Maximizing the impact of Les Mis; Economic planners go to the barricades

Emily Heyman, dresser for Les Mis, with actors
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More than 10,000 people attended the eight performances of Les Mis at the Strand Theater, according to the Shreveport Times. An additional sign of success earned by the historic Shreveport theater was that tickets were purchased by customers from Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and, less likely, from Kansas, Kentucky and Tennessee.

A Les Mis Economic Development Conference was quickly convened by the S'port Audi Owner & Harley Riders Association as well as the Committee of 30. The topic: maximizing the impact of the Strand's downtown success.

Here's a transcript of what we felt was the heart of the meeting:

Greg Tarver: A friend buzzed me with the idea of establishing a Temple of Les Miz in downtown Shreveport. Can't miss, I don't think. Something like the Hollywood Casino format: costumes and mannequins from the play, photos of the cast, bits of video, essentially a Les Miz Museum.
Virginia Shehee: Let's let Hollywood Casino run with that idea. I'm pret-ty sure they could use a make-over.
Bill Joyce: Les Miz Museum? Right. How about a $5 million defense fund so we could fight NYC, Paris and London for the rights to it.
Shehee: Yet, we do have a few downtown buildings available for such possibilities.
Tarver: The idea rocks but you can't blatantly say we want to cash in on the Les Mis phenom.
Joyce: Le Musee Victor Hugo?
Shehee: Lol; in Shreveport? No way. Given our population, we might go with Javert's World.
Tarver: I think you meant Valjean's World, my friend.
Joyce: What about something a bit subtler? I'm thinking Maison Cosette. Wait, a minute: she's under legal age during most of the play.
Tarver: 2<>4<>6<>0<>1 Texas St.!
Shehee: Gentlemen, let's expand the view here. One building? Let's open up the plan.
Joyce: Galveston does an annual Dickens on the Strand. They block off the historic streets and recreate 19th century London.
Tarver: We could recreate the Barricades of the Paris revolt, 1832, in the middle of Texas St.! SRAC might donate their downtown sculptures, too.
Shehee: Call Pam Atchison, pronto.
Joyce: The Barricades of Paris: we've got local Civil War reenactors out the wazoo. Sounds like a work in progress to me.
Shehee: If that works ... pardon me while I think out loud: I think Fannin St. is largely available. Bless my soul, but I see a glittering recreation of the gutters of Paris.
Joyce: Nineteenth century Shreveport becomes, via dance-and-song, the gorgeous Gutters of Paris! Brilliant; love it.
Tarver: Transvestites, tough cops, brothels, the visiting gentry, opium dens, winos, gunfire and knife fights. Gee, I think that we might be able to assemble a cast of players with background in that type of entertainment. Look, I heard that director Patric McWilliams is available.
Shehee: That, guys, makes a package. Let's get some financing. Indeed, we've "Dreamed the Dream."
Joyce: One mo' idea: maybe we should work in a series of colorful, fabric-draped gates leading up to Texas St. Hey; does that rock?


Virginia Sheehee, Greg Tarver and Bill Joyce appeared in this skit by the generosity of their civic-minded management agencies. Thanks, guys!