''Les Misérables'' ( , ), colloquially known as ''Les Mis'' or ''Les Miz'' ( ), is a sung-through musical and an adaptation of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

's 1862 novel of the same name, by

Claude-Michel Schönberg Claude-Michel Schönberg (born 6 July 1944, in Vannes) is a French record producer, actor, singer, songwriter, and musical theatre composer, best known for his collaborations with lyricist Alain Boublil. Major works include ''La Révolution Fran� ...

(music), Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel (original French lyrics) and

Herbert Kretzmer Herbert Kretzmer (5 October 192514 October 2020) was a South African-born English journalist and lyricist. He was best known as the lyricist for the English-language musical adaptation of ''Les Misérables'' and for his long-time collaboration ...

(English lyrics). The original French musical premiered in Paris in 1980 with direction by

Robert Hossein Robert Hossein (30 December 1927 – 31 December 2020) was a French film actor, director, and writer. He directed the 1982 adaptation of ''Les Misérables'' and appeared in '' Vice and Virtue'', '' Le Casse'', ''Les Uns et les Autres'' and ''V ...

. 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 Jean Valjean () is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his ...

, 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.

Background

''Les Misérables'' was originally released as a French-language

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Some ...

, and the first musical-stage adaptation of ''Les Misérables'' was presented at the Palais des Sports in 1980. In 1983, about six months after producer Cameron Mackintosh had opened ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members o ...

'' on Broadway, he received a copy of the French concept album from director Peter Farago. Farago had been impressed by the work and asked Mackintosh to produce an English-language version of the show. Initially reluctant, Mackintosh eventually agreed. Mackintosh, in conjunction with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

, assembled a production team to adapt the French musical for a British audience. After two years in development, the English-language version opened in London on 8 October 1985, by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...

, then the London home of the RSC. The success of the West End musical led to a Broadway production.

Critical reception and milestones

Critical reviews for ''Les Misérables'' were initially negative. At the opening of the London production, ''

The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long vertical pages, typically of . Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner and tabloid ...

''s Francis King described the musical as "a lurid Victorian melodrama produced with Victorian lavishness" and Michael Ratcliffe of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'' considered the show "a witless and synthetic entertainment", while literary scholars condemned the project for converting classic literature into a musical. Public opinion differed: the box office received record orders. The three-month engagement sold out, and reviews improved. The original London production ran from October 1985 to July 2019, playing over 13,000 performances and making it the second longest-running musical in the world after '' The Fantasticks'', the second longest-running West End show after ''

The Mousetrap ''The Mousetrap'' is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. ''The Mousetrap'' opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when the stage performances had to be temporarily discontinued during the COVID-1 ...

'', and the longest-running musical in the West End. On 3 October 2010, the show celebrated its 25th anniversary with three productions running in London: the original production at the Queen's Theatre; the 25th Anniversary touring production at the Barbican Centre; and the 25th Anniversary concert at London's

O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to: *The O2 Arena (London) *O2 Arena (Prague) *The 3Arena The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 Decemb ...

. The Broadway production opened 12 March 1987 and ran until 18 May 2003, closing after 6,680 performances. At the time of its closing, it was the second-longest-running musical in Broadway history. As of 2022, it remains the sixth longest-running Broadway show. The show was nominated for 12

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

s, of which it won eight, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Subsequently, numerous tours and international and regional productions have been staged, as well as concert and broadcast productions. Several recordings have also been made. A Broadway revival opened in 2006 at the Broadhurst Theatre and closed in 2008, and a second Broadway revival opened in 2014 at the Imperial Theatre and closed in September 2016. The show was placed first in a

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

listener poll of Britain's "Number One Essential Musicals" in 2005, receiving more than forty percent of the votes. A film version directed by Tom Hooper was released at the end of 2012 to generally positive reviews as well as numerous awards.

Emblem

The musical's emblem is a picture of the waif Cosette sweeping the Thénardiers' inn (which occurs in the musical during "Castle on a Cloud"). It is usually cropped to a head-and-shoulders portrait, superimposed on the French flag. The image is based on an etching by Gustave Brion, which in turn was based on the drawing by

Émile Bayard Émile-Antoine Bayard (2 November 1837 – 6 December 1891) was a French illustrator born in La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, Seine-et-Marne. A student of Léon Cogniet, he is known for his illustration of Cosette from ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo ...

. Bayard's drawing appeared in several of the novel's earliest French-language editions.

Synopsis

Prologue

In 1815 in France, a chain gang of prisoners work at hard labor ("Prologue: Work Song"). After 19 years in prison,

, "Prisoner 24601," is released on parole by the prison guard Javert. By law, Valjean must display a yellow ticket of leave, which identifies him as an ex-convict ("On Parole"). As a convict, Valjean is shunned wherever he goes and cannot find regular work with decent wages or lodging. Only the Bishop of

Digne Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte ...

offers him food and shelter. Discontented, Valjean steals the Bishop's silver. He is captured by the police, but rather than turn him in, the Bishop tells the police that the silver was a gift, also giving Valjean a pair of silver candlesticks. The Bishop tells Valjean that he must use silver to become an honest man. ("Valjean Arrested, Valjean Forgiven"). Humbled by the Bishop's kindness, Valjean resolves to redeem himself ("Valjean's Soliloquy (What Have I Done?)") and tears up his yellow ticket, breaking his parole.

Act I

Eight years later, in 1823, Jean Valjean assumed a new identity as Monsieur Madeleine, a wealthy factory owner and mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer.

Fantine Fantine (French pronunciation: ) is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. She is a young '' grisette'' in Paris who becomes pregnant by a rich student. After he abandons her, she is forced to look after their chi ...

is a single mother working in his factory, trying to support her daughter Cosette, who is being raised by an innkeeper and his wife while Fantine labors in the city. The factory foreman lusts after Fantine, and when she rejects his advances, he takes it out on the other workers, who resent her for it. One day, a coworker steals a letter about Cosette from Fantine, revealing to the other workers that Fantine has a child. A fight breaks out, and the foreman and other workers use the incident as a pretense to fire Fantine ("At the End of the Day"). Fantine reflects on her broken dreams and about Cosette's father, who abandoned them both (" I Dreamed a Dream"). Desperate for money, she sells her locket and hair, finally becoming a prostitute ("Lovely Ladies") and attracting local sailors. When she fights back against an abusive customer named Bamatabois; Javert, now a police inspector stationed in Montreuil-sur-Mer, arrives to arrest her. Valjean passes by the scene and pities Fantine when he realizes she once worked for him. He orders Javert to release her, and Valjean takes her to a hospital ("Fantine's Arrest"). Soon afterward, Valjean rescues a man who is pinned by a runaway cart ("The Runaway Cart"). Javert, who has pursued the fugitive Valjean all these years, witnesses the incident. He becomes suspicious, remembering the incredible strength Valjean displayed in the work camp. However, it turns out a man who looks like Valjean has been arrested and is about to go to trial for breaking parole. The real Valjean realizes that this case of mistaken identity could free him forever, but he is not willing to see an innocent man go to prison in his place. He confesses his identity to the court ("Who Am I? (The Trial)"). At the hospital, a delirious Fantine dreams of Cosette. Valjean promises to find Cosette and protect her ("Come to Me (Fantine's Death)"). Relieved, Fantine succumbs to her illness and dies. Javert arrives to take Valjean back into custody, but Valjean asks Javert for time to fetch Cosette. Javert refuses, insisting that a criminal like Valjean can never change for the better. They struggle, but Valjean overpowers Javert and escapes ("The Confrontation"). In Montfermeil, the duplicitous innkeepers, the Thénardiers, use Cosette as a servant and treat her cruelly while extorting money from Fantine to indulge their own daughter Éponine. Cosette dreams of a life with a mother where she is not forced to work and is treated lovingly ("Castle on a Cloud"). The Thénardiers cheat on their customers, stealing their possessions and setting high prices for low-quality services while living a life of criminal depravity ("Master of the House"). Valjean meets Cosette while she's on an errand drawing water, and offers the Thénardiers payment to adopt her ("The Bargain"). The Thénardiers feign concern for Cosette, claiming that they love her like a daughter and that she is in fragile health. Valjean negotiates with the Thénadiers, for whom he pays 1,500 francs in the end. Valjean and Cosette leave for Paris ("The Waltz of Treachery"). Julie Lund Eponine

Nine years later, in 1832, Paris is in upheaval because of the impending death of General Lamarque, the only man in the government who shows mercy to the poor. Among those mingling in the streets are the student revolutionaries Marius Pontmercy and Enjolras, who contemplate the effect Lamarque's death will have on the poor and desperate in Paris. The Thénardiers have since lost their inn and now run a street gang that consists of thugs Brujon, Babet, Claquesous, and Montparnasse. The Thénardiers' daughter Éponine is also now grown and has fallen in love with her oblivious friend Marius, as well as the streetwise young urchin

Gavroche Gavroche () is a fictional character in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo. He is a boy who lives on the streets of Paris. His name has become a synonym for an urchin or street child. Gavroche plays a short yet significant role i ...

who knows everything that happens in the slums ("Look Down"). The Thénardiers prepare to con some charitable visitors, who turn out to be Valjean and a fully-grown Cosette. While the gang confounds her father, Cosette runs into Marius, and the pair fall in love. Thénardier recognizes Valjean, but Javert intervenes before they can finish the robbery ("The Robbery"). Valjean and Cosette escape, and only later does Javert suspect who they were. Javert makes a vow that he will find Valjean and recapture him ("Stars"). Meanwhile, Marius persuades Éponine to help him find Cosette ("Éponine's Errand"). At a small café, Enjolras exhorts a group of idealistic students to prepare for revolution. Marius interrupts the serious atmosphere by fantasizing about his new-found love, much to the amusement of his compatriots ("The ABC Café/Red and Black"). When Gavroche brings the news of General Lamarque's death, the students realize that they can use the public's dismay to incite their revolution and that their time has come (" Do You Hear the People Sing?"). At Valjean's house, Cosette thinks about her meeting with Marius. She confronts Valjean about the secrets he keeps about his and her own past ("Rue Plumet/In My Life"). Éponine leads Marius to Cosette's garden. He and Cosette meet again and confess their mutual love, while a heartbroken Éponine watches them through the garden gate and laments that Marius has fallen in love with another ("A Heart Full of Love"). Thénardier and his gang arrive, intending to rob Valjean's house, but Éponine stops them by screaming a warning ("The Attack on Rue Plumet"). The scream alerts Valjean, who believes that the intruder was Javert. He tells Cosette that it's time once again for them to go on the run, and starts planning for them to flee France altogether. On the eve of the 1832 Paris Uprising, Valjean prepares to go into exile. Cosette and Marius part in despair, while Enjolras encourages all of Paris to join the revolution. Éponine acknowledges despairingly that Marius will never love her, and Marius is conflicted about whether to follow Cosette or join the uprising. Meanwhile, Javert reveals his plans to spy on the students and the Thénardiers scheme to profit off the coming violence. Marius decides to stand with his friends, and all anticipate what the dawn will bring (" One Day More").

Act II

The students build a barricade to serve as their rally point. Javert, who is disguised as a rebel, volunteers to "spy" on the government troops. Marius discovers that Éponine has disguised herself as a boy to join the rebels. Wanting to keep his best friend safe from the impending violence, he sends her to deliver a farewell letter to Cosette. ("Building the Barricade (Upon These Stones)") Valjean intercepts the letter and learns about Marius and Cosette's romance. Éponine walks the streets of Paris alone, imagining that Marius is there with her, but laments that her love for Marius will never be reciprocated (" On My Own"). The French army arrives at the barricade and demands that the students surrender ("At the Barricade"). However, Javert tells the students that the government will not attack that night ("Javert's Arrival"). Gavroche recognizes him and quickly exposes him as a spy, and the students detain him ("Little People"). The students plan to spark a general uprising with their act of defiance, hoping that all the people of Paris will side with them and overwhelm the army. Éponine returns to find Marius but is shot by the soldiers who were crossing the barricade. As Marius holds her, she assures him that she feels no pain and reveals her love for him before dying in his arms ("A Little Fall of Rain (Eponine's Death)"). The students mourn this first loss of life at the barricades and resolve to fight in her name. Enjolras attempts to comfort Marius, who is devastated and heartbroken over the death of his best friend. Valjean arrives at the barricade, crossing the government lines disguised as a soldier ("Night of Anguish"). He hopes that he can protect Marius in the coming battle for Cosette's sake. The rebels are suspicious of him at first, but accept him after he saves Enjolras from a soldier. Valjean asks Enjolras to allow him to be the executioner of the imprisoned Javert, which Enjolras grants. But as soon as Valjean and Javert are alone, Valjean frees him. Javert warns Valjean that he will not give up his pursuit and rejects what he perceives as a bargain for Valjean's freedom. Valjean says there are no conditions to his release, and holds no grudges toward Javert for doing his duty ("The First Attack"). The students settle down for the night and express anxiety about the battle to come. Enjolras tells the other students to stay awake for a surprise attack, but he tells Marius to get some sleep because of the latter's devastation over losing Éponine. Grantaire gets angry and asks the students if they fear dying, and Marius wonders if Cosette will remember him if he does ("Drink with Me"). Valjean prays to God to protect Marius, even if the cost for his safety requires Valjean's own life ("Bring Him Home"). As dawn approaches, Enjolras realizes that the people of Paris have not risen up with them, but resolves to fight on in spite of the impossible odds ("Dawn of Anguish"). Their resolve is further increased when the army kills Gavroche, who snuck out to collect ammunition from bodies on the other side of the barricade ("The Second Attack (Death of Gavroche)"). The army gives a final warning, but the rebels fight to the last man. Everyone at the barricade is killed except Valjean and a gravely wounded Marius, who both escape into the sewers ("The Final Battle"). Javert returns to the barricade to search for Valjean, and he finds the open sewer grating. Valjean carries Marius through the sewers but collapses from exhaustion. Thénardier, who has been looting bodies, comes upon them and extracts a ring from the unconscious Marius. He flees when Valjean regains consciousness ("Dog Eats Dog"). When Valjean carries Marius to the sewer's exit, he finds Javert waiting for him. Valjean begs Javert for one hour to bring Marius to a doctor, and Javert reluctantly agrees. Javert finds himself unable to reconcile Valjean's merciful acts with his perception of Valjean as an irredeemable criminal. Finding himself torn between his beliefs about God and his desire to adhere to the law, Javert commits suicide by throwing himself into the

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("Javert's Suicide"). In the wake of the failed revolution, many women mourn the deaths of the students ("Turning"). Marius, wounded but alive, despair at the deaths of his friends and perceives that their sacrifice was for nothing ("Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"). As he wonders who saved his own life, Cosette confronts him and they reaffirm their blossoming romance. Valjean realizes that Cosette will not need him as a caretaker once she is married and gives them his blessing ("Every Day"). Valjean confesses to Marius that he is an escaped convict and must go away because his presence endangers Cosette ("Valjean's Confession"). He makes Marius promise never to tell Cosette. A few months later, Marius and Cosette marry ("Wedding Chorale"). The Thénardiers gatecrash the reception disguised as nobility and attempt to blackmail Marius, telling him that Valjean is a murderer and that Thénardier saw him carrying a corpse in the sewers. When Thénardier shows him the ring he stole as proof, Marius realizes that it was Valjean who saved his life. The newlyweds leave to find Valjean (in some productions, Marius pauses to give Thénardier a punch in the face). The Thénardiers are not discouraged, instead gloating that their craven practicality has saved their lives time and time again ("Beggars at the Feast"). At a convent, Valjean awaits his death, having nothing left to live for. The spirit of Fantine appears to him and tells him that he has been forgiven and will soon be with God. Cosette and Marius arrive to find Valjean near death. Valjean thanks God for letting him live long enough to see Cosette again, and Marius thanks him for saving his life ("Valjean's Death"). Valjean gives Cosette a letter confessing his troubled past and the truth about her mother. As he dies, the spirits of Fantine and Éponine guide him to Heaven reminding him that "to love another person is to see the face of God". They are joined by the spirits of those who died at the barricades, all of whom sing of the coming of a better world ("Do You Hear The People Sing? (Reprise)").

Musical numbers

Instrumentation

The standard orchestration for the 2009 U.K. tour of ''Les Misérables'' consisted of: * Bass * Cello * Horn 1 * Horn 2 * Keyboard 1 * Keyboard 2 * Percussion * Reed 1 (Alto Flute, Alto Recorder, Flute, Piccolo) * Reed 2 (Cor Anglais, Oboe) * Reed 3 (B♭ Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, E♭ Clarinet, Tenor Recorder) * Trombone/ Tuba * Trumpet/ Flugelhorn * Viola * Violin

Characters

Casts

Original casts

Notable replacements

=West End (1985– )

= *Jean Valjean:

Dave Willetts Dave Willetts (born 24 June 1952) is an English singer and actor known for having leading roles in West End musicals. Early life Born in Marston Green, Birmingham, in 1952 and then brought up in Acocks Green. He first went to Cottesbrooke ...

, Peter Karrie, Dudu Fisher, Martin Smith, John Owen-Jones, Simon Bowman,

Drew Sarich Drew Sarich (born August 24, 1975) is an American stage actor and singer songwriter from St. Louis, who performes in the English and German languages. Biography Sarich received a BFA in Musical Theatre with a concentration in Directing from Bost ...

Alfie Boe Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe (born 29 September 1973) is an English tenor and actor, notably performing in musical theatre. He is best known for his performances as Jean Valjean in the musical ''Les Misérables'' at the Queen's Theatre in Lo ...

, Ramin Karimloo,

Peter Lockyer Peter Lockyer is an American actor and tenor. He was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. As a child, he split his time between Toronto and Connecticut, and went to the same high school as the actress Gretchen Mol. Lockyer has appeared in numerous pr ...

, Simon Gleeson, Killian Donnelly,

Jon Robyns Jon Robyns (born 8 December 1982) is a British stage actor, who is best known for playing the roles of Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q the musical and Jean Valjean in Les Misérables in London's West End. Early life Robyns was born in Manchester ...

Glyn Kerslake Glyn Kerslake is a British actor who was born in 1967 in Devon. He trained as an actor at Arts Educational Schools, London. He has had an extensive career spanning more than 30 years playing leading roles in the West End and regional theatres na ...

(u/s),

Antony Hansen Antony Stuart Hansen Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom) is an English actor, singer and songwriter who is best known for his roles in London's West End. Career Antony Hansen trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, and was ...

(u/s) *Javert:

Clive Carter Clive Carter is a British actor and singer, best known for his role of "Claude Elliott and others" in the original London cast of ''Come From Away'', for which he received an Olivier Award nomination. He studied at London Academy of Music and Dra ...

Philip Quast Philip Mark Quast (born 30 July 1957) is an Australian actor and singer. He has won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical three times, making him the first actor to have three wins in that category. He is perhaps best known f ...

David Burt David Burt (1953) is a British actor, known primarily for his many and wide-ranging West End performances. David Burt is the son of Pip Hinton, better known for her role in '' Crackerjack'' alongside Eamonn Andrews and later Leslie Crowther. ...

Peter Corry Peter Corry is a Northern Irish singer, director, producer and actor. As a performer Corry has been cast in productions of ''Così fan tutte'', ''The Marriage of Figaro,'' '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'', ''On Eagle's Wing' ...

, Michael McCarthy, Jérôme Pradon, Earl Carpenter,

Norm Lewis Norm Lewis (born June 2, 1963) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in Europe, on Broadway, in film, television, recordings and regional theatre. Productions that he has been involved in include ''Dessa Rose'', ''Miss Saigon'', '' T ...

, Hadley Fraser,

Tam Mutu Tam Mutu (born April 30, 1978) is an English stage and screen actor. He began his career on the West End in the early 2000s. He was part of the original West End production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''Love Never Dies'' (2010–2011) before star ...

, Hayden Tee,

David Thaxton David Thaxton (born 12 May 1982) is a Welsh singer, actor and musical theatre and opera performer. He starred in the Donmar Warehouse's '' Passion'', for which he won the 2011 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musica ...

, Michael Ball, James Milner *Fantine:

Rebecca Storm Rebecca Storm is a British singer and musical theatre actress. Her 1985 hit single "The Show" was the theme to the ITV television series '' Connie''. Early career Rebecca Storm found her passion for singing when she was 11, although she began ...

, Kathleen Rowe McAllen,

Siobhán McCarthy Siobhán Mary Ann McCarthy (born 6 November 1957 in Dublin) is an Irish television and stage actress. Career McCarthy portrays Roisin Connor in ITV1's Prison drama Bad Girls. Her other television credits include '' Lovejoy'', ''The Big Batt ...

, Jenna Russell, Ruthie Henshall, Claire Moore,

Silvie Paladino Silvie Paladino (born 18 August 1971) is an Australian singer. She began singing at the age of nine, learning at an inner- Melbourne music school, and from an early age won several major singing competitions, including the Italian Song Festival an ...

Gunilla Backman Gunilla Katarina Backman (born 18 June 1965) is a Swedish singer, actress, and musical-artist. Early life and career Backman comes from a musical family and studied classical ballet from 1972 until 1982 at Kungliga Teaterns balettskola and at ...

Carola Häggkvist Carola Maria Häggkvist (; born 8 September 1966), commonly known simply as Carola, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She has been among Sweden's most popular performers since the early 1980s and has released albums ranging from pop and disco ...

Carmen Cusack Carmen Cusack (born April 25, 1971) is an American musical theater actress and singer. She is known for playing Elphaba in the Chicago, North American Tour, and Melbourne productions of the musical ''Wicked'' and for originating the roles of Ali ...

Joanna Ampil Joanna Ampil is a musical theatre and film actress from the Philippines and United Kingdom. Career Joanna is a stage actress. She played Kim in ''Miss Saigon'' (London, original Australian production, original United Kingdom and Ireland Tour a ...

, Kerry Ellis,

Allyson Brown Allyson Brown (born 1984 or 1985, sometimes credited as Allyson Ava-Brown) is a British actress and singer. She is best known for playing Beatrice in '' Bear Behaving Badly''. Allyson Brown has also appeared in ''Secret Diary of a Call Girl'', ' ...

Madalena Alberto Madalena Alberto is a Portuguese actress, singer and composer who has developed her career in the West End. Alberto received rave reviews for her role as Eva Perón in '' Evita'' in the West End (16 September - 1 November 2014), where the show ar ...

, Caroline Sheen,

Sierra Boggess Sierra Marjory Boggess (; born May 20, 1982) is an American theater actress and singer. She is best known for originating the role of Ariel in ''The Little Mermaid'' on Broadway, and for her multiple appearances as Christine Daaé in ''The Phan ...

Celinde Schoenmaker Celinde Schoenmaker (born 15 January 1989) is a Dutch actress and singer. She is known for appearing as Renate Blauel in ''Rocketman'', Fantine in the West End production of the musical ''Les Misérables'', and Christine Daae in the West End ...

, Na-Young Jeon,

Rachelle Ann Go Rachelle Ann Villalobos Go-Spies (born August 31, 1986) is a Filipina singer and actress. She began her career by participating in and winning several singing competitions, the first of which was in the long-running Philippine variety show ''E ...

, Carley Stenson, Carrie Hope Fletcher,

Lucie Jones Lucie Bethan Jones (born 20 March 1991) is a Welsh singer, musical theatre actress, and model. Jones first came to prominence while competing on series 6 of ''The X Factor UK'' in 2009, where she finished eighth. She represented the United Ki ...

Caroline Quentin Caroline Quentin (born Caroline Jones; 11 July 1960) is an English actress, broadcaster and television presenter. Quentin became known for her television appearances: portraying Dorothy in ''Men Behaving Badly'' (1992–1998), Maddie Magellan in ...

(u/s), Dianne Pilkington (u/s) *Thénardier:

Barry James Barry James is an English theatre actor and singer. Theatre credits He trained at the Guildford School of Acting. His stage roles include: * Seymour in the first West End production of '' Little Shop of Horrors'' at the Comedy Theatre in 1983 * ...

, Peter Polycarpou, Hilton McRae,

Chris Langham Christopher Langham (born 14 April 1949) is an English writer, actor, and comedian. He is known for playing the cabinet minister Hugh Abbot in the BBC sitcom '' The Thick of It'', and as presenter Roy Mallard in '' People Like Us'', first on B ...

, Martin Ball, Stephen Tate, Matt Lucas *Madame Thénardier: Rosemary Ashe, Jenny Galloway,

Gay Soper Gay Soper is an English actress and singer. Her career includes singing ''Turn Back, O Man'' in the original 1971 London production of '' Godspell''. She sang the role of Madam Thenardier on the complete symphonic recording of ''Les Misérable ...

Harriet Thorpe Harriet Amelia Thorpe (born 8 June 1957) is an English actress. Thorpe trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. She is known for her roles in the British sitcoms, '' The Brittas Empire'' (1991–97) and '' Absolutely Fabulous'' ...

Louise Plowright Louise Plowright (1 June 1956 – 1 March 2016) was a British actress who trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She first came to prominence playing abrasive hairdresser Julie Cooper in the television soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 19 ...

, Claire Moore, Tracie Bennett, Vicky Entwistle, Linzi Hateley,

Jodie Prenger Jodie Prenger (born 12 June 1979) is an English actress and singer, best known as the winner of BBC television series '' I'd Do Anything'' on 31 May 2008 and the second series of ''The Biggest Loser'' in 2006. In 2022, she began portraying the ...

Josefina Gabrielle Josefina Gabrielle (born October 1963) is a British stage and television actress, and a former ballet dancer, best known for her performances in West End musicals and plays. Theatrical career Gabrielle was born in London in October 1963 to a ...

*Cosette:

Myrra Malmberg Anna Myrra Malmberg (born 20 December 1966) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, actress and photographer. Early life Anna Myrra Malmberg was born in the Stockholm suburb of Farsta,Sveriges befolkning 1980: ''Malmberg, Anna Margareta'' and spent ...

, Gina Beck, Celia Graham,

Camilla Kerslake Camilla Kerslake is an English classical crossover singer from London who was the first signing to Gary Barlow's record label.

, Katie Hall,

, Dianne Pilkington (u/s) *Marius: Martin Smith, Simon Bowman,

Graham Bickley Graham John Bickley (born 18 May 1958) is an English actor and singer. He is best known for playing the role of Joey Boswell in ''Bread'' from 1989 until 1991, taking over from Peter Howitt, who played him from 1986 until 1989. Early life Bic ...

, Glenn Carter,

Martin Crewes Martin Crewes is an Australian stage, television and movie actor. Early life Crewes was born in London. He moved to Australia when he was 10 years of age, and attended the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, in Perth, Western Austral ...

Adrian Lewis Morgan Adrian Lewis Morgan (born 15 February 1973) is a Welsh actor, known for portraying the role of Jimmi Clay in the BBC soap opera '' Doctors''. Having appeared since 2005, he is the longest serving cast member on ''Doctors''. Early life Morgan w ...

, Tom Lowe, Jon Lee, Hadley Fraser, Hayden Tee,

, Alistair Brammer,

Gareth Gates Gareth Paul Gates (born 12 July 1984) is an English singer-songwriter and actor. He was the runner-up in the first series of the ITV talent show ''Pop Idol'' in 2002. As of 2008, Gates had sold over 3.5 million records in the UK. He is ...

, Nick Jonas, Steve Balsamo (u/s),

(u/s),

Fra Fee Francis Martin "Fra" Fee (born 20 May 1987) is an Irish actor and singer. He is known for portraying Courfeyrac in Tom Hooper's film adaptation of ''Les Misérables''. He portrayed the role of Michael Carney in Jez Butterworth's ''The Ferrym ...

(u/s) *Éponine: Siân Reeves, Linzi Hateley, Meredith Braun,

Lea Salonga Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (; born February 22, 1971), known professionally as Lea Salonga, is a Filipino singer, actress, and columnist. Nicknamed "Pride of the Philippines," she is best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supplyi ...

, Laura Michelle Kelly, Caroline Sheen,

Shonagh Daly Shonagh Daly (born 1980 in Castletroy, Co. Limerick) is an Irish singer and musical performer Performances 'Discovered' by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Shonagh sang at the inaugural gala for George W. Bush on 18 January 2001 which was also attended by T ...

Sabrina Aloueche Sabrina Aloueche is an English musical theatre actress. She trained at Sylvia Young Theatre School and furthered her training at Mountview academy She is best known for her role as Scaramouche in the musical '' We Will Rock You'' which she ...

, Nancy Sullivan, Samantha Barks,

Alexia Khadime Alexia Khadime (born 9 June 1983) is a British actress and mezzo-soprano, known for her roles in musical theatre and television. Career Theatre Khadime made her first appearance on the stage in 1999, when she appeared in "Cinderella" at the Ha ...

Danielle Hope Danielle Hope (born 26 April 1992) is an English actress and singer. She was the winner of the BBC talent contest '' Over The Rainbow'' and as a result played the part of Dorothy in the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of '' The Wizard of Oz'', wh ...

, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Eva Noblezada, Jenna Russell (u/s),

Helen Owen Helen Owen (born 1 May 1980) is an English theatre actor known for her roles in ''Les Misérables'', '' Mamma Mia'' and '' The Wizard of Oz''. She is married to actor Thomas Aldridge. Early life Born in Rochdale, England, Owen went to school a ...

(u/s) *Enjolras: Peter Polycarpou,

, John Owen-Jones,

, Ramin Karimloo,

Oliver Thornton Oliver Rhoe Thornton (born 10 September 1979) is a stage actor and singer who is best known for his contributions to musical theatre in London's West End. Life and career Early life Thornton was born on 10 September 1979 in Abergavenny, M ...

, Killian Donnelly, Steve Balsamo (u/s),

(u/s),

(u/s) *Gavroche:

Paul Keating Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He previously serv ...

, Adam Searles, James Byng, Chris Fountain, James Buckley, Jonathan Bailey, Perry Millward, Robert Madge, Daniel Huttlestone

=Broadway (1987–2003)

= *Jean Valjean:

Gary Morris Gary Gwyn Morris (born December 7, 1948) is an American singer and stage actor who charted a string of hits on the country music charts throughout the 1980s. Morris is known for the 1983 ballad " The Wind Beneath My Wings", although his credit ...

, Dudu Fisher,

Robert Marien Robert Marien (born May 5, 1955) is a Canadian ( Québécois) actor, singer, and songwriter who has performed in the musical Les Misérables in Montreal, Paris, New York City and London, as well as Notre Dame de Paris in both Korea and Japan. He ...

Rob Evan Robert "Rob" Evan is an American actor and singer, best known as the lead performer in numerous Broadway musicals, a performer in national and international tours of musical productions, and a featured vocalist on various music albums. Personal ...

John Cudia John Cudia is a classical singer and a musical theatre actor who has played many of the biggest roles in musical theatre on Broadway. Born on September 21, 1970, Cudia was raised in Toms River, New Jersey. He graduated from Monsignor Donovan High ...

(u/s),

Mike Eldred Mike Eldred may refer to: * Mike Eldred (guitarist) (born 1961), American guitarist and luthier * Mike Eldred (singer) Mike Eldred (born June 12, 1965) is an American tenor, known for his work in musical theater. He has performed on Broadway an ...

(u/s) *Javert: Anthony Crivello,

Robert Westenberg Robert Westenberg (born October 26, 1953) is an American stage actor, acting teacher and professor. He appeared on Broadway in ''Sunday in the Park with George'', ''Les Misérables'', ''Into the Woods'', and '' The Secret Garden'', as well as s ...

, Chuck Wagner, Robert Cuccioli,

Gregg Edelman Gregg Edelman (born September 12, 1958) is an American movie, television and theatre actor. Biography Edelman was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Niles North High School, where he starred as Li'l Abner opposite future soap star Nancy Lee Gra ...

, Shuler Hensley, Michael McCarthy, Stephen Bogardus (u/s), David Benoit (u/s), Robert Hunt (u/s) *Fantine:

Maureen Moore Maureen Moore (born August 12, 1951 in Wallingford, Connecticut) is an American actress.Berkvist, RobertNew Face: Maureen Moore"''The New York Times'', July 1, 1977 She attended Carnegie Mellon University, majoring in theater and worked at the G ...

Laurie Beechman Laurie Hope Beechman (April 4, 1953 – March 8, 1998) was an American actress and singer, known for her work in Broadway musicals. She also had a career as a cabaret performer and recording artist. After her death, the West Bank Cafe Downstairs T ...

, Rachel York,

Donna Kane Donna Kane is an American theater actress. Born in Beacon, NY, she grew up on Long Island and in Wayne, New Jersey, where she won Miss Teenage New Jersey in 1976, and was first runner-up for America's Junior Miss 1980. She was the recipient ...

, Andrea McArdle,

Debbie Gravitte Debbie Shapiro Gravitte is an American actress and singer. She was born in Los Angeles, California. Career Gravitte made her Broadway debut in the chorus of ''They're Playing Our Song'' in 1979. She performed on Broadway in '' Blues in the Nigh ...

, Catherine Hickland, Paige O'Hara, Melba Moore,

Christy Baron Christy Baron is an American jazz and pop singer and actress. A native of Munhall, Pennsylvania, Baron is a graduate of the drama department at Carnegie Mellon University. While a student there, she performed at jazz clubs in the Pittsburgh area ...

, Alice Ripley,

Lauren Kennedy Lauren Kennedy (born September 3, 1973) is an American actress and singer who has performed numerous times on Broadway. She is now the producing artistic director of Theatre Raleigh in her home state of North Carolina. Education Kennedy was bor ...

, Jacquelyn Piro Donovan, Ann Crumb (u/s),

Marla Schaffel Marla Schaffel is an American actress, especially in musical theatre, noted for her award winning performance in the title role in the musical adaptation of ''Jane Eyre''. Personal life Schaffel was raised in Miami, Florida,

(u/s) *Thénardier:

Ed Dixon Ed Dixon (born September 2, 1948 in Oklahoma) is an American character actor, playwright and composer. Actor Dixon has appeared in numerous Broadway shows, including ''No, No, Nanette'', ''The King of Schnorrers'', ''The Three Musketeers'', ''Le ...

, Nick Wyman, David Benoit (u/s) *Madame Thénardier:

Betsy Joslyn Betsy Joslyn (born April 19, 1954 in Staten Island, New York) is a Broadway musical and dramatic actress and soprano. Joslyn is best known for her Broadway work, including the original 1979 production of ''Sweeney Todd''. She appeared in the ens ...

, Olga Merediz (u/s),

Jessica Molaskey Jessica Molaskey (born January 9, 1962) is an American professional actor and singer of torch songs and show tunes. She has appeared in a dozen Broadway shows, including ''Sunday in the Park with George'', ''Tommy'', '' Crazy for You'', '' Chess'' ...

(u/s) *Cosette: Jacquelyn Piro Donovan,

Sarah Litzsinger Sarah Elizabeth Litzsinger is an American actress and singer, best known for her career in musical theatre. Life and career Litzsinger's family is from Carmel, Indiana. She made her Broadway debut in 1983 at age eleven, as the understudy for Yo ...

(u/s),

Megan Lawrence Megan Lawrence (born 1972) is an American actress best known for her roles on Broadway. Among other honors, she has been nominated for a Tony Award. She has also appeared Off-Broadway, in regional theatre and on television. Life and career Lawre ...

(u/s),

Elena Shaddow Elena Shaddow is an American singer and actress. She is originally from Chagrin Falls, Ohio.Jennifer Paz Jennifer Paz-Fedorov (born April 23, 1974) is a Filipina-born American actress. She is mostly known for her recurring role as Lapis Lazuli in ''Steven Universe'' and ''Steven Universe Future''. Career The youngest of four children, Paz moved wit ...

(u/s) *Marius:

Hugh Panaro Hugh Panaro (born February 19, 1964) is an American actor and singer known for his work on Broadway. Early life Panaro was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and resided in the East Oak Lane section of the city with his family. As a schoolchild, ...

, Eric Kunze, Matthew Porretta,

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

, Chris Diamantopoulos,

Kevin Kern Kevin Kern (born Kevin Lark Gibbs on December 22, 1958) is an American pianist, composer and recording artist. He is generally recognized as a representative of new-age music. Born legally blind, Kern is aided in studio by SONAR's accessibilit ...

, Marcus Lovett (u/s), Hunter Foster (u/s), Max von Essen (u/s) *Éponine: Natalie Toro,

Debbie Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...

, Sarah Uriarte Berry, Shanice, Jessica Boevers, Catherine Brunell, Kerry Butler,

Diana Kaarina Diana Kaarina (born March 17, 1975) is a Canadian voice and stage actress based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Career Kaarina was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and raised in Richmond, British Columbia. She got her start with Theatre Und ...

(u/s),

Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice, in 2002 for her role as Millie Di ...

(u/s),

Jennifer Paz Jennifer Paz-Fedorov (born April 23, 1974) is a Filipina-born American actress. She is mostly known for her recurring role as Lapis Lazuli in ''Steven Universe'' and ''Steven Universe Future''. Career The youngest of four children, Paz moved wit ...

(u/s) *Enjolras:

Ron Bohmer Ron Bohmer is an American actor and singer best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway and as a recording artist and singer-songwriter. He has starred in numerous Broadway productions, including '' The Scarlet Pimpernel'',Ben Brantley" ...

Gary Mauer Gary Mauer is an American theatre actor who most recently starred in the third national tour of ''The Phantom of the Opera'' playing the role of the Phantom. On Broadway, Gary starred as Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny in ''Phantom'' and played the rol ...

, Kevin Earley (u/s), Darren Ritchie (u/s) *Gavroche: Michael Shulman,

Jarrod Spector Jarrod Spector (born April 16, 1981) is an American actor and singer. Early life and education Spector was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He made his Broadway debut in ''Les Misérables'', playing Gavroche. Afterward, he studied econom ...

Jason Tam Jason Tam (born June 28, 1982) is an actor and dancer, born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He graduated from Punahou School for high school and went to CAP 21 in New York City for musical theatre. His most notable roles include Markko Rivera on the dayti ...

, Michael Zeidman, Grant Rosenmeyer, Harrison Chad, Nick Jonas *Young Cosette: Donna Vivino,

Daisy Eagan Daisy Eagan is an American actress. Early life Eagan was born in Brooklyn to a Jewish family. Her mother, Andrea Boroff Eagan, was a medical writer; she died when Eagan was 13. Her father, Richard Eagan, is a visual and performing artist. Da ...

, Eden Riegel, Savannah Wise,

Lacey Chabert Lacey Nicole Chabert ( ; born September 30, 1982) is an American actress. One of her first roles was playing Erica Kane's daughter on ''All My Children''. She was the third actress to play Bianca Montgomery, playing the part from 1992 until 1993. ...

, Nathalie Paulding,

Lea Michele Lea Michele Sarfati (; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and author. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables'' (1995–1996), ''Ragtime'' (1997–1999) ...

, Alicia Morton, Andrea Bowen, Janel Parrish

=Australia (1987–1990)

= *Jean Valjean: Normie Rowe,

Rob Guest Robert John Guest (17 July 19501 October 2008) was a New Zealand-Australian actor, television personality and host and singer, who started his career in pop music in New Zealand, before becoming best known for his work in Australian musical th ...

*Javert: John Diedrich,

*Fantine: Debra Byrne,

Peta Toppano Peita Margaret Toppano (born 1951)GRO Birth Index EnglandLawson, Valerie. , ''Sydney Morning Herald'' (13 December 2003): "They fell in love and married in 1950 in a church at Golders Green, London. Their daughter, Peta, was born a year later." ...

*Cosette: Marina Prior, Anita Louise Combe *Marius: Peter Cousens, Simon Burke *Éponine:

*Enjolras:

Anthony Warlow Anthony Warlow (born 18 November 1961) is an Australian musical theatre performer, noted for his character acting and considerable vocal range. He is a classically trained lyric baritone and made his debut with the Australian Opera in 1980. ...

=1st, 2nd & 3rd US national tours (1987–2006)

= *Jean Valjean:

Jordan Bennett Jordan Bennett (born Jordan Bennett Suffin) is an American actor, singer, writer and songwriter. Biography Bennett began his career in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York as a singer and comedian. While there, he worked with such perfo ...

Colm Wilkinson Colm Wilkinson (born 5 June 1944), also known as C. T. Wilkinson, is an Irish tenor and actor who is best known for originating the lead role of Jean Valjean in ''Les Misérables'' (in the West End and Broadway) and for taking the title role in ...

*Javert: Jeff McCarthy, Chuck Wagner, Paul Schoeffler, Robert Hunt, William Michals (u/s) *Fantine:

, Ann Crumb, Hollis Resnik,

, Catherine Hickland, Lisa Vroman, Alice Ripley, Jacquelyn Piro Donovan, Joan Almedilla,

Carolee Carmello Carolee Ann Carmello (born September 1, 1962) is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals and for playing the role of Maple LaMarsh on the television series ''Remember WENN'' (1996–1998). She is a three-time ...

(u/s) *Thénardier:

Gary Beach Gary Beach (October 10, 1947 – July 17, 2018) was an American actor of stage, film and television. His roles included Roger De Bris in both the stage and film productions of ''The Producers'', which won him a Tony Award, and Lumiere in the s ...

, David Benoit,

Michael Kostroff Michael Kostroff (born May 22, 1961) is an American actor. He appeared on the HBO program '' The Wire'' as defense attorney Maurice Levy. Kostroff starred in the fifth season of the series and appeared in all four earlier seasons as a guest star ...

*Madame Thénardier:

Sharron Matthews Sharron Matthews is a Canadian actress.Daniel Nolan ''Hamilton Spectator'', February 25, 2021. She is most noted for her regular role as Flo Chakowitz in the television series ''Frankie Drake Mysteries'', for which she received Canadian Screen Aw ...

, Olga Merediz (u/s), Anne L. Nathan (u/s), Lisa Howard (u/s) *Cosette: Melissa Errico, Lisa Vroman, Jacquelyn Piro Donovan,

(u/s),

Barbara Walsh Barbara Walsh (born June 3, 1955) is an American musical theatre actress who has appeared in several prominent Broadway productions. Walsh is known for her Drama Desk Award and Tony Award nominated role as Trina in the original Broadway productio ...

(u/s), Lisa Michelson (u/s), Sarah Uriarte Berry (u/s), Catherine Brunell (u/s),

Jill Paice Jill Paice is an American actress best known for her musical theatre roles. She originated the roles of Laura Fairlie in the musical ''The Woman in White'' in the West End (2004) and on Broadway (2005); Niki in ''Curtains'' on Broadway (2006); ...

(u/s),

(u/s) *Marius: Matthew Porretta,

Gilles Chiasson Gilles Chiasson (born November 1, 1966) is an American producer, director, composer, writer and actor. While he first came to prominence as an actor, particularly in the original cast of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning RENT, Chiasso ...

, Tim Howar,

Josh Young Josh Young is an American actor best known for appearing on Broadway in the revival of ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' as Judas and ''Amazing Grace'', originating the role of John Newton. Early life and education Young was raised in Wallingford, Penn ...

Adam Jacobs Adam Jacobs (born circa 1979) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for originating the title role of Aladdin in ''Disney's ''Aladdin'' on Broadway.'' He also starred as Marius in the Les Miserables 2006 Broadway Revival, and Simba i ...

*Éponine:

Michelle Nicastro Michelle Nicastro (March 31, 1960 – November 4, 2010) was an American actress and singer. Life and career Nicastro was born in Washington D.C., the daughter of Carole Rose (née Guarino) and Norman Joseph Nicastro, who was an ophthalmologist. ...

, Sarah Uriarte Berry,

, Andrea McArdle, Ma-Anne Dionisio,

, Caren Lyn Tackett,

Sally Dworsky Sally Dworsky is an American singer-songwriter and playback singer in animated films. In addition to her solo work and co-fronting the alt-rock band Uma, Dworsky served as the singing voice for lead characters in iconic animated films including ...

(u/s), Lisa Michelson (u/s), Catherine Brunell (u/s) *Enjolras:

, Michael Maguire, Kevin Earley,

Amick Byram Amick Byram (born January 24, 1955) is an American tenor, a recording artist and two-time Grammy nominee. A native of McLennan County, Texas, Byram is a well-known sessions artist in Los Angeles, California, He was best known for providing the sin ...

(u/s),

Jarrod Emick Jarrod Emick (born July 2, 1969) is an American actor who primarily acts in musicals. He received a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and a Theatre World Award for his performance in the 1994 revival of ''Damn Yankees''. Biography Emick grew up ...

(u/s),

(u/s) *Gavroche: Phillip Glasser,

Rider Strong Rider King Strong (born December 11, 1979) is an American actor, producer, director and screenwriter. He is best known for starring as Shawn Hunter on the ABC sitcom ''Boy Meets World'' (1993–2000), which he reprised in its sequel series '' G ...

, Aaron Michael Metchik,

, Sam Riegel,

Andrew Leeds Andrew Leeds (born 19 September 1965) is an Australian former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for the Western Suburbs Magpies, Parramatta Eels, Penrith Panthers and Wakefield Tri ...

, Noah Galvin *Young Cosette:

Kimberly McCullough Kimberly Anne McCullough (born March 5, 1978) is an American actress and television director. She is best known for her role as Robin Scorpio on the soap opera ''General Hospital'', a role which she originated at age seven, playing the character ...

, Larisa Oleynik, Eden Riegel,

Ashley Tisdale Ashley Michelle Tisdale (born July 2, 1985) is an American actress and singer. During her childhood, she was featured in over 100 advertisements and had minor roles in television and theatre. She achieved mainstream success as Maddie Fitzpatr ...

, Janel Parrish, Madeleine Martin

=Broadway revival (2006–08)

= *Jean Valjean:

, John Owen-Jones, Jeff Kready (u/s) *Javert:

, Robert Hunt *Fantine:

Judy Kuhn Judy Kuhn (born May 20, 1958) is an American actress and singer, known for her work in musical theatre. A four-time Tony Award nominee, she has released four studio albums and sang the title role in the 1995 film '' Pocahontas'', including her r ...

*Thénardier:

Chip Zien Jerome Herbert "Chip" Zien (born March 20, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the lead role of the Baker in the original Broadway production of ''Into the Woods'' by Stephen Sondheim. He has appeared in all of the "Marvin ...

*Madame Thénardier: Ann Harada *Éponine: Megan McGinnis *Enjolras: Max von Essen

=Broadway revival (2014–16)

= *Jean Valjean:

, John Owen-Jones, Kyle Jean-Baptiste (u/s) *Javert: Earl Carpenter, Hayden Tee *Fantine:

Erika Henningsen Erika Leigh Henningsen (born August 13, 1992) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her work on Broadway and for originating the role of Cady Heron in the 2018 Tony-nominated musical '' Mean Girls'', for which she received an ...

, Montego Glover,

Alison Luff Alison Nicole Luff (born December 20, 1988) is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her extensive work in musical theatre, notably for her roles as Elphaba in the First National Tour of ''Wicked'' and Jenna in the Broadw ...

Melissa O'Neil Melissa Crystal O'Neil (born July 12, 1988) is a Canadian actress and singer. In 2005, O'Neil won the third season of ''Canadian Idol'', the first Canadian female to have won. As an actress, she is known for her roles as Two / Rebecca / Portia L ...

(u/s), Desi Oakley (u/s) *Thénardier:

Gavin Lee Gavin Lee (born 15 October 1971) is an English actor who has appeared on the stage in musical theatre, notably as Bert in the musical '' Mary Poppins'', in both the West End and on Broadway, and as Squidward Tentacles in the original Broadway ...

*Marius: Chris McCarrell *Éponine:

(u/s)

=US National Tour (2017– )

= *Javert: Hayden Tee *Thénardier:

Jimmy Smagula James Paul Smagula (born January 15, 1976) is an American actor. He is best known for his work in television series such as ''The Sopranos'', ''Bones'', ''Grey's Anatomy'', ''Parks and Recreation'', and ''Rizzoli & Isles'' as well as films, includ ...

Filmed Concert casts

Additional Performers

*Jean Valjean: Michael Ball, James Barbour,

, Chuck Wagner *Javert:

Davis Gaines Davis Gaines (born January 21, 1954, Orlando, Florida) is an American stage actor. He has performed as the Phantom in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ''The Phantom of the Opera'' over 2,000 times, on Broadway, on tour, in Los Angeles, and in San ...

Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 f ...

*Fantine: Katie Hall, Melora Hardin *Thénardier: Ken Page *Mme. Thénardier:

Sophie-Louise Dann Sophie-Louise Dann (born 1969) is a British actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Career Dann trained at Arts Educational Schools, London. She appeared in minor roles in the films '' My Summer with Des'' (1998) and ''The Phantom ...

*Cosette:

*Marius: John Lloyd Young *Éponine:

Ariana DeBose Ariana DeBose (; born January 25, 1991) is an American actress, dancer, and singer. She has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award and a nomination for a Tony Award. In 2022, ...

*Enjolras: Alistair Brammer

Productions

Sit-down productions

Original French production

Alain Boublil's initial idea to adapt Victor Hugo's novel into a musical came while at a performance of the musical ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a Coming-of-age story, coming-of-age Musical theatre, stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre ...

'' in London:

As soon as the Artful Dodger came onstage, Gavroche came to mind. It was like a blow to the solar plexus. I started seeing all the characters of Victor Hugo's ''Les Misérables''—Valjean, Javert, Gavroche, Cosette, Marius, and Éponine—in my mind's eye, laughing, crying, and singing onstage.

He shared the idea with French composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, and the two developed a rough synopsis and analysis of each character's mental and emotional state, as well as that of an audience. Schönberg then began work on the music, while Boublil the text. According to Boublil, "I could begin work on the words. This I did—after myself deciding on the subject and title of every song—in collaboration with my friend, poet Jean-Marc Natel." Two years later, a two-hour demo tape of Schönberg accompanying himself on the piano and singing every role was completed. An album of this collaboration was recorded at CTS Studios in Wembley and was released in 1980, selling 260,000 copies. The concept album includes Maurice Barrier as Jean Valjean, Jacques Mercier as Javert,

Rose Laurens Rose Laurens, previously billed as Rose Merryl (born Rose Podwojny; 4 March 1951 – 29 April 2018), was a French singer-songwriter, known for her 1982 single "Africa", a top-three hit in several European countries."Africa", in various singles ...

as Fantine, Yvan Dautin as Thénardier, Marie-France Roussel as Mme. Thénardier, Richard Dewitte as Marius, Fabienne Guyon as Cosette, Marie-France Dufour as Éponine, Michel Sardou as Enjolras, Fabrice Bernard as Gavroche, Maryse Cédolin as Young Cosette, Claude-Michel Schönberg as Courfeyrac, Salvatore Adamo as Combeferre, Michel Delpech as Feuilly, Dominique Tirmont as M. Gillenormand, and Mireille as the hair buyer. That year, in September 1980, a stage version directed by veteran French film director

was produced at the Palais des Sports in Paris. The show was a success, with 100 performances seen by over 500,000 people. Most of the cast from the concept album performed in the production. The cast included Maurice Barrier as Valjean,

Jean Vallée Jean Vallée (born Paul Goeders in Verviers on 2 October 1941 – 12 March 2014, Clermont-sur-Berwinne) was a Belgian songwriter and performer. Vallée was appointed Knight of the Order of the Crown by HM Albert II in 1999. Career In 1967 V ...

as Javert,

as Fantine, Maryse Cédolin and Sylvie Camacho and Priscilla Patron as Young Cosette, Marie-France Roussel as Mme. Thénardier, Yvan Dautin as M. Thénardier, Florence Davis and Fabrice Ploquin and Cyrille Dupont as Gavroche, Marianne Mille as Éponine, Gilles Buhlmann as Marius, Christian Ratellin as Enjolras, Fabienne Guyon as Cosette, René-Louis Baron as Combeferre, Dominique Tirmont as M. Gillenormand, Anne Forrez as Mlle. Gillenormand, and Claude Reva as the storyteller.

Original London production

The English-language version, with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and additional material by

James Fenton James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

, was substantially expanded and reworked from a literal translation by Siobhan Bracke of the original Paris version, in particular adding a prologue to tell Jean Valjean's background story. Kretzmer's lyrics are not a direct translation of the French, a term that Kretzmer refused to use. A third of the English lyrics were a rough translation, another third were adapted from the French lyrics and the final third consisted of new material. The majority is performed in recitative style; the vocalists use natural speech, not musical metrics. The first production in English, produced by Cameron Mackintosh and adapted and directed by

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is a British theatre director. He has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed dramas ...

and John Caird, played to preview performances beginning on 28 September 1985 and formally opened on 8 October 1985 at the

, London. It was billed in the programme as "The

presentation of the RSC/Cameron Mackintosh production". The set was designed by

John Napier John Napier of Merchiston (; 1 February 1550 – 4 April 1617), nicknamed Marvellous Merchiston, was a Scottish landowner known as a mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He was the 8th Laird of Merchiston. His Latinized name was Ioan ...

, costumes by Andreane Neofitou and lighting by

David Hersey David Hersey (born November 30, 1939) is a lighting designer who has designed the lighting for over 250 plays, musicals, operas, and ballets. His work has been seen in most corners of the globe and his awards include the Tony Award for Best Ligh ...

. Musical supervision and orchestrations were by John Cameron, who had been involved with the show since Boublil and Schönberg hired him to orchestrate the original French concept album. Musical staging was by Kate Flatt with musical direction by Martin Koch. The original London cast included

as Jean Valjean, Roger Allam as Javert, Ken Caswell as the Bishop of Digne,

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of F ...

as Fantine, Zoë Hart, Justine McIntyre, Jayne O'Mahony and Joanne Woodcock as Young Cosette, Danielle Akers, Gillian Brander and Juliette Caton as Young Éponine,

Susan Jane Tanner Susan Jane Tanner (or Sue Jane Tanner) is an English theatre actress, best known for playing the role of Madame Thénardier in the original London cast of ''Les Misérables'' and Jellylorum in the original London version of ''Cats''. She reprised ...

as Madame Thénardier, Alun Armstrong as Thénardier,

Frances Ruffelle Frances Ruffelle (born 29 August 1965) is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She won a Tony Award in 1987, and represented the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free)", ...

as Éponine,

Rebecca Caine Rebecca Caine (born 25 November 1959) is a Canadian soprano, and musical theatre performer. Life and career Caine was born in Toronto, Ontario and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She is the daughter of Australian ...

as Cosette, Michael Ball as Marius,

as Enjolras, with Ian Tucker, Oliver Spencer and Liza Hayden sharing the role of Gavroche. On 4 December 1985, the show transferred to the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia * Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, M ...

, London and moved again on 3 April 2004, to the smaller Queen's Theatre, now called the Sondheim Theatre, with some revisions of staging. The show celebrated its ten-thousandth performance on 5 January 2010, and its 30th anniversary in October 2015. The co-production has generated valuable income for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The original show closed at the Queen's Theatre on 13 July 2019 to allow for theatre refurbishments, while a staged concert was performed at the adjacent Gielgud Theatre for a four-month run.

2019 updated staging

The updated staging developed for the 25th anniversary opened at the newly renamed Sondheim Theatre on 18 December 2019 in previews with opening night set for 16 January 2020. The new production is co-directed by James Powell and Laurence Connor with set and image design by Matt Kinley, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter and costumes by Andreane Neofitou and Christine Rowlands. The first cast for this new version included

(Valjean), Bradley Jaden (Javert), Carrie Hope Fletcher (Fantine), Shan Ako (Éponine), Lily Kerhoas (Cosette), Harry Apps (Marius), Gerard Carey (Thénardier),

(Madame Thénardier) and Ashley Gilmour (Enjolras). The show was forced to close temporarily from March 16, 2020, as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. It was announced in June 2020 that it would not reopen until 2021. It reopened on 25 September 2021.

Original Broadway production

The musical opened as a pre-Broadway tryout at the Kennedy Center's Opera House in Washington, D.C. on 27 December 1986. It ran for eight weeks through 14 February 1987. The musical then premiered on Broadway on 12 March 1987 at The Broadway Theatre. Colm Wilkinson and Frances Ruffelle reprised their roles from the London production. The $4.5 million production had a more than $4 million advance sale prior to its New York opening. The show underwent further tightening, namely with improved sewer lighting and the incorporation of the Javert suicide scene effect. A New York Times report consisted of the following: "The transfer from London to the United States has prompted further modifications. 'We are taking this opportunity to rethink and perfect, to rewrite some details which probably no one else will see, but which for us are still long nights of work,' Mr. Boublil says. 'There are things that nobody had time to do in London, and here we have a wonderful opportunity to fix a few things. No one will notice, perhaps, but for us, it will make us so happy if we can better this show. We would like this to be the final version. Two songs were deleted—the complete version of Gavroche's song "Little People" and the adult Cosette's "I Saw Him Once". A short section at the beginning of "In My Life" replaced "I Saw Him Once". The lyrics in Javert's "Stars" were changed. It now ended with the line, "This I swear by the stars!", while the London production and cast recording ended with the repeated line, "Keeping watch in the night". The original Broadway cast included

as Jean Valjean, David Bryant as Marius,

as Cosette, Michael Maguire as Enjolras,

as Éponine,

Braden Danner Braden Danner (born July 13, 1975) is an American actor, writer, director and producer who has worked in theatre, television, and film. He is a graduate of The USC School of Cinematic Arts. He gained critical acclaim for his performances on the ...

as Gavroche, Donna Vivino as Young Cosette, Jennifer Butt as Madame Thénardier,

Leo Burmester Bernard Leo Burmester (February 1, 1945 – June 28, 2007) was an American actor. Burmester worked for director John Sayles several times, including in ''Passion Fish'' (1992) and '' Lone Star'' (1996), and also for directors such as John Sch ...

as Thénardier, Randy Graff as Fantine, Terrence Mann as Javert, and Chrissie McDonald as Young Éponine. Other members of the original Broadway cast included Kevin Marcum (Brujon), Paul Harman (Combeferre/Foreman), Anthony Crivello (Grantaire/Bamatabois), John Dewar (Joly), Joseph Kolinski (Feuilly), Alex Santoriello (Montparnasse/Labourer), Jesse Corti (Courfeyrac/Farmer), Susan Goodman (Old Woman/Innkeeper's Wife), John Norman (Prouvaire/Pimp), Norman Large (Bishop/Lesgles), Marcus Lovett (Babet/Constable), Steve Shocket (Claquesous/Fauchevelant/Constable/Pimp), Cindy Benson (Old Woman), Marcie Shaw, Jane Bodle, Joanna Glushak, Ann Crumb (Factory Girl), Kelli James, and Gretchen Kingsley-Weihe. Michael Hinton was the original drummer and credited on the cast album. The musical ran at the Broadway Theatre through 10 October 1990, when it moved to the Imperial Theatre. It was scheduled to close on 15 March 2003, but the closing was postponed by a surge in public interest. According to an article in ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...

'', "Sales picked up last October, when Sir Cameron made the announcement that the show would be closing on March 15th... its closure postponed to May 18th because of an unexpected increase in business." After 6,680 performances in sixteen years, when it closed on 18 May 2003, it was the second- longest-running Broadway musical after ''Cats''. It was surpassed by '' The Phantom of the Opera'' in 2006. This Broadway production of ''Les Misérables'' and its advertising in New York City is a recurring theme in ''

American Psycho ''American Psycho'' is a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first person by Patrick Bateman, a serial killer and Manhattan investment banker. Alison Kelly of ''The Observer'' notes that while "some countr ...

''. The reviewer for the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' wrote that ''Les Misérables'' is "the book's hilarious main cultural compass-point".

2006 Broadway revival

Only three years after the original run closed, ''Les Misérables'' began a return to Broadway on 9 November 2006 at the Broadhurst Theatre for a limited run that was subsequently made open-ended. Using the set, costumes, performers, and other resources from the recently finished third US national touring production, the production was only slightly altered. Minor changes included colourful projections blended into its existing lighting design, and a

proscenium A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...

that extended out into the first two boxes on either side of the stage. Some cuts made to the show's prologue during its original Broadway run were restored, lyrics for Gavroche's death scene (known in the revival as "Ten Little Bullets") cut during the development of the original London production were restored, and much of the show was re-orchestrated by Christopher Jahnke, introducing a snare and timpani-heavy sound played by a 14-member band, a reduction of about 8 musicians from the original production's 22 musician orchestration. The original 2006 Broadway revival cast included

Alexander Gemignani Alexander Cesare Gemignani (born July 3, 1979) is a Broadway actor, tenor, musician, and conductor. Gemignani was raised in Tenafly, New Jersey and graduated from Tenafly High School in 1997. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan's ...

as Jean Valjean,

as Javert, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Fantine, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Éponine, Aaron Lazar as Enjolras, Adam Jacobs as Marius, Ali Ewoldt as Cosette,

as Thénardier, Jenny Galloway as Madame Thénardier, Brian D'Addario, Jacob Levine, Skye Rainforth and Austyn Myers as Gavroche, and Tess Adams, Kylie Liya Goldstein and Carly Rose Sonenclar as Young Cosette/Young Éponine.

, who previously played the role of Éponine in the 10th Anniversary concert, replaced Rubin-Vega as Fantine beginning on 2 March 2007. Zach Rand replaced Jacob Levine as Gavroche on 15 March 2007. Ann Harada replaced Jenny Galloway as Mme. Thénardier on 24 April 2007. Ben Davis joined playing Javert, and Max von Essen playing Enjolras. Ben Crawford and Mandy Bruno joined the cast that day too, playing Brujon and Éponine respectively. On 23 July 2007, Sarich took over the role of Valjean, following Gemignani's departure. On 5 September 2007, it was announced that John Owen-Jones (who was playing Valjean in London) was to join the Broadway cast. In return, Sarich would join the London cast in Owen-Jones' place. Judy Kuhn, who originated the role of Cosette, returned to the show after twenty years as Fantine, succeeding Salonga. The revival closed on 6 January 2008 after 17 previews and 463 performances.

2013 Toronto revival

A sit down production played at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Canada based on the 25th Anniversary touring production. Previews began on 27 September 2013 with the opening night on 9 October. The production closed on 2 February 2014. Co-directed by Lawrence Connor and James Powell,

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

nominee Ramin Karimloo starred as Jean Valjean; Colm Wilkinson, who originated the role, portrayed the Bishop of Digne in a one-day performance symbolic handing of the torch to Karimloo. He was joined by fellow West End star, Earl Carpenter, who reprised the role of Inspector Javert. Other cast members included Genevieve Leclerc as Fantine, Samantha Hill as Cosette,

as Éponine, Perry Sherman as Marius, Cliff Saunders as Monsieur Thénardier, Lisa Horner as Madame Thénardier, and Mark Uhre as Enjolras. The roles of young Cosette and young Éponine were shared by

Ella Ballentine Ella Ballentine (born July 18, 2001) is a Canadian television, film, and stage actress who began her acting career as a child actor on the Toronto stage. Ballentine's portrayal of Anne Shirley in the TV movie adaptation of the classic Canadi ...

, Saara Chaudry and Madison Oldroyd. Gavroche was shared by David Gregory Black and Aiden GlennRead.

2014 Broadway revival

The show returned to Broadway in March 2014 at the Imperial Theatre with previews beginning 1 March 2014 and had an official opening on 23 March 2014. The creative team included the direction of Laurence Connor and James Powell, set design by Matt Kinley, costumes by Andreane Neofitou and Christine Rowlands, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter and projections by Fifty-Nine Productions. Cameron Mackintosh once again produced the show. On 22 October 2013, it was announced that Ramin Karimloo, Will Swenson, Caissie Levy, and

Nikki M. James Nikki Michelle James (born June 3, 1981) is an American actress and singer. James has performed in the popular stage musicals ''The Book of Mormon'' and ''Les Misérables'', her role in the former having earned her a Tony Award. Life and caree ...

would be headlining the revival cast as Jean Valjean, Javert, Fantine, and Éponine respectively. Andy Mientus and Samantha Hill also starred as Marius and Cosette respectively. Angeli Negron and McKayla Twiggs share the role of Young Cosette. On 30 August 2015, Karimloo ended his run of the show and was replaced by

. After Boe's final performance on 28 February, the role of Valjean was played by John Owen-Jones beginning 1 March 2016 until the production closed on 4 September 2016, after 1,026 performances over two-and-a-half years. The revival recouped its entire initial investment and grossed $109 million. The 2014 Broadway revival was nominated for 3 Tony Awards: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Karimloo, and Best Sound Design for Potter.

Touring productions

US national tours

The show had three national touring companies of the original Broadway production in the US, all of which shared the Broadway producer and manager, creative teams, as well nearly identical sets, costumes, and lighting. While the touring production and the New York production were running simultaneously, the staff, cast members, crew, and musicians of the two productions interchanged often, which contributed to keeping both companies of the show in form. When the New York production closed in 2003, the Third National Tour continued for another three years, and enjoyed the influx of many members from the original and subsequent New York companies. The First National Tour opened at Boston's Shubert Theatre on 12 December 1987, and continued to play major cities until late 1991. The Second National Tour (called "The Fantine Company") opened at Los Angeles' Shubert Theatre on 1 June 1988. The production played for fourteen months then transferred to San Francisco's Curran Theatre where it enjoyed a similar run. The Third National Tour of ''Les Misérables'' (called "The Marius Company") was one of the longest running American touring musical productions. Opening on 28 November 1988, at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Florida, and closing on 23 July 2006, at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri, the tour ran for seventeen years and 7,061 performances. The tour played in 145 cities in 43 states. The same touring company also frequently performed in Canada, made a 1994 diversion to Singapore, and another diversion in 2002 to be the first Western musical production to visit China, opening in Shanghai's Grand Theatre for a three-week engagement. All US productions (including Broadway and its revival) were visually identical in scale and design but the third national tour was notable for its portability without sacrificing the Broadway-caliber experience. Thanks to innovative touring techniques borrowed from the pop/rock concert industry, the 4.5 million dollar production was adaptable to smaller and larger venues and traveled complete in all of 8 semi tractor trailers. It was set up and ready to go in less than 24 hours and broken down and packed up in about 16 hours. This allowed it to reach many cities and venues in its acclaimed, original Broadway form. A new national tour began on 21 September 2017 at the Providence Performing Arts Centre (PPAC). It starred Nick Cartell as Valjean, Josh Davis as Javert, Melissa Mitchell as Fantine, J. Anthony Crane as Thénardier, Allison Guinn as Madame Thénardier, Joshua Grosso as Marius, Phoenix Best as Éponine, Matt Shingledecker as Enjolras and Jillian Butler as Cosette. The roles of young Cosette and Éponine were shared by Zoe Glick and Sophie Knapp, while the role of Gavroche was shared by Jordan Cole and Julian Lerner. It uses much of the staging and technical work of the 2014 Broadway revival. Another tour launched on 7 October 2022 at the State Theatre,

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

, with Nick Cartell as Jean Valjean, Preston Truman Boyd as Javert, Haley Dortch as Fantine, Matt Crowle as Thénardier, Christina Rose Hall as Madame Thénardier, Addie Morales as Cosette, Gregory Lee Rodriguez as Marius, Christine Heesun Hwang as Eponine, Devin Archer as Enjolras, and Randy Jeter as Bishop of Digne.

UK and Ireland tours

=1992–1993 tour

= The first tour of the UK and Ireland opened at the

, Manchester 14 April 1992 with Jeff Leyton (Jean Valjean),

(Javert, later replaced by Michael McCarthy)Archived a
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and th
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Ria Jones (Fantine), Meredith Braun (Éponine), Mike Sterling (Marius, later replaced by Richard Burman), Tony Timberlake (Thénardier), Louise Plowright (Mdme Thénardier), Sarah Ryan (Cosette) and Daniel Coll (Enjolras). The production then moved on to the Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland, opening 30 June 1993, and then to Playhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland, opening 23 September 1993.

=1997–2000 tour

= In 1997 a second tour began at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, running from 6 May until 14 June, the cast featured: Stig Rossen (Jean Valjean), Michael McCarthy (Javert), Julia Worsley (Fantine), Gemma Sandy (Éponine), Norman Bowman (Marius), Cameron Blakely (Thénardier), Cathy Breeze (Mdme Thénardier), Rebecca Vere (Cosette) and Mark O'Malley (Enjolras). The tour then continued as detailed in the table below:

=25th anniversary tour

= A tour to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the show began performances on 12 December 2009, at the

Wales Millennium Centre Wales Millennium Centre ( cy, Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru) is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 an ...

in Cardiff. Differences from the original production included a new set, new costumes, new direction and alterations to the original orchestrations. The tour also did not use a revolving stage and the scenery was inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo. Locations have included

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

, and

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. The tour also played a special engagement in Paris. From September through October, the show returned to the

, London, site of the original 1985 production. The tour cast featured John Owen-Jones as Valjean, Earl Carpenter as Javert,

as Marius, Ashley Artus as Thénardier, Lynne Wilmot as Madame Thénardier,

as Fantine, Rosalind James as Éponine,

as Enjolras, Katie Hall as Cosette (with Samara Clarke as Young Cosette), and David Lawrence as the Bishop of Digne. The tour ended on 2 October 2010, at the Barbican Theatre. In the fall of 2010, the tour moved to the US with a new company presented by Broadway Across America to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show opening on Broadway. The tour had its opening on 19 November 2010 at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, running until 19 December 2010. This tour originally starred Lawrence Clayton as Valjean, Andrew Varela as Javert, Betsy Morgan as Fantine, Jenny Latimer as Cosette, Justin Scott Brown as Marius, Chasten Harmon as Éponine, Michael Kostroff as Thénardier, Shawna Hamic as Madame Thénardier, Jeremy Hays as Enjolras, Josh Caggiano and Ethan Paul Khusidman as Gavroche, Maya Jade Frank, Faith Perez and Juliana Simone alternating as Young Cosette and Young Éponine. J. Mark McVey's daughter, Kylie McVey was the understudy for Young Cosette and Young Éponine. Clayton left the tour in April 2011. Ron Sharpe later took over as Valjean until June 2011. J. Mark McVey was then Valjean (McVey previously played the role on Broadway), but McVey and his daughter left the tour on 1 April 2012. Peter Lockyer replaces him as Valjean. Betsy Morgan left the tour on 2 December 2012. She was replaced by Genevieve Leclerc. The tour ran until 11 August 2013, closing at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas. The tour's final cast included Peter Lockyer as Valjean, Andrew Varela as Javert, Genevieve Leclerc as Fantine, Lauren Wiley as Cosette, Devin Ilaw as Marius, Briana Carlson-Goodman as Éponine, Timothy Gulan as Thénardier, Shawna Hamic as Madame Thénardier, Jason Forbach as Enjolras, Ava Della Pietra and Erin Cearlock alternating as Little Cosette and Young Eponine, with Mia Sinclair Jenness as Little Girl, In 2011 it was reported that the tour is one of six US national Broadway tours that are grossing over $1,000,000 per week.

=2018–present tour

= A new UK and Ireland tour similar to the 25th anniversary production began at the Curve, Leicester on 3 November 2018, starring Killian Donnelly (Jean Valjean), Nic Greenshields (Javert), Katie Hall (Fantine), Tegan Bannister (Éponine), Bronwen Hanson (Cosette), Harry Apps (Marius), Martin Ball (Thénardier),

(Madame Thénardier) and Will Richardson (Enjolras). After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour resumed performances on 23 November 2021 at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow.

2014 Australian tour

In mid 2013, a brand new Australian tour was announced, with Simon Gleeson as Valjean, Hayden Tee as Javert,

Patrice Tipoki Girlband was an Australian Pop music, pop band that was formed in 2006. It was put together by Sony BMG together with Peppermintblue Management and Mark Byrne from Rogue Traders. There were four members: Renee Armstrong, Renee Bargh, Jess Smith ...

as Fantine, Trevor Ashley and Lara Mulcahy as the Thénardiers,

Kerrie Anne Greenland Kerrie Anne Greenland is an Australian actress and singer, known for performances in musical theatre. She won the Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her portrayal of Éponine in the 2014 Australian version ...

as Éponine, Emily Langridge as Cosette, Euan Doidge as Marius and Chris Durling as Enjolras and Nicholas Cradock as Gavroche. The production premiered on 4 July at

Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne Her Majesty's Theatre is a 1,700-seat theatre in Melbourne's East End Theatre District, Australia. Built in 1886, it is located at 219 Exhibition Street, Melbourne. It is classified by the National Trust of Australia and is listed on the Vict ...

. Additional stops for the Australian tour included the Crown Theatre in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, the Capitol Theatre in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

, and the Lyric Theatre QPAC in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

. The Australian revival production transferred to

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

in March 2016, becoming an international tour.

2016 International tour

On 16 September 2015, it was announced that the Australian tour would launch its international tour in

at the Theatre at Solaire from March 2016 until 1 May 2016, and proceeded to the Esplanade Theatre in Singapore from May 2016. It then had its GCC premiere at the Dubai Opera in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...

from November 2016. The Manila and Singapore productions featured Simon Gleeson as Valjean, Earl Carpenter as Javert, Helen Walsh as Madame Thénardier, Cameron Blakely as Thénardier, Kerrie Anne Greenland as Éponine, Emily Langridge as Cosette, Chris Durling as Enjolras, and Paul Wilkins as Marius.

played the role of Fantine in the Manila production, and

returned the role in the Singapore production after her stint in the original London production. The Dubai production features John Owen-Jones as Valjean, Hayden Tee as Javert, Patrice Tipoki as Fantine, Peter Polycarpou as Thénardier,

as Madame Thénardier, Carrie Hope Fletcher as Éponine, Alistair Brammer as Enjolras, Emily Langridge as Cosette, and Paul Wilkins as Marius.

Concert productions

10th Anniversary Concert

On 8 October 1995, the show celebrated the tenth anniversary of the West End production with a concert at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. This 10th Anniversary Concert was nearly "complete", missing only a handful of scenes, including "The Death of Gavroche", "The Robbery" and the confrontation between Marius and the Thénardiers at the wedding feast. Sir Cameron Mackintosh hand-selected the cast, which became known as the ''Les Misérables Dream Cast'', assembled from around the world, and engaged the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

. The concert concluded with seventeen Valjeans from various international productions singing, "Do You Hear the People Sing?" in their native languages. The concert cast included

as Jean Valjean,

as Javert, Paul Monaghan as the Bishop of Digne, Ruthie Henshall as Fantine, Hannah Chick as Young Cosette, Jenny Galloway as Madame Thénardier, Alun Armstrong as Thénardier, Adam Searles as Gavroche, Michael Maguire as Enjolras, Michael Ball as Marius,

as Cosette,

as Éponine, and Anthony Crivello as Grantaire. The concert was staged by Ken Caswell and conducted by

David Charles Abell David Charles Abell (born 1958) is an American orchestral conductor, multi-instrumentalist, and musicologist. Described as “a protean talent” with “impeccable and inspired” skill as a conductor, he is active in symphonic music, opera and ...

25th Anniversary Concert

The 25th Anniversary Concert of the West End production was held at The O2 in North Greenwich, South East London, United Kingdom, on Sunday, 3 October 2010 at 1:30 pm and 7:00 pm. It featured

as Jean Valjean,

as Javert,

as Fantine, Nick Jonas as Marius, Katie Hall as Cosette, Jenny Galloway as Madame Thénardier, Ramin Karimloo as Enjolras, Samantha Barks as Éponine, Matt Lucas as Thénardier, Mia Jenkins as Young Cosette, Rob Madge as Gavroche and Earl Carpenter as the

Bishop of Digne The Diocese of Digne (Latin: ''Dioecesis Diniensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Digne'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected in the 4th century as the Diocese of Digne, the diocese has b ...

. Casts of the current London, international tour, original 1985 London, and several school productions took part, comprising an ensemble of three hundred performers and musicians. The concert was directed by Laurence Connor & James Powell and conducted by

The All-Star Staged Concert

From 10 August to 2 December 2019, the musical was performed as a staged concert version at the Gielgud Theatre in the West End during the refurbishment of the adjacent Sondheim Theatre, where the original London production had been running and would be home to the new production from December 2019 onwards. Featuring a cast and orchestra of over 65, the 16-week concert run starred Michael Ball as Javert,

as Jean Valjean, Carrie Hope Fletcher as Fantine and Matt Lucas as Thénardier. Katy Secombe also starred as Madame Thénardier, and John Owen-Jones played Jean Valjean for some performances during the run. Further leads included Rob Houchen (Marius), Bradley Jaden (Enjolras), Shan Ako (Éponine) and Lily Kerhoas (Cosette). Earl Carpenter also played the dual role of The Bishop/Bamatabois, while understudying Javert. The final concert was filmed and broadcast live to cinemas on 2 December and has since been released on home video and album, with a tour planned. In October 2020, on the final of '' Britain's Got Talent'', it was confirmed that the stage concert would return for a limited six-week run at the Sondheim Theatre from 5 December 2020 to 17 January 2021. It was subsequently extended twice and was due to play until 28 February 2021. Due to the

, the audience were socially distanced and capacity was limited to 50%. Due to local COVID restrictions, the show was suspended from 16 December 2020 after just 10 performances, in which Boe had performed as Jean Valjean on eight occasions and Owen-Jones on two occasions. It reopened on 20 May 2021 and ran until 5 September. Ball, Boe, Fletcher, Lucas and Owen-Jones did not reprise their roles at reopening.

Other concert performances

The musical has also been performed in concert at

Cardiff Castle Cardiff Castle ( cy, Castell Caerdydd) is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion located in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. The original motte and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on top ...

and several venues in southern England, produced by Earl Carpenter Concerts. A concert version starring Jeff Leyton,

, Annalene Beechey and

was also performed at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast in 2001. In 1989, a one-night concert performance was performed at

SkyDome Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, ...

, Toronto, and the largest concert production attracted an audience of approximately 125,000 as part of the

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port ...

celebrations in Sydney's Domain Park. The Scandinavian concert tour, produced by Cameron Mackintosh in association with Noble Art, starred Danish musical icon Stig Rossen in the leading role and commemorated author Victor Hugo's 200th birthday. Venues on the tour included the

Stockholm Globe Arena Avicii Arena, originally known as Stockholm Globe Arena and previously as Ericsson Globe, but commonly referred to in Swedish simply as Globen (; "the Globe"), is an indoor arena located in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov district of Stockhol ...

, Oslo Spektrum, the Helsinki Hartwell Areena, and the Gothenburg Scandinavium, with audiences totalling over 150,000 for the complete tour. In November 2004, to celebrate the centennial of the Entente Cordiale, the Queen invited the cast of ''Les Misérables'' in the West End to perform for French President

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a Politics of France, French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to ...

at Windsor Castle. It was the first time the cast of a West End musical had performed at a Royal residence. The part of Jean Valjean was played by Michael Ball – the original 1985 London and 1995 Dream Cast Marius – and the part of Javert was played by Michael McCarthy,

as Fantine, Gemma Wardle as Eponine, Julia Möller as Cosette, Gary Tushaw as Marius and Ramin Karimloo as Enjolras. The rest of the cast was the same as in the West End, supplemented by several guest singers and a choir of former performers. In February 2008, ''Les Misérables'' was performed at the

Bournemouth International Centre The Bournemouth International Centre (commonly known as the BIC ) in Bournemouth, Dorset, was opened in September 1984. It is one of the largest venues for conferences, exhibitions, entertainment and events in southern England. Additionally, it ...

, England with a cast of West End stars accompanied by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. In August 2008, a concert version, directed by Richard Jay-Alexander, was performed at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

. The cast included veteran ''Les Misérables'' star J. Mark McVey as Valjean, ''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original ser ...

'' star Melora Hardin as Fantine, Broadway star and Bowl veteran

as Javert, '' Spring Awakening'' and '' Glee'' star

as Éponine, Tony-winning '' Jersey Boys'' star John Lloyd Young as Marius, West End star Tom Lowe as Enjolras, Michael McCormick as Thénardier, Ruth Williamson as Madame Thénardier, Michele Maika as Cosette, Maddie Levy as Young Cosette, and Sage Ryan as Gavroche. In September 2008, it was performed at the St John Loveridge Hall in

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

with a cast of West End performers—the first time that it had been professionally performed on the Island where

wrote the novel. Former London Valjean Phil Cavill reprised his role alongside veteran Michael McCarthy as Javert. In March 2009, the Guernsey production was remounted at

Fort Regent Fort Regent is a 19th-century fortification and leisure centre on Mont de la Ville (Town Hill), in St. Helier, Jersey. The fort is in close proximity to the fortified South Hill Engineers Barracks at La Collette and overlooks the 16th-century ...

in Jersey; and in July 2009, the musical was performed in concert at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

International productions

The show has been produced in forty-two countries and translated into twenty-one languages: English, French (re-translated from the English version), German (Austria and Germany), Spanish (six versions: two from Spain, two from Mexico, one from Argentina, and one from Venezuela), Japanese, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk), Polish, Swedish (in Sweden and in Finland), Dutch (Netherlands and Belgium), Danish, Finnish, Brazilian Portuguese, Estonian, Czech, Mauritian Creole, Basque, Catalan and Korean. Including singles and promos, there have been over seventy official recordings from worldwide productions. The first full West End / Broadway production in Europe (mainland) was set up in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, Norway at

Det Norske Teatret Det Norske Teatret ( en, Norwegian Theater)Moe, Jens. 2011. ''My America: The Culture of Giving''. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse, p. 133. is a theatre in Oslo. The theatre was founded in 1912, after an initiative from Hulda Garborg and Edvard Drabl� ...

and opened on 17 March 1988. The production was in Norwegian and starred Norwegian singer/actor Øystein Wiik as Jean Valjean, Paul Åge Johannessen as Javert,

Øivind Blunck Øivind Blunck (28 December 1950) is a Norwegian comedian and actor.Øivind Blunck
in Kari Gjærum Kari Gjærum (born November 23, 1952 in Porsgrunn) is a Norwegian singer. She was educated at the ''Østlandets Musikk-konservatorium'' and ''Statens Operaskole'' and has been a professional artist since 1979. She has worked as a singer and back ...

as Fantine, Amund Enger as Enjolras and

Guri Schanke Guri Annika Schanke (; born 14 December 1961) is a Norwegian actress and singer. She is known in Norway for her acting career, and was part of the 2005 round of the Norwegian version of ''Dancing with the Stars'', where she came in second. Caree ...

as Éponine. The first Oslo production was hugely successful and some 10% of Norway's entire population saw the show in the first 6 months. Øystein Wiik went on to also star as Jean Valjean in the productions in Vienna and London in 1989–1990. The stage show, which had changed so significantly since its Parisian conception as a stadium concert in 1980, was translated back into the language of Victor Hugo for its French world première in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1991. This production had a cast that presented five shows a week in French and three a week in English. In 1998, a concert version in English was produced in Malta, at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta. This production was staged by a company called Act React and featured talents like Ray Mangion as Valjean, Roger Tirazona as Javert, Julie James as Fantine and Leila Ben Harris as Eponine.

North American productions

In September 2008, a mini-tour produced by Atlanta's Theater of the Stars played Eisenhower Hall at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, in

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, New York; the Filene Center at the

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (originally known as the Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts and simply known as Wolf Trap) is a performing arts center located on of national park land in unincorporated Fairfax Count ...

in Vienna, Virginia; Kansas City Starlight Theatre; and the Fox Theater in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

. The show featured a new set of original pictures painted by Victor Hugo himself. Robert Evan played Valjean, returning to the role he played in the mid-nineties on Broadway. Also featured were Nikki Rene Daniels as Fantine and Robert Hunt as Javert, both reprising their roles from the Broadway revival. Fred Hanson directed the production. The creative team included Matt Kinley as Scenic Designer,

Ken Billington Ken Billington (born October 29, 1946) is an American lighting designer. He began his career in New York City working as an assistant to Tharon Musser. He was born in White Plains, New York, the son of Kenneth Arthur (an automobile dealer) and ...

as Lighting Designer, Peter Fitzgerald and Erich Bechtel as Sound Designers,

Zachary Borovay Zachary Borovay is a media designer specializing in Broadway, Off Broadway, Concerts, Opera, Theme Parks, Corporate Events and Museum Installations. His work has been seen all over the world. His recent credits include projection design for the Bro ...

as Projection Designer, and Dan Riddle as musical director and Conductor. In 2008, the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia staged a small venue "black box" version of the play. Signature received Mackintosh's special permission for the production: "One of the great pleasures of being involved with the creation of ''Les Misérables'' is seeing this marvelous musical being done in a completely different and original way. Having seen many shows brilliantly reimagined at Signature I have no doubt that Eric and his team will come up with a revolutionary new take on ''Les Miz'' unlike anything anyone has seen before. Viva la différence!" The production officially opened on 14 December 2008 (after previews from 2 December), and ran through 22 February 2009 (extended from 25 January 2009). A 2014 production at the

Dallas Theater Center The Dallas Theater Center is a major regional theater in Dallas, Texas, United States. It produces classic, contemporary and new plays and was the 2017 Tony Award recipient for Best Regional Theater. Dallas Theater Center produces its original w ...

modernized the staging in a way rarely attempted in productions of this play, set visually in the modern-day United States rather than 1830s France. The concept was thought to be refreshing as a change from typical production styles and effective as a commentary on modern inequality. Though, much controversy surrounded their unauthorized depart from the authors' libretto and score. In Panama, ''Les Misérables'' was staged in 2014 in Spanish at the famed National Theatre of Panama for a short, sold-out run, directed by

Aaron Zebede Aaron Zebede is a Panamanian stage actor, director, and producer. As a stage actor his work includes the roles of 'Alfred P. Doolitle' in My Fair Lady (2003), 'Perón' in "Evita" (2004), 'Tevye' in ''Fiddler on the Roof'' (a role he played in two ...

School edition

The school edition cuts a considerable amount of material from the original show. It is divided into thirty scenes and, although no critical scenes or songs have been removed, it runs 25–30 minutes shorter than the official version making the total running time about hours. A few subtle changes of vocal pitch have been made: "What Have I Done?", Valjean's Soliloquy, "Stars" by Javert, "A Little Fall of Rain" by Éponine and Marius, "Turning", and "Castle on a Cloud" lose a verse each. During "Fantine's Arrest" Bamatabois loses two verses. The song "Fantine's Death/Confrontation" is edited, and the counterpoint duel between Javert and Valjean is lost, as well as a verse by Fantine. "Dog Eats Dog" by Thénardier is heavily truncated. "Beggars at the Feast", is shortened, with Thénardier losing a verse, and the song before it, "Wedding Chorale", is excluded entirely although the rest of the wedding remains in place. Also, the drinker's introduction to "Master of the House" is cut completely.

Film adaptation

Cast recordings

English

The following recordings of ''Les Misérables'' are available in English: the Original London Cast, the Original Broadway Cast, the Complete Symphonic Recording, the 10th Anniversary London Concert, The 25th Anniversary UK Tour Cast and The 25th Anniversary London Concert.

Original London Cast recording

The Original London Cast recording was the first English language album of the musical. Recorded in 1985, when the show premiered, it is closest to the original French concept album. For example, "Stars" appears before "Look Down" and shortly after, the original version of "Little People" plays, which was later incorporated into the revealing of Javert. It also features a song titled "I Saw Him Once", sung by Cosette, which was later incorporated into the first part of "In My Life". The album has sold 887,000 copies in the US.

Original Broadway Cast recording

The Original Broadway Cast recording was produced in 1987. It included several changes to the songs that are still evident in today's performances. As with its predecessor, it is incomplete, and leaves out songs or parts that are more important narratively than musically (e.g., "Fantine's Arrest", "The Runaway Cart", "The Final Battle"). The album has sold 1,596,000 copies in the US.

Complete Symphonic Recording

Recorded in 1988 and released in 1989, the Complete Symphonic Recording features the entire score. (The Czech Revival Recording is the only other album, in any language, to feature the entire score; on the other hand, the four 2003 Japanese recordings feature the entire score after the cuts first made on Broadway at the end of 2000.) Cameron Mackintosh's original plan was to use the Australian cast, but the scope was expanded to create an international cast featuring performers from the major performances of the musical. The cast was recorded in three different places. The album, produced by David Caddick and conducted by Martin Koch, won the Best Musical Cast Show Album Grammy Award in 1990. The cast includes

as Valjean,

as Javert, Debra Byrne as Fantine,

as Mme. Thénardier,

as Thénardier,

Kaho Shimada Kaho Shimada (島田歌穂, ''Shimada Kaho'', born September 19, 1963) is a Japanese singer and musical theater actress. Born and raised in Minato, Tokyo, she attended Tokyo Municipal Jonan High School. She is an assistant professor of drama at ...

as Éponine, Ross McCall as Gavroche, Michael Ball as Marius,

as Enjolras, Tracy Shayne as Cosette and Marissa Dunlop as Young Cosette." "les Miserable' Complete Symphonic Recording"
castalbums.org, retrieved 15 June 2019

10th Anniversary Concert

The 10th Anniversary recording was of a concert version of ''Les Misérables'', performed at the Royal Albert Hall in October 1995, featuring full orchestra and choir. All parts were sung live, giving the performance a different mood from other recordings. The score was recorded consecutively without pauses or multiple recordings. The concert's encores are also included. As with the original recordings, however, they differed from the stage versions by excluding some songs (e.g., those vital to plot such as "Fantine's Arrest" and "The Runaway Cart" were kept, while unnecessary or complex songs, such as "At the Barricade", were left out).

25th Anniversary UK Tour Cast

Recorded live at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, this recording was released to commemorate 25 years of ''Les Misérables'' and features new arrangements and reinspired orchestrations.

25th Anniversary Concert

The 25th Anniversary Concert was recorded live at

The O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the ...

on 3 October 2010 and is available on DVD in the UK while the Blu-ray was released worldwide. It was shown in select US theaters via NCM Fathom Events. The release for the DVD and Blu-ray in the United States was 22 February 2011 to promote the film adaptation.

Awards and nominations

Original West End production

Original Broadway production

2013 Toronto revival

2014 Broadway revival

2014 Australian revival

Notes

References

Les Miserables Reviews
Box Office Theatre Ltd. Retrieved 12 July 2016

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

* * *
An Archive of Performers from the Original Broadway Run of ''Les Misérables''

An Archive of Performers from the London Run of ''Les Misérables''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miserables, Les Musicals by Claude-Michel Schönberg 1980 musicals French musicals Works based on Les Misérables Plays set in the 19th century Plays set in France Broadway musicals West End musicals Musicals based on novels Laurence Olivier Award-winning musicals Sung-through musicals Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award-winning musicals

Background

Critical reception and milestones

Emblem

Synopsis

Prologue

Act I

Act II

Musical numbers

Instrumentation

Characters

Casts

Original casts

Notable replacements

=West End (1985– )

=Broadway (1987–2003)

=Australia (1987–1990)

=1st, 2nd & 3rd US national tours (1987–2006)

=Broadway revival (2006–08)

=Broadway revival (2014–16)

=US National Tour (2017– )

Filmed Concert casts

Additional Performers

Productions

Sit-down productions

Original French production

Original London production

2019 updated staging

Original Broadway production

2006 Broadway revival

2013 Toronto revival

2014 Broadway revival

Touring productions

US national tours

UK and Ireland tours

=1992–1993 tour

=1997–2000 tour

=25th anniversary tour

=2018–present tour

2014 Australian tour

2016 International tour

Concert productions

10th Anniversary Concert

25th Anniversary Concert

The All-Star Staged Concert

Other concert performances

International productions

North American productions

School edition

Film adaptation

Cast recordings

English

Original London Cast recording

Original Broadway Cast recording

Complete Symphonic Recording

10th Anniversary Concert

25th Anniversary UK Tour Cast

25th Anniversary Concert

Awards and nominations

Original West End production

Original Broadway production

2013 Toronto revival

2014 Broadway revival

2014 Australian revival

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links