin Ilaw, Jeremy Hays, Andrew Foote, Craig Foster, Kyle Dean Reinford, Kristopher Stanley Ward, and Christopher Deaton.

Set in early 19th century France, LES MISERABLES is the tale of reformed convict Jean Valjean, who conceals his true identity in hopes of forging a new life, Inspector Javert who relentlessly pursues him, and Fantine, the single working mother forced into prostitution to provide for her daughter Cosette. Written by the French composer Claude-Michel Schonberg and Librettist Alain Boublil in 1980, and based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo, Les Miserables is one of the most performed musicals world-wide and has been translated into 21 different languages. Among the most famous songs of this Tony Award-winning musical are "Master of the House," "On My Own," and "I Dreamed a Dream."

Single tickets for TUTS' production of LES MISERABLES (starting at $32) are available by phone at (713) 558-8887 or outside the Houston area at (888) 558-3882; or in person at the Theatre Under The Stars Box Office, (800 Bagby at Walker, Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 11am-4pm); or on-line at www.tuts.com.

An audio described performance is available April 5th at 2 pm.; open captioning April 5 th at 7:30 pm.

The Hobby Center is wheelchair accessible. Student and Senior (60+) discount tickets are available one hour before performance. Group discounts are currently available for 15 or more and may be purchased by calling (713) 558-8888 or via email at groupsales@tuts.com.

The TUTS 2008-2009 season is sponsored by Continental Airlines, Spectra Energy, St. Luke's Episcopal Health System. Sponsors of the TUTS production of Les Miserables include Apache Corporation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and The Humphreys Foundation.

Founded in 1968, Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is Houston's acclaimed non-profit musical theatre company and is currently under the direction of President and CEO John C. Breckenridge. Dedicated to producing new works and classic masterpieces, the 2008-2009 "Wow! What a Season!" celebrates TUTS' 41st Season of bringing world-class musical theatre to Houston audiences.

TUTS was the first theatrical organization in Houston to perform free to the public in 1968 at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, and is the only Houston arts organization that has performed there free to the public every year since the building opened. Since its founding by Frank M. Young, TUTS has produced more than 300 musicals including many local, national and world premieres such as Disney's Beauty and the Beast, as well as International tours including Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Juliet Prowse in Mame, Robert Goulet in Man of La Mancha, the Tony Award-winning revival of Carousel and the Deaf West Theatre production of Big River.

As a way to continue the tradition of musical theatre, TUTS' Humphreys School of Musical Theatre provides instruction and stage experience for more than 1,700 students annually through both The Academy and The Studio, which allow students to flourish in a year-round schedule of classes. Housed in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, TUTS also annually presents the Tommy Tune Awards, honoring the best and brightest in Houston's high school musical theatre programs.

Visit TUTS.com for more information.