MILWAUKEE — When the curtain rises for “Les Miserables” this week, Milwaukee theater-goers may recognize a familiar face on stage.
Christina Rose Hall, who has previously done regional theater work in Chicago and take the stage in Milwaukee productions with Skylight Music Theatre and Milwaukee Repertory Theater, is taking the stage with the national tour of “Les Miserables.”
We caught up with Hall before the tour came to Milwaukee:
Spectrum News 1: Why did you want to audition for “Les Mis?”
Hall: If I’m honest, “Les Mis” is one of those shows that because it’s been around so long, it’s actually a show I’ve wanted to do — and the part I’m playing, a part I’ve wanted to play — since I was in like the 8th grade. It’s been one of those lifelong kind of dreams to get to do this.
This musical in particular is really a singer’s musical; you get to sing in a way that… doesn;t come along that often anymore, so it really feels like a gift.
Spectrum News 1: This is kind of a “homecoming” for you. What will it be like to bring this show to Milwaukee?
Hall: Absolutely delightful. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have some cheese curds and some steamed mussels and go to Sobleman’s and have a Bloody Mary. I am so excited to be in Milwaukee again. She is, in my brain, and I say this with only the positive in mind, like Chicago’s cute little sister. She’s so fun to hang out. I love Milwaukee. The people are so salt of the earth and down to earth. I have loved working there every time.
Milwaukee is so rich in everything it has to offer from food to things to do to architecture, all of that. It’s so lovely. I can’t wait.
Spectrum News 1: What is your favorite part of the show?
Hall: I love so much about the show. It’s so epic; it is such a beautiful story… The storytelling is just really, extremely captivating. I love being a part of the comic relief of that. There’s so many wonderful themes that are happening: A man’s redemption; the survival of the human spirit in spite of all of these obstacles.
I adore being able to come out and shake it up with a little giggle, because it’s all very serious.
Spectrum News 1: What do you hope people take away from this show?
Hall: It feels like a true celebration of the humanities — not just in the story and the nature of what the show is about, not just in the performances on stage, but in the incredible artistry of our crew and our designers. The projections and the set are based on paintings from the actual novel… There is something so beautifully pure about this production in terms of the sourced-material. I hope everyone feels enriched in their hearts and their minds with the subject matter, but also within their senses, because it is a visual piece.
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