VISTA — For the first time in 20 years of national and Broadway performances, the hit Broadway show “Les Misérables” is available for regional presentation, and Vista will get to host the very first performance in Southern California.

How did Moonlight Stage Productions pull this off? According to Moonlight’s Managing Director Dan Kays, Moonlight simply got a call out of the blue from a representative of the company that owns the rights to “Les Mis.”

“It wasn’t hard,” Kays said. “All of us have relationships with the royalty companies out there. We’re constantly asking for shows and get on waiting lists ... Our program happened to be far enough away from Los Angeles where there’s a tour going in 2010.”

The theater jumped at the opportunity, making “Les Mis” the last show to be put on in the outdoor venue before it gets a complete makeover. When asked if the Moonlight would have preferred to wait until the new theater was ready, Kays explained that they didn’t want take the chance of losing the opportunity later.

“The benefits we will have when the new theater stage comes in are enormous, but we’re so used to working in the old space,” Music Director Elan McMahan said. “I don’t even know if you could call (it) a handicap.”

Getting the rights turned out to be half the battle. Moonlight immediately scoured the country looking for a “Les Mis” set they could use. As luck would have it, the Broadway Rose Theater in Tigerd, Ore., is also one of the first regional venues for “Les Mis,” and their stage was very similar to Moonlight’s. They not only allowed Moonlight to truck the scenery down to Vista, they are letting the set stay in Southern California for any production company to rent out.

The other lucky find was a 24-foot diameter turntable for the stage, which Moonlight rented from a Los Angeles-based company. The revolving contraption allows scenes to be changed without shuffling set pieces off stage to the left or right.

Once the pieces of the set were secured, Moonlight took on the task of bringing the songs and story of their show to life. The high-profile “Les Mis” drew one of the theater’s biggest audition crowds to date.

“There was a lot of competition for each role in the show,” Artistic Director Kathy Brombacher said. “We were looking, No. 1, for the right vocal talent. People who could really blend well in a musical group and also sustain solo lines.”

Elan McMahan was given the task of taking the 21 actors and coordinating them with the 21-piece orchestra. The Moonlight veteran noted that while the individual pieces are not exceptionally difficult, the wide variety of styles and the speed at which the orchestra has to change gears presents a challenge. Also, unlike the other musicals this summer at the Moonlight, there are no breaks between songs.

“Once that curtain opens, we play until intermission,” McMahan said. “Mentally and physically it’s pretty taxing for me.”

If the orchestra pieces aren’t as intricate as in, for example, last year’s “West Side Story,” the same cannot be said for the vocals.

“The role of Jean Valjean is one of the most difficult roles in musical theater today,” McMahan said. “It’s extreme in terms of vocal range, and it demands a great deal of stamina. Our actor, Danny Gurwin, who is playing that role, is nothing short of phenomenal.”

“Les Misérables” will be playing at the Moonlight Amphitheater through Aug. 31. Tickets are available at (760) 724-2110 or www.vistixonline.com.