RIGBY— Stage Door Repertory Theatre in Rigby is in its first season, and its newest production, “Les Misérables School Edition,” is opening on Friday.
After over 50 years working in theatre, being an actor, producer, director and more, Nick Charles came out of retirement and opened Stage Door Repertory Theatre with his wife, Julie.
“We're very grateful,” Charles said. “If people have suggestions for us, we want to hear that. My wife, Julie, and I started the theatre and we love meeting new people and working with new people. And we just are so excited to be doing this again.”
The school edition of “Les Misérables” is like the full stage production, only slightly shortened to make the show more appealing to a younger audience.
“It really is the same show,” Charles said. “Unless you are a diehard Les Mis fan, you probably wouldn't miss a lot of it because the story flows the same. They only cut maybe 20 minutes out of the show.”
Besides the shortened run time, what sets “Les Misérables School Edition” apart is the cast and crew involved in the show. All members of the cast and crew are school students, between the ages of 10 through 18.
“They're wonderful kids, absolutely wonderful,” Charles said. “I even told them a couple of weeks ago that the only thing that is really separating them from the last time I did the show is a few years of experience. The talent is unbelievable. This is a remarkable group of young performers.”
You can find showtimes and buy tickets at Stage Door Repertory Theatre’s website here.