Cameron Mackintosh announced today that his acclaimed new production of Boublil & Schönberg’s legendary musical, LES MISÉRABLES, will arrive in Australia in 2014.
With glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery designed by Matt Kinley, inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, this new record breaking production is directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell and will premiere at Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre in June 2014. Tickets will go on sale in October 2013.
The new production of LES MISÉRABLES has been acclaimed by critics, fans and new audiences for the last three years, breaking box office records internationally and inspiring filmmakers to make the outstandingly successful movie which has gone on to win 3 Golden Globes®, 4 BAFTA’s and receive 8 Academy Award® nominations.
‘Thrilling, spectacular & unforgettable’ – The New York Times
‘A five star hit, astonishingly powerful’ – The Times, UK
‘The new production of LES MISÉRABLES qualifies as a truly extraordinary theatrical experience. It is nothing less than stunning. This production is so breathtaking, you simply won’t want it to end.’
– The Boston Globe
‘This actually exceeds the original – Les Mis is born again’ – New York 1 Television
Cameron Mackintosh said, “These are very exciting times for LES MISÉRABLES, having inspired such a hugely successful film – with amazing Australian cast – to now confirming the 25th Anniversary Production going to Broadway and Melbourne in 2014, as well as playing in Canada, Korea, Japan, Spain and continuing its record-breaking run on tour in the United States. I first produced LES MISÉRABLES in Australia in 1987 immediately after the musical opened on Broadway, making household names of many amazing performers that featured in this and the 10th anniversary production. So it seems serendipitous that this new Australian production, 25 years later, will again follow the Broadway season, featuring Australian performers that will also, hopefully, become Australian stars of the future.”
Based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel, LES MISÉRABLES is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit. The magnificent score of LES MISÉRABLES includes the classic songs “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Stars,” “Bring Him Home,” “Do You Hear the People Sing?,” “One Day More,” “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables,” “Master of the House” and many more.
Set against the backdrop of 19th-century revolutionary France, LES MISÉRABLES tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption. Ex-prisoner Jean Valjean is hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.
Seen by over 65 million people worldwide in 42 countries and in 22 languages, LES MISÉRABLES is undisputedly one of the most popular musicals of all time. Having won more than 97 major awards around the world it has been hailed as the most stirring, moving musical ever. There have been 47 cast recordings of LES MISÉRABLES, including the multi-platinum London cast recording, the GRAMMY® Award-winning Broadway cast album and complete symphonic album. The motion picture soundtrack has sold close to 1.5 million copies in only a few weeks and has topped the Billboard and iTunes charts. The forthcoming DVD/Blu-ray of the hit movie and the extended deluxe 2-disc edition of the soundtrack featuring an additional 22 tracks will be released shortly and for fans, the sumptuous definitive new book, Les Misérables – From Stage to Screen, will also be available to purchase in the coming months. It tells the story so far of the World’s Longest Running Musical in words, pictures and rare facsimile memorabilia and is written by Benedict Nightingale and Martyn Palmer, with the foreword by Cameron Mackintosh. The DVD’s of the 10th Anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall and the 25th Anniversary at The O2 have sold millions of copies worldwide. In addition over 3,000 productions of the LES MISÉRABLES School’s Edition have been performed by over 100,000 school children in the UK, US and Australia, making it the most successful musical ever produced in schools.
Cameron Mackintosh commented: “To my constant surprise, my productions continue to be enjoyed as much as ever by audiences all around the world and I’m thrilled to have the unique chance of redoing them all over as if they were brand new shows. I’m even more delighted that they are proving just as big hits at the box office in their new form as the originals, having recently restaged Oliver!, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon to similar acclaim to the new LES MISÉRABLES. It’s marvellous that modern audiences are embracing them as contemporary adaptations.”
Boublil and Schönberg’s LES MISÉRABLES originally opened in London in October 1985 at the Barbican Theatre and has been playing ever since. It transferred to the Palace Theatre on 4 December 1985 and moved to its current home at the Queen’s Theatre on 3 April 2004 where it is playing to standing room only. In October 2006 LES MISÉRABLES took over the title of World’s Longest Running Musical followed by two other Cameron Mackintosh productions, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and CATS (both by Andrew Lloyd Webber).
Cameron Mackintosh’s production of LES MISÉRABLES is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel. Adapted by Trevor Nunn and John Caird, it has additional material by James Fenton.
The 25th Anniversary Production is directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell and designed by Matt Kinley. Original costumes are by Andreane Neofitou, additional costumes by Christine Rowland, lighting design by Paule Constable and sound design by Mick Potter.
Cameron Mackintosh added: “Michael Cassel will executive produce the Australian production and lead a new team of talented Australians as we ‘bring her home’. Michael is an Australian producer who worked at Disney Theatrical Group for almost ten years, most recently based in New York, before returning home with his family in 2011. Together, we have already engaged Serena Hill as Casting Director to begin our search for Australia’s new stars”.
Casting for the new Australian production of LES MISÉRABLES will commence next month and tickets for the Melbourne season will go on sale in October 2013.
To join the priority waitlist visit www.lesmis.com
