BUFFALO, N.Y. — It's always exciting for local musical theater lovers when "Les Misérables" comes to the Shea's Performing Arts Center.
What makes this touring production even more special is that one of the cast members is a Western New Yorker.
Genevieve Ellis is a SUNY Fredonia musical theater alum, and her family lives in the area. She performed in many local productions in Buffalo before joining the touring cast of "Les Misérables."
Ellis is a member of the ensemble and the understudy for Fantine. She was called on to play the role for opening night at Shea's on Tuesday, with many of her family and friends in the audience.
"It was truly a wonderful feeling," she said. "It was very, very special. Some of them had only seen me do it one other time before, and some of them had never seen me do it, so it was really wonderful, and it was so moving."
While Ellis has seen many shows at Shea's over the years, she had never been backstage before.
"I had some of my company members ask me, what's the theater like backstage? I said, 'I have no idea,' " she said. "I've only ever sat in the seats, I have no idea what it's like, but it's a beautiful house."
Ellis, in fact, sat in the seats for the last time this same tour of "Les Misérables" visited Shea's before pausing for the pandemic.
"I remember where I was sitting, and I saw some of the same company members that were in the show last night back then. Never imagined I would get to be in it, which is really crazy," she said.
The show runs through Sunday night.
The theater reminds people with tickets for either Sunday performance to be mindful of extra traffic due to the St. Patrick's Day parade downtown.