Modesto native, Broadway actress stars in ‘Les Mis’ tour hitting San Francisco

Modesto native and actress Lindsay Heather Pearce will star close to home in one of her dream roles beginning this month.

Pearce plays Fantine in a touring production of “Les Misérables,” playing at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco from Sept. 24 to Oct. 5.

The Modesto Junior College alum’s other dream role also was her biggest to date – starring as Elphaba on Broadway in “Wicked.”

She’d dreamed of playing each of the characters in her youth, she said in an email interview with The Bee.

“They were two of the most listened to original Broadway cast recordings in my boombox, and I saw both tours at the Orpheum in SF when I was young,” Pearce said. “It feels very full circle. I love passionate, strong women and getting to play them is just the best thing in the world.”

Pearce has been touring in the “Les Mis” production since October 2024.

“It has been an absolute joy. I love Fantine, I love her story and what she does for the story of the show, and how her story affects the entire story moving forward,” Pearce said.

Based on the Victor Hugo novel, “Les Misérables,” set in the 1800s, is about Jean Valjean, who steals a loaf of bread, and Javert, the police inspector who refuses to give up on tracking him down for his crime.

Fantine is a young woman forced into prostitution. On her deathbed, she leaves her daughter, Cosette, with Valjean, who goes on to take care of the child.

Despite a relatively short presence, Fantine is a driving character in the story.

“Without Fantine, Jean Valjean would never have the opportunity to not only become a father to Cosette, but to learn how to love through being a father to Fantine’s daughter,” Pearce said. “There is so much plot that depends on Jean Valjean and Fantine making that exchange of parenthood.”

Pearce also performs one of the most famous songs in the production, “I Dreamed a Dream.”

“It’s exhilarating and nerve wracking,” she said of singing the iconic song on stage. “I am only human, and it’s impossible to deliver a perfect performance every night, but I do my best! As long as I don’t forget the words (which almost everyone knows) I consider it a job well done.”

The touring production of the Tony Award-winning musical has dates in the United States and Canada set through June of 2026, according to lesmis.com. Tickets for the show at the Orpheum Theatre, 1127 Market St., San Francisco, are $72.54 to $269.10, available on the website.

Dream role in ‘Wicked’ on Broadway

Pearce’s first dream role, on Broadway no less, was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

She was cast in the lead role of Elphaba the in the Tony-winning musical “Wicked” at the start of 2020 and stepped on her first Broadway stage on Feb. 25 of that year, according to a 2021 story in The Bee.

Two weeks later, the world shut down due to the pandemic.

“It was hard for all of us. Having your entire industry (as so many industries did) shut down is devastating,” Pearce said in the email interview. “It was devastating to see what happened to the world at large and how heavy the blows to every human being landed. It was a major lesson in empathy and compassion.”

She and the rest of the company were promised their roles when “Wicked” returned, The Bee story said. It did, with Pearce back in her green witch makeup at New York City’s Gershwin Theatre on Sept. 14, 2021.

“Les Mis” and “Wicked” are just two of Pearce’s credits. She starred as Janis in the touring production of “Mean Girls” in 2022 and 2023. She’s had roles in other musicals and guest appearances on TV shows.

Career began at Modesto Junior College

She’s looking forward to returning to Northern California.

“I love my NorCal roots and I love San Francisco. It’s always an honor to come back to the place it all began,” she said.

Much of her future career began in the drama and music departments at MJC, Pearce said. “Those professors, those people are some of the best I’ve ever known and I wouldn’t be who and where I am today without them.”

She got her first break in her hometown, when she competed and won a talent competition held in years past at the Gallo Center for the Arts. Pearce competed in 2010 and won, catching the eye of another Modesto native who’s made a name for himself in the entertainment industry.

Robert Ulrich, an Emmy-winning casting director, would return home annually to be one of the judges of the talent show.

Ulrich has cast a number of television hits, including “Glee,” which led to his stint as host and mentor of a reality competition show, “The Glee Project,” which promised a role on the Fox mega-hit to the winner.

He tapped Pearce to try out for a spot on that TV series. She not only made it on the show, she was one of two runners-up in the competition, which earned them each a two-episode role on “Glee.”

“He is an absolute class act and a lesson in being as kind and as generous as possible in our industry,” Pearce said of Ulrich. “When he believes in someone, he does so with his entire being, and continues to support his people far and wide.

“He’s like the most proud fairy god uncle in the world. I owe so much to him and will be forever grateful for his influence in my life.”

While her family has moved from Modesto, Pearce said she still has “many friends and chosen family” in the area. She returns as often as she can to see them and will try to squeeze in a visit during the show’s stop in the Bay Area.

“If there is time during the very busy 8-show week schedule, I will,” she said. “Fingers crossed!”

It’s been 20 years since she first saw and was moved by “Les Misérables.” She’s looking forward to performing in the musical close to home.

“‘Les Mis’ is a show about the unbreakable human spirit, about love, and about redemption. Kindness through good works, compassion through action,” Pearce said. “I saw the show in 2005 and I can tell you it is just as impactful today as it was then. And it’s an honor to bring it back to NorCal where all of my dreams began.”