With a tenor voice and falsetto range, Russell Fischer landed the role of Joe Pesci in the Broadway company of "Jersey Boys" on his 22nd birthday, marking his Broadway debut. Fischer spent the next 6 years as an understudy for the role of Frankie Valli as well.
Fischer starred in the second national tour of "Big: The Musical" as Billy Kopecki. His regional credits include Jimmy Smith in "Thoroughly Modern Millie", Tommy Djilas in "The Music Man" at Chautauqua Opera, the American premiere of "Children of Eden" at Papermill Playhouse, and Tommy Swank in "Baby Fat, Act 1: A Rock Opera" at LaMama Experimental Theater Club in New York City.
On June 11, 2018, as part of the "Broadway at The Pierre" cabaret series in association with Broadway Sings for Pride, a concert was held at Two E Bar/Lounge — the sophisticated saloon located inside the New York City luxury hotel, The Pierre. The concert (titled "Encore") featured a performance by Fischer, backed by pianist and musical director Charles Santoro. The concert was scheduled on the day after the 72nd Annual Tony Awards, further celebrating the talent and legacy of the Great White Way.
Fischer performed the song "Bring Him Home" during the concert, where Shefik served as Videographer. "Bring Him Home" is a song from the musical "Les Misérables".
"Les Misérables" is a sung-through musical and an adaptation of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel of the same name, by Claude-Michel Schönberg (music), Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel (original French lyrics), and Herbert Kretzmer (English lyrics). The original French musical premiered in Paris in 1980 with direction by Robert Hossein. Its English-language adaptation by producer Cameron Mackintosh has been running in London since October 1985, making it the longest-running musical in the West End and the second longest-running musical in the world after the original Off-Broadway run of "The Fantasticks".
Set in early 19th-century France, "Les Misérables" is the story of Jean Valjean, a French peasant, and his desire for redemption, released in 1815 after serving nineteen years in jail for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister's starving child. Valjean decides to break his parole and start his life anew after a bishop inspires him with a tremendous act of mercy, but a police inspector named Javert refuses to let him escape justice and pursues him for most of the play. Along the way, Valjean and a slew of characters are swept into a revolutionary period in France, where a group of young idealists attempt to overthrow the government at a street barricade in Paris.
"Les Misérables" was originally released as a French-language concept album, and the first musical-stage adaptation of "Les Misérables" was presented at the Palais des Sports in 1980.
Credits
- Videographer: Shefik
Last Updated: April 29, 2023
