Shaler grad returns to Pittsburgh with touring production of 'Les Misérables'
Not that long ago, Daniel Bittner was performing in musicals on the stage at Shaler Area High School.
Now, the 23-year-old is returning to a Pittsburgh-area stage, but this time it will be the Benedum, as part of the U.S. touring production of one of the world’s most popular musicals, “Les Misérables.”
“It’s a dream come true being part of my favorite show ever,” said Bittner, a 2021 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University who recently moved to New York City. “I love being able to be part of the storytelling and the touring. Not everyone can make it to New York, but a lot of people can make it to Downtown.”
Bittner plays Feuilly, the only member of the show’s Les Amis de l’ABC group who is not a student but a worker during a revolutionary period in 19th century France.
Bittner said he auditioned a half-dozen times to earn the role.
“I got called in February and went through a series of auditions over the next few months,” he said. “I was living in Pittsburgh at the time and working for WQED, so I’d have to go back and forth taking the train every time they’d call.”
“But it was well worth it,” he said.
The production opened a few weeks ago in Cleveland. Bittner spoke with the Tribune-Review from Philadelphia, where the show will play before heading to Providence and then to Pittsburgh, for shows Nov. 22-27 at the Benedum.
“It’s really special getting to see cities across the country and bringing the show to people who are seeing it for the first time or for the 20th time,” he said. “It’s great to be able to give the show to people and to see the support from the town when you come.”
And while this is far and away Bittner’s biggest show in the Pittsburgh area, he has some big-league experience under his belt, having recently made his Broadway debut as Monsieur Reyer/Hairdresser in “The Phantom of the Opera.”
He said “Les Misérables” appeals to one and all.
“It’s just an epic, uplifting story that focuses on redemption and raising the human spirit,” he said. “With what we’ve been through the past few years, it’s something I recommend anyone go and see.”
For tickets ($35-$155), visit TrustArts.org.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
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