ITVThe Arts Club Theatre Company in Vancouver is enjoying a phenominal spike in interest in their spring production of Les Miserables thanks to Susan Boyle of Scotland who took the world by storm this month with her passionate performance of I Dreamed a Dream.
Boyle was a contestant on the TV show Britain's Got Talent, described herself as, "nearly 38, currently unemployed but still looking," and lives alone with her cat, Pebbles. She's never been married, never been kissed, and certainly didn't look like a contender for the competition when she walked out on stage—yet she blew everyone away.
With roughly 100 million views of various videos of her audition that have been posted to YouTube so far, she's an international sensation and interest in Les Miserables has been re-kindled.
"I'm excited that, with her spirit and incredible voice, Susan Boyle has connected people to the beauty and power of this song," said Sara-Jeanne Hosie who will sing I Dreamed a Dream as Fantine in the Arts Club production. "But mostly it's a relief that if I get hit by a bus, the Arts Club knows exactly who to ask to replace me!"
Already several shows are sold-out and others are nearing capacity with still a month left to go before opening night. Director Bill Millerd says, "It has all the components of a timeless musical. Based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo this sweeping epic is set in a time of revolutionary change in Paris. Our production is blessed with an extraordinary cast of actor/singers, the largest cast ever assembled on the Stanley stage."
Among interview requests from CNN and media mogul Oprah Winfrey, Susan Boyle has dominated conversations on the microblogging site, Twitter, which is used by millions around the world where her name has consistantly ranked as one of the top trending topics on the service for the last two weeks. All of this is great news for the Arts Club and Les Miserables, which will run in Vancouver from May 14 to July 19, 2009.