Les Misérables (musical)

Les Misérables
Music	Claude-Michel Schönberg
Lyrics	Alain Boublil (French lyrics) Herbert Kretzmer (English adaptation)
Book	Claude-Michel Schönberg Alain Boublil Trevor Nunn and John Caird (adaptation)
Basis	1862 novel by Victor Hugo Les Misérables
Productions	1980 Paris 1985 West End 1987 Broadway 1987 First US Tour 1987 Israel 1988 Hungary 1988 Norway 1988 Second US Tour 1988 Third US Tour 1988 Vienna 1989 Original Canadian Cast 1990 Sweden 1991 Parisian Revival 1991 Netherlands 1992 Czech Republic 1992 Denmark 1992 UK Tour 1992 Madrid 1993 Original Korean Cast 1995 10th Anniversary Concert 1996 Duisburg 1996 Värmland 1998 Antwerp 2000 Buenos Aires 2001 Hungarian Revival 2002 Mexico City 2003 Czech Revival 2006 Broadway revival 2008 Dutch Revival 2008 Quebec 2009 25th Anniversary Tour 2010 Poland 2010 Madrid 25th Anniversary Production 2011 Fourth US Tour 2011 Czech Republic Multiple productions worldwide
Awards	Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award for Best Book Tony Award for Best Score

Les Misérables (/leɪ ˈmɪzərɑːb/ or /leɪ ˌmɪzəˈrɑːb/; French pronunciation: [le mizeˈʁablə]), colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz /leɪ ˈmɪz/, is a musical composed in 1980 by French composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, with a French-language libretto by Alain Boublil.

The English-language adaptation, with libretto by Herbert Kretzmer, opened at the Barbican Centre in London, England on 8 October 1985. As of 2010, it was in its twenty-sixth year making it the longest-running musical in the world. It is also the third longest-running show in Broadway history. In January 2010, it played its ten-thousandth performance in London, at Queen's Theatre in London's West End.

On 3 October 2010, the show had three productions running in the same city. The original show was running in London's West End; the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary touring production was running at the original home of the show, London's Barbican Centre; and the third version, the 25th Anniversary concert at London's O2 Arena.

Based on Victor Hugo's 1862 novel of the same name, set in early 19th-century France, the plot follows the stories of many characters as they struggle for redemption and revolution. An ensemble that includes prostitutes, student revolutionaries, factory workers, and others join the lead characters.

The Tony Award-winning score features the song "I Dreamed a Dream", sung as a solo by the character Fantine during the first act. Numerous artists have covered this song, including Neil Diamond, Aretha Franklin, David Essex, Michael Crawford, Ruthie Henshall, Lea Salonga, and Susan Boyle.

Background

Originally released as a French-language concept album, the first musical-stage adaptation of Les Misérables was presented at a Paris sports arena in 1980. However, the first production closed after three months when the booking contract expired.

In 1982, about six months after producer Cameron Mackintosh had opened Cats in London, 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 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, at the Barbican Centre. Critical reviews were negative, and literary scholars condemned the project for converting classic literature into a mere musical. Public opinion differed—the box office received record orders. This three-month engagement sold out and reviews improved.

Reception

The Broadway production opened 12 March 1989, and ran until 18 May 2003, closing after 6,680 performances. It is the third longest running Broadway show in history and was the second-longest at the time. A fully re-orchestrated Broadway revival opened on 9 November 2006 at the Broadhurst Theatre.

The show was nominated for twelve Tony Awards and won eight, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. It placed first in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals" in June 2005, receiving more than forty percent of the votes.

It was one of several British musicals on Broadway in the 1980s along with Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, and Miss Saigon.

Emblem

The illustration on which the musical's emblem is based.

The musical's emblem is a picture of the waif Cosette sweeping the Thénardier's Inn, usually shown cropped to a head-and-shoulders portrait with the French national flag superimposed. The picture is based on the illustration by Émile Bayard that appeared in the novel's original 1862 edition.

Synopsis

Act I

Sung through, Les Misérables opens in Bagne prison in Toulon, France, in 1815, where the prisoners work at hard labour ("Work Song"). After nineteen years of imprisonment (five for stealing bread for his starving sister and her family, and the rest for trying to escape), Jean Valjean—"prisoner 24601"—is released on parole by the policeman Javert. By law, Valjean must display a yellow ticket-of-leave, which condemns him as an outcast ("On Parole"). He then meets the Bishop of Digne, who offers him food and shelter. Valjean steals silver from the bishop and the police catch him shortly. The bishop, however, lies to save Valjean and helps him begin a new life ("Valjean Arrested, Valjean Forgiven"). Humbled by the bishop's mercy and kindness, Valjean decides to follow the bishop's advice and breaks his parole. ("Valjean’s Soliloquy" / "What Have I Done?").

Eight years later, Valjean, having assumed a new identity as Monsieur Madeleine, is a wealthy factory owner and mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. One of his workers, Fantine, has a fight when the other workers discover she is sending money to her secret illegitimate child. The girl is living with an innkeeper and his wife ("At the End of the Day"). The Mayor breaks up the conflict, but asks his factory foreman to resolve it. The other women demand Fantine's dismissal, and because she had previously rejected his advances, the foreman agrees and throws Fantine out.

Fantine sings about her broken dreams and about the father of her daughter who abandoned her ("I Dreamed a Dream"). Desperate for money, she sells her locket and her hair, before becoming a prostitute ("Lovely Ladies"). When she fights back against an abusive customer, Javert, now stationed in Montreuil-sur-Mer, arrests her ("Fantine's Arrest"). "Madeleine" soon arrives, and realising his part in the ruination of Fantine, orders Javert to let her go and takes her to a hospital.

Soon after, the Mayor rescues Fauchelevant, who is pinned by a runaway cart ("The Runaway Cart"), reminding Javert of Jean Valjean (who was abnormally strong), whom he has sought for years for breaking parole. However, Javert assures the mayor that Valjean has been arrested recently and will be in court later in the day. Unwilling to see an innocent man go to prison in his place, Valjean confesses his identity to the court—that he is the prisoner 24601—revealing the convict's brand on his chest as proof ("Who Am I?—The Trial").

Before returning to prison, Valjean visits the dying Fantine and promises to find and look after her daughter Cosette. ("Come to Me" / "Fantine's Death"). When Javert arrives to arrest him, Valjean asks three more days to fetch Cosette, but Javert refuses to believe his honest intentions ("The Confrontation"). Valjean eventually knocks Javert out and escapes.

The next scene occurs in an inn at Montfermeil run by the Thénardiers, where Cosette has been living. The Thénardiers have been abusing the little girl, while indulging their own daughter, Éponine. Cosette dreams of a better life ("Castle on a Cloud") before Madame Thénardier sends her to fetch water in the dark. As the inn fills for the evening, the Thénardiers cheat their customers in various ways ("Master of the House"). Valjean finds Cosette fetching water ("The Bargain") and pays the Thénardiers fifteen hundred Francs to let him take her away ("The Waltz of Treachery").

Nine years later, Paris is in upheaval because General Lamarque, the only man in the government who shows mercy to the poor, is ill and may soon die. The young street urchin Gavroche mingles with the prostitutes and beggars on the street, while students Marius Pontmercy and Enjolras discuss the general's imminent demise ("Look Down").

A street gang led by the Thénardiers prepares to ambush Valjean, whom Thénardier recognizes as the man who took Cosette ("The Robbery"). Éponine sees Marius, whom she secretly loves, and warns him to stay away, but Marius accidentally bumps into Cosette and immediately falls in love. Javert thwarts the Thénardiers' attempt to rob Valjean and Cosette, not recognising Valjean until after he escapes ("Javert's Intervention"). Javert gazes at the night sky, comparing his hunt of Valjean and justice to the order of the stars ("Stars"). Meanwhile, Marius, although he does not know Cosette's name, persuades a reluctant Éponine to help him find her ("Éponine's Errand").

The scene shifts to a political meeting in a small café where Enjolras leads a group of idealistic students to prepare for a revolution that they believe will materialise after General Lamarque's death, ("The ABC Café—Red and Black"). Marius arrives late and when Gavroche brings the news of the General's death, the students march into the streets ("Do You Hear the People Sing?").

Cosette is infatuated with Marius, and although Valjean realises that his daughter has grown up, he refuses to tell her about his past or her mother. ("Rue Plumet—In My Life"). In spite of her own feelings, Éponine leads Marius to Cosette ("A Heart Full of Love"), and then prevents her father's gang from robbing Valjean's house ("The Attack on Rue Plumet"). Valjean, convinced that Javert was lurking outside his house, tells Cosette that they must prepare to flee the country.

On the eve of the 1832 Paris Uprising, Valjean prepares to go into exile; Cosette and Marius part in despair; Éponine mourns the loss of Marius; Enjolras encourages all of Paris to join the revolution; Marius decides to join the other students as they prepare for the upcoming conflict; Javert plans to spy on the students; and the Thénardiers look forward to robbing the corpses of those who will be killed during the coming battle ("One Day More").

Act II

As the students begin a barricade ("At the Barricade – Upon These Stones"), Javert, disguised as one of the rebels, volunteers to "spy" on the government troops. Marius notices that Éponine has disguised herself as a boy and has joined the revolutionaries. He sends her with a letter to Cosette, which will also carry Éponine to safety. Valjean intercepts the letter, promising Éponine he will tell Cosette about the letter. After Éponine leaves, Valjean reads the letter, learning about Marius and Cosette's relationship. While walking the streets of Paris, Éponine decides, despite what he had said to her, to rejoin Marius at the barricade ("On My Own").

"At the Barricade" the students defy an army warning them to surrender or die. Javert returns and tells the students that the government will attack ("Javert's Arrival"), but Gavroche exposes him as a spy ("Little People"). Éponine is shot as she returns to the barricades and dies in Marius's arms ("A Little Fall of Rain"). Valjean arrives at the barricades in search of Marius as the first battle erupts, and he saves Enjolras by shooting a sniper ("The First Attack"). As a reward, he asks to be the one to kill Javert, but instead he releases him and even gives him his address. The students settle down for a night ("Drink with Me"), while Valjean prays to God to save Marius from the onslaught ("Bring Him Home").

As dawn approaches, Enjolras realises that the people have abandoned them. He sends away women and fathers of children, but resolves to fight on ("Dawn of Anguish"). With ammunition running low during the second attack, Gavroche scurries in front of the barricade to collect more cartridges. As he runs back behind the barricade, he is shot three times and dies ("The Second Attack / Death of Gavroche"). Enjolras and the students realise that they will likely die. The army gives a final warning for surrender, but the rebels refuse, and as they continue to fight, all are killed except Valjean and Marius ("The Final Battle").

Carrying a wounded Marius on his back, Valjean escapes through the sewers. Meanwhile, Thénardier is also in the sewers, stealing valuables from bodies, laughing that he is performing a "service to the town" ("Dog Eats Dog"). Thénardier takes a ring off Marius's hand as Valjean is resting, and then escapes when he sees Valjean getting up. When Valjean reaches the sewer's exit, he runs into Javert, who has been waiting for him. Valjean begs Javert to give him one more hour to bring Marius to a doctor, and Javert reluctantly agrees. After Valjean leaves, Javert, unable to bear the gift of Valjean's mercy to him, commits suicide by throwing himself in the Seine ("Javert's Suicide").

Back on the streets, several women mourn the deaths of the young students ("Turning"). Marius also mourns for his friends ("Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"). As he wonders who saved him from the barricades, Cosette comforts him, declaring that she will never go away ("Every Day") and they reaffirm their love. Valjean then confesses to Marius that he is an escaped convict and tells him that he must go away because his presence endangers Cosette ("Valjean's Confession"). Valjean makes Marius promise never to tell Cosette, and Marius makes only a half-hearted attempt to hold him back.

Marius and Cosette marry ("Wedding Chorale"). The Thénardiers crash the reception in disguise as "The Baron and Baroness du Thénard". They tell Marius that Valjean is a murderer, saying that they saw him carrying a corpse in the sewers after the barricades fell. When Thénardier shows him the ring that he took from the corpse, Marius realises that he was the "corpse" and that Valjean saved his life. Marius punches Thénardier, the newlyweds leave, and the Thénardiers enjoy the party and celebrate their survival ("Beggars at the Feast").

Meanwhile, Valjean prepares for his death, having nothing left for which to live. Just as the ghosts of Fantine and Éponine arrive to take him to heaven, Cosette and Marius rush in, in time to bid farewell and for Marius to thank him for saving his life ("Valjean's Death"). Valjean gives Cosette his confession to read, and the souls of Fantine and Éponine guide him to Paradise, his long struggle over. The entire cast of characters, living and dead, asks once more, "Do You Hear the People Sing?" ("Finale").

Musical numbers

Main article: Songs from Les Misérables

Act I

	Song	Performer(s)
01	"Prologue: Work Song"	Chain Gang, Javert, and Valjean
02	"Prologue: On Parole"	Valjean, Farmer, Labourer, Innkeeper's Wife, Innkeeper, and Bishop of Digne
03	"Prologue: Valjean Arrested, Valjean Forgiven"	Policemen and Bishop of Digne
04	"Prologue: What Have I Done?"	Valjean
05	"At the End of the Day"	Poor, Foreman, Workers, Factory Girls, Fantine, and Valjean
06	"I Dreamed a Dream"	Fantine
07	"Lovely Ladies"	Sailors, Old Woman, Fantine, Crone, Whores, and Pimp
08	"Fantine's Arrest"	Bamatabois, Fantine, Javert, and Valjean
09	"'The Runaway Cart"	Townspeople, Valjean, Fauchelevant, and Javert
10	"Who Am I? / The Trial"	Valjean
11	"Fantine's Death: Come to Me"	Fantine and Valjean
12	"The Confrontation"	Javert and Valjean
13	"Castle on a Cloud"	Young Cosette and Madame Thénardier
14	"Master of the House"	Thénardier, Madame Thénardier, and Customers
15	"The Bargain / The Thénardier Waltz of Treachery"	Thénardier, Valjean, Madame Thénardier, and Young Cosette
16	"Look Down"	Gavroche, Beggars, Old Woman, Prostitute, Pimp, Enjolras, and Marius
17	"The Robbery"	Thénardier, Madame Thénardier, Marius, Éponine, and Valjean
18	"Javert's Intervention"	Javert and Thénardier
19	"Stars"	Javert and Gavroche
20	"Éponine's Errand"	Éponine and Marius
21	"ABC Café / Red and Black"	Students, Enjolras, Marius, Grantaire, and Gavroche
22	"Do You Hear the People Sing?"	Enjolras, Students, and Beggars
23	"Rue Plumet – In My Life"	Cosette, Valjean, Marius, and Éponine
24	"A Heart Full of Love"	Marius, Cosette, and Éponine
25	"The Attack on the Rue Plumet"	Thénardier, Thieves, Éponine, Marius, Valjean, and Cosette
26	"One Day More"	Valjean, Marius, Cosette, Éponine, Enjolras, Javert, Thénardier, Madame Thénardier, Gavroche, and Company

Act II

	Song	Performer(s)
27	"At the Barricade (Upon These Stones)"	Enjolras, Javert, Marius, Éponine, and Valjean
28	"On My Own"	Éponine
29	"Building the Barricade (Upon These Stones)"	Enjolras, Students, and Army Officer
30	"Javert's Arrival"	Javert and Enjolras
31	"Little People"	Gavroche, Students, Enjolras, and Javert
32	"A Little Fall of Rain"	Éponine and Marius
33	"Night of Anguish"	Enjolras, Marius, Valjean, and Students
34	"The First Attack"	Enjolras, Students, Valjean, and Javert
35	"Drink with Me"	Grantaire, Students, Women, and Marius
36	"Bring Him Home"	Valjean
37	"Dawn of Anguish"	Enjolras and Students
38	"The Second Attack (Death of Gavroche)"	Gavroche, Enjolras, Marius, Valjean, Feuilly, and Students
39	"The Final Battle"	Army Officer, Enjolras, and Students
40	"Dog Eats Dog (The Sewers)"	Thénardier
41	"Soliloquy (Javert's Suicide)"	Javert and Valjean
42	"Turning"	Women of Paris
43	"Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"	Marius
44	"Every Day"	Marius, Cosette, and Valjean
45	"Valjean's Confession"	Marius and Valjean
46	"Wedding Chorale"	Guests, Thénardier, Marius, Madame Thénardier, and Cosette
47	"Beggars at the Feast"	Thénardier and Madame Thénardier
48	"Valjean's Death"	Valjean, Fantine, Cosette, Marius, and Éponine
49	"Finale"	Full Company

Characters

Listed in the order in which they appear.

Character	Voice	Description
Jean Valjean	dramatic tenor	Valjean is released from jail after serving nineteen years (five for stealing a loaf of bread and fourteen for multiple escape attempts). He breaks his parole and changes his identity, becoming the wealthy mayor of a small town. He later adopts Cosette, the daughter of Fantine.
Inspector Javert	bass-baritone or baritone	Respecting the law above all else, Javert relentlessly pursues Valjean, hoping to bring the escaped convict to justice.
The Bishop of Digne	baritone	The bishop houses Valjean after his release from jail and gives him gifts of silver and absolution.
Fantine	mezzo-soprano or alto	A worker who loses her job and becomes a prostitute in order to pay the Thénardiers for the welfare of her daughter. She later dies of a disease.
Bamatabois	baritone or tenor	A young gentleman who tries to buy Fantine's services and is responsible for her arrest.
Fauchelevent	baritone or tenor	In a role reduced from the novel, Fauchelevent appears only in the Cart Crash scene, where he is trapped under the cart and rescued by Valjean. He is an elderly man who has fallen upon hard times.
Young Cosette	treble	The daughter of Fantine, the Thénardiers force eight-year-old Cosette to work.
Madame Thénardier	contralto	Thénardier's unscrupulous wife.
Young Éponine	silent	Eight-year-old Éponine is the pampered daughter of the Thénardiers. She grows up with Cosette and is unkind to her.
Thénardier	baritone or tenor	A second-rate thief, Thénardier runs a small inn.
Gavroche	boy soprano	Gavroche is a streetwise urchin who dies on the barricade helping the revolutionaries.
Enjolras	baritone or tenor	Enjolras leads Marius and the rest of the student revolutionaries.
Marius Pontmercy	tenor	Marius, a student revolutionary, is friends with Éponine, but loves Cosette.
Éponine	mezzo-soprano (can be played by Soprano with solid sound)	Daughter of the Thénardiers, Éponine, now ragged and a waif, secretly loves Marius. She is killed while returning to the barricades to see Marius.
Cosette	soprano	Cosette, the daughter of Fantine, has become beautiful under Valjean's care. She falls in love with Marius, and he returns her love.
Brujon	baritone or tenor	The brutish and cowardly but dissatisfied member of Thénardier's Gang. His role in the musical expands to cover Gueulemer.
Babet	baritone or tenor	A foreboding member of Thénardier's Gang.
Claquesous	baritone or tenor	Quiet and masked, expert at evading the police, Claquesous might in fact be working for the law.
Montparnasse	baritone or tenor	A young member of Thénardier's Gang—a handsome man who wishes to be close to Éponine.
Friends of the ABC	baritone or tenor	Student revolutionaries who lead a revolution and die in the process, becoming martyrs for the rights of citizens. (See Members listed below)
Combeferre	baritone or tenor	The philosopher of the ABC group.
Feuilly	baritone or tenor	Feuilly is the only member of the Friends of the ABC who is not a student; he is a workingman. An optimist who stands as a sort of ambassador for the "outside," while the rest of the men stand for France.
Courfeyrac	baritone or tenor	Friendly and open, Courfeyrac introduces Marius to the ABC society in the novel.
Joly	baritone or tenor	A medical student and a hypochondriac; best friends with Lesgles.
Grantaire	baritone or tenor	Grantaire is a member of the Friends of the ABC. He is the opposite of Enjolras and believes in nothing other than his worship of Enjolras.
Jean Prouvaire	baritone or tenor	Prouvaire is the youngest student member of the Friends.
Lesgles	baritone or tenor	Enjolras' second-in-command. Best friends with Joly.

Major casts

Character	Original French Cast	Original London Cast	Original Broadway Cast	1995 The Dream Cast	2006 Broadway Cast	2010 O2 Arena Cast
Jean Valjean	Maurice Barrier	Colm Wilkinson			Alexander Gemignani, replaced by Drew Sarich	Alfie Boe
Javert	Jean Vallée	Roger Allam	Terrence Mann	Philip Quast	Norm Lewis
Fantine	Rose Laurens	Patti LuPone	Randy Graff	Ruthie Henshall	Daphne Rubin-Vega	Lea Salonga
Thenardier	Yvan Dautin	Alun Armstrong	Leo Burmester	Alun Armstrong	Gary Beach	Matt Lucas
Madame Thenardier	Marie-France Roussel	Susan Jane Tanner	Jennifer Butt	Jenny Galloway
Marius	Gilles Buhlmann	Michael Ball	David Bryant	Michael Ball	Adam Jacobs	Nick Jonas
Eponine	Marianne Mille	Frances Ruffelle		Lea Salonga	Celia Keenan-Bolger	Samantha Barks
Cosette	Fabienne Guyon	Rebecca Caine	Judy Kuhn		Ali Ewoldt	Katie Hall
Enjolras	Christian Ratellin	David Burt	Michael Maguire		Aaron Lazar	Ramin Karimloo

Character differences: novel vs. musical versions

Several discrepancies between the 1,400+ page novel and musical exist. The Bishop has a much bigger role in the novel, taking up many pages. He appears in a single scene at the start of the show. The novel also grants more time to describing Valjean's time in Toulon and what it did to his spirit.

Javert's background is well-described in the novel. Javert faced discrimination as a child; his mother was a gypsy prostitute, his father a thief. The only hints to his back-story in the show come during "The Confrontation" where he sings, "I was born inside a jail, I was raised with scum like you, I am from the gutter, too." In the show his lifelong devotion to justice and the law is the means by which he redeems himself in God's eyes. In the novel, however, Javert is an atheist.

Monsieur and Madame Thénardier are not the humorous, curmudgeonly husband-and-wife they appear to be in "Master of the House". In the novel, they are portrayed as vile, selfish people. Madame Thénardier is referred to as the "Thénardiess", a term more suitable for a hideous female giant. In both versions, however, the Thénardiers' complete lack of morals is obvious.

In the musical, Éponine, while still ragged, has an approachable look and personality, is more ethical, more romanticized, and has been given a more sympathetic depiction. She has a younger sister named Azelma, who is not in the musical. In the epilogue of the novel, Azelma travels with M. Thénardier to America where he becomes a slave owner/trader. His wife had long since died in prison. In the musical, both Thénardiers survive while their only mentioned daughter, Éponine, (and presumably, their legacy) dies. However, in the French Concept album and the original French musical, Azelma is present.

In the novel, Gavroche is Éponine and Azelma's much ignored younger brother and the Thénardiers' eldest son. Although Gavroche appears in the musical, he speaks about the Thénardiers as if he is not related to them at all and it can be assumed that he lives on the streets, seemingly an orphan. The Thénardiers have two other sons, whom they also abandon. Like Azelma, they are cut from the musical.

In the novel, M. Thénardier fought in the Battle of Waterloo, picking gold and bullets off bodies. One barely conscious man believed Monsieur Thénardier had saved his life. This man was Colonel Georges Pontmercy, Marius' father. Marius always spoke of the great man Thénardier who saved his father's life. All this is omitted from the musical, although Thénardier's scavenging from the corpses at Waterloo still gets a mention.

Marius lived with his grandfather, Monsieur Gillenormand, who has a small role in the French Concept version but was later removed. Monsieur Gillenormand, in the novel, was Marius' grandfather and surrogate father.

The Friends of the ABC were an intellectual society, as in the musical. However, some of the boys had love, admiration, and attraction for each other as well as Socratic feelings for their leader Enjolras, most notably Grantaire. Grantaire only attended their meetings because of Enjolras, and ends up executed alongside his hero when the barricade falls. Bahorel, also a member of the ABC society in the novel, is cut from the musical.

Productions

Original French production

French songwriter Alain Boublil had the idea to adapt Victor Hugo's novel into a musical while at a performance of the musical Oliver! 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 pitched the idea to French composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, and the two developed a rough synopsis. They worked up an analysis of each character's mental and emotional state, as well as that of an audience. Schönberg then began to write the music, while Alain Boublil began work on the text. According to Alain 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 with 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 as Fantine, Yvan Dautin as Thénardier, Marie-France Roussel as Mme. Thénardier, Richard Dewitte as Marius, Fabienne Guyon as Cosette, Marie 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 Robert Hossein 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 as Javert, Rose Laurens 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, and Anne Forrez as Mlle. Gillenormand.

Original London production

Les Misérables at Queen's Theatre in London

The English language version, with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and additional material by James Fenton, 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 backstory. Kretzmer's work is 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 first production in English, produced by Cameron Mackintosh and adapted and directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird, opened on 8 October 1985 (five years after the original production) at the Barbican Arts Centre, London. It was billed in the RSC Barbican Theatre programme as "The Royal Shakespeare Company presentation of the RSC/Cameron Mackintosh production", and played to preview performances beginning on 28 September 1985.

The set was designed by John Napier, costumes by Andreane Neofitou and lighting by David Hersey. Musical supervision and orchestrations were by John Cameron, who had been involved with the show since Claude-Michel and Alain 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 Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, Roger Allam as the persistent Inspector Javert, Ken Caswell as the Bishop of Digne, Patti LuPone as Fantine, Zoë Hart and Jayne O'Mahony and Joanne Woodcock as Young Cosette, Danielle Akers and Gillian Brander and Juliette Caton as Young Éponine, Susan Jane Tanner as Madame Thénardier, Alun Armstrong as the villainous but funny rogue Thénardier, Frances Ruffelle as Éponine, Rebecca Caine as Cosette, Michael Ball as Marius, David Burt as Enjolras, and Ian Tucker and Oliver Spencer and Liza Hayden as Gavroche.

On 4 December 1985, the show transferred to the Palace Theatre, London and moved again on 3 April 2004, at a much more intimate Queen's Theatre, with some revisions of staging, where it is still playing. It celebrated its ten-thousandth performance on 5 January 2010. The drummer from the original cast album, Peter Boita, is still with the show—the only remaining original musician.

The co-production has generated valuable income for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

File:New York Imperial Theatre Les Miserables 2003.jpg

Les Misérables in the Imperial Theatre, 2003

Original Broadway production

The musical had its out-of-town tryout at the Kennedy Center's Opera House in Washington D.C., in December 1986 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 and an improved sewer lighting and Javert suicide scene effect was incorporated. Boublil explained: "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 Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, David Bryant as Marius, Judy Kuhn as Cosette, Michael Maguire as Enjolras, Frances Ruffelle as Éponine, Braden Danner as Gavroche, Donna Vivino as Young Cosette, Jennifer Butt as Madame Thénardier, Leo Burmester as Thénardier, Randy Graff as Fantine, Terrence Mann as Javert, Chrissie McDonald as Young Éponine, and Norman Large as the Bishop of Digne.

Other members of the original Broadway cast included: Kevin Marcum, Paul Harman, Anthony Crivello, John Dewar, Joseph Kolinski, Alex Santoriello, Jesse Corti, Susan Goodman, John Norman, Norman Large, Marcus Lovett, Steve Shocket, Cindy Benson, Marcie Shaw, Jane Bodle, Joanna Glushak, Ann Crumb, Kelli James, Gretchen Kingsley-Weihe, Chrissie McDonald. 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, "Sales picked up last October, when Sir Cameron made the announcement that the show would be closing on 15 March...its closure postponed to 18 May 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. More recently, its position fell to the third after The Phantom of the Opera surpassed it.

This Broadway production of Les Misérables and its advertising in New York City is a reoccurring theme in American Psycho. The reviewer for the Financial Times wrote that Les Miserables is "the book's hilarious main cultural compass-point".

2006 Broadway revival

Only three years after the original run closed, Les Misérables began a limited 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 closed third U.S. national touring production, the production was only slightly altered. Minor changes included colourful projections blended into its existing lighting design, and a proscenium that extended out into the first two boxes on either side of the stage.

Some cuts made to the show during its original Broadway run were restored, new lyrics were penned for Gavroche's death scene (known in the revival as "Ten Little Bullets"), and much of the show was re-orchestrated by Christopher Janke, introducing a snare and timpani played by a 14 member band, a reduction of about 10 musicians from the original score's requirement of 23–25.

The original 2006 Broadway revival cast included Alexander Gemignani as Jean Valjean, Norm Lewis as Javert, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Fantine, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Éponine, Aaron Lazar as Enjolras, Adam Jacobs as Marius, Ali Ewoldt as Cosette, Gary Beach as Thénardier, Jenny Galloway as Madame Thénardier, Brian D’Addario and Jacob Levine and Austyn Myers as Gavroche, James Chip Leonard as The Bishop of Digne, Drew Sarich as Grantaire, and Tess Adams and Kylie Liya Goldstein and Carly Rose Sonenclar as Young Cosette/Young Éponine.

Fantine was played by Lea Salonga beginning on 2 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, Drew Sarich took over the role of Jean Valjean, following Alexander Gemignani's departure. On 5 September 2007, it was announced that John Owen-Jones (who played Valjean in London) was to join the Broadway cast. In return, Drew Sarich (the Valjean on Broadway) was joining 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 Lea Salonga, who previously played the role of Éponine.

On 27 September 2007, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo attended the Broadhurst Theatre to watch Lea Salonga in her role as Fantine in Les Misérables. Salonga's cast included Adam Jacobs as Marius and Ali Ewoldt as Cosette. Later that year, the show went temporarily dark because of the Broadway stagehands' strike.

The revival closed on 6 January 2008. Combined with the original production's 6,680 performances, Les Misérables has played 7,176 performances on Broadway.

Concert productions

10th Anniversary Concert

Main article: Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert

On 8 October 1995, the show celebrated its tenth anniversary with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. This Tenth Anniversary Concert was nearly "complete," missing only a handful of scenes, including "The Death of Gavroche" 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. 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 Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, Philip Quast 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, Judy Kuhn as Cosette, Lea Salonga as Éponine, and Anthony Crivello as Grantaire.

25th Anniversary Concert

The 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables was held at The O2 Arena in North Greenwich on Sunday, 3 October 2010 at 1:30 pm and 7:00 pm.

It featured Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, Norm Lewis as Javert, Lea Salonga 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 and Robert Madge as Gavroche. (Originally, Camilla Kerslake had been selected to perform as Cosette, however she was unable to attend. Katie Hall was selected in her place. Hall had previously acted as Cosette at the Queen's Theatre from 2009, and was playing Cosette in the 25th Anniversary Tour production at the Barbican.) Casts of the current London, international tour and original 1985 London productions took part, comprising an ensemble of 300 performers and musicians.

For the encore, four Jean Valjeans sang "Bring Him Home": Colm Wilkinson from the original London cast, John Owen-Jones from the 25th Anniversary touring production, Simon Bowman from the current London cast and Alfie Boe, who sang the role in the concert. The original 1985 cast then led the ensemble in a performance of "One Day More". After speeches from Cameron Mackintosh, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, the performance concluded with students from school productions of Les Misérables entering the arena through the audience and joining the casts for the Finale song.

The evening concert was shown live in cinemas across the UK, Ireland and around the world.

A Blu-ray and DVD version of the O2 broadcast was released on 29 November 2010 in the UK (PAL DVD (Region 2) and Blu-ray). It was released in the US and Canada on DVD and Blu-ray on 22 February 2011.

Other concert performances

The musical has also been performed in concert at Cardiff Castle and several venues in southern England, produced by Earl Carpenter Concerts. A concert version starring Jeff Leyton was also performed at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast. In 1989, a one-night concert performance was performed at SkyDome, Toronto, and the largest concert production attracted an audience of approximately 125,000 as part of the Australia day 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 Globen, Oslo Spektrum, the Helsinki Hartwell Areena, and the Gothenburg Scandinavium, with audiences totalling over 150,000 for the complete tour.

In February 2008, Les Misérables was performed at the Bournemouth International Centre, 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 cast included veteran Les Misérables star J. Mark McVey as Valjean, The Office star Melora Hardin as Fantine, Broadway star and Bowl veteran Brian Stokes Mitchell as Javert, Spring Awakening star Lea Michele as Eponine, 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 with a cast of West End performers—the first time that it had been professionally performed on the Island where Victor Hugo wrote the novel. Former London Valjean Phil Cavill reprised his role alongside Les Misérables veteran Michael McCarthy as Javert. In March 2009, the Guernsey production was remounted at Fort Regent in Jersey; and in July 2009, the musical was performed in concert at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

In November 2004, to celebrate the centennial of the Entente Cordiale The Queen invited the cast of Les Miserables in the West End to perform for French President Jacques Chirac at Windsor Castle. It was the first time the cast of a West End musical had performed at a Royal residence. The cast was the same as in the West End, supplemented by several guest singers and a choir of former performers. Notably the part of Jean Valjean was played by Michael Ball - the original 1985 London and 1995 Dreamcast Marius.

Touring productions

National U.S. tours

The show had three national touring productions in the U.S., all of which shared the Broadway producer and manager, cast, creative teams, 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 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 musicals. 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 seven thousand sixty-one performances. The tour played in one hundred forty-five cities in forty-three states. The same touring company also frequently performed in Canada, and made a diversion in 2002 to visit Shanghai, China for three weeks.

The final company of the Third National Broadway Tour included Randal Keith as Valjean (Keith also played Valjean in the final company of the original Broadway engagement), Robert Hunt as Javert, Joan Almedilla as Fantine, Daniel Bogart as Marius, Norman Large (from Original Broadway Cast) as Monsieur Thénardier, Jennifer Butt (from Original Broadway Cast) as Madame Thénardier, Melissa Lyons as Éponine, Ali Ewoldt as Cosette, Victor Wallace as Enjolras, Meg Guzulescu and Rachel Schier alternating as Young Cosette and Young Éponine, Austyn Myers and Anthony Skillman alternating as Gavroche.

In the fall of 2010, a fourth US tour company embarked on a national tour presented by Broadway Across America to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show. The tour had its opening on 19 November 2010 at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, where it is scheduled for a multi-week run. The tour is scheduled to run through 2011 and is to visit twenty cites across the U.S.

25th Anniversary International Tour

A new tour to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the show began performances on 12 December 2009, at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. Differences from the original production included a new set, new costumes, new direction and alterations to the original orchestrations. The new tour also did not use a revolving stage and the scenery was inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo. Locations have included Manchester, Norwich, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol, Salford, and Southhampton. The tour also played a special engagement in Paris. From September through October, the show returned to the Barbican Centre, London, where the original 1985 production commenced. The tour cast features John Owen-Jones as Valjean, Earl Carpenter as Javert, Gareth Gates as Marius, Ashley Artus as Thénardier, Lynne Wilmot as Madame Thénardier, Madalena Alberto as Fantine, Rosalind James as Éponine, Jon Robyns as Enjolras, Katie Hall as Cosette, and David Lawrence as the Bishop of Digne. The tour ended 2 October 2010, at the Barbican.

International productions

The show has been produced in thirty-eight countries and translated into twenty-one languages (English, French, German (one version from Austria and two from Germany), Spanish (two versions from Spain (Madrid 1992 and 2010), one version each from Argentina and Mexico), Japanese, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian (two versions in Bokmål and Nynorsk), Polish, Swedish (In Sweden and in Finland), Dutch (two from the Netherlands and Belgium), Danish, Finnish, Brazilian Portuguese, Estonian, Czech, Mauritian Creole, Basque, Catalan). Including singles and promos, there have been over sixty-five official recordings from worldwide productions.

Regional productions

The USAREUR Roadside Theater in Heidelberg, Germany hosted the American Community Theater World Premiere of Les Misérables. The premiere took place 11 May 2001 and closed on 10 June 2001. Beginning in 2007, a limited number of regional productions (five in the US, two in Canada) of Les Misérables have been staged. The California Musical Theatre (CMT) (Sacramento, California) in its Music Circus summer series (production ran from 10 July through 22 July 2007) staged the show as theater in the round. Glenn Casale, choreographed by Bob Richard, with music directed by Andrew Bryan, directed the production that featured Ivan Rutherford who gave over one thousand eight hundred performances as Jean Valjean on Broadway as well as performing in the Tenth Anniversary Company.

Other regional productions of Les Misérables include the Pioneer Theatre Company (PTC) of Salt Lake City which was the first regional production. This production ran from 27 April 2007 to 7 July 2007, making it the longest-running production in PTC's history. It was directed by PTC artistic director Charles Morey and brought both William Solo as Jean Valjean and Merwin Foard as Inspector Javert to the PTC re-enacting roles both men played previously on Broadway.

The first independent regional theatre production of the musical in Canada was directed by Linda Moore at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, starring Frank Mackay as Jean Valjean in 1994.

The Thousand Islands Playhouse in Gananoque, Canada, staged a production, which opened 4 July 2008, featured Lee B.Siegel as Valjean, Shane Carty as Javert, Kevin Power as Thénardier, Marcia Tratt as Madame Thénardier, Ramona Gilmour-Darling as Éponine, Ashley Taylor as Cosette, Shannon Barnett as Fantine, Dale R. Miller as Marius, Gabriel Burrafato as Enjolras, and Derrick Paul Miller as the Bishop of Digne. Derrick Paul Miller played the role of Valjean on 22 July, 23 July (matinee), 24 July and 26 July (matinee). It was directed by Greg Wanless, and musical director Sandy Thorburn.

An outdoor production played at The Muny, the nation's oldest and largest outdoor theatre, which seats 12,000 people. The theatre is located in Saint Louis, Missouri. Directed by Fred Hanson, Les Misérables was the final production of the Muny's 89th season, playing 6–15 August 2007. Ivan Rutherford, who was a Valjean in the original Broadway production, reprised his role in the production. Kevin Kern and Diana Kaarina, who played Marius and Éponine in the closing cast of the original Broadway production, reprised their roles.

Another outdoor production was staged at Tuacahn Center for the Arts in Ivins, Utah, and ran June through mid-October 2008.

In September 2008, a mini-tour produced by Atlanta's Theater of the Stars played Eisenhower Hall at the United States Military Academy, in West Point, New York; the Filene Center at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia; Kansas City Starlight Theatre; and the Fox Theater in Atlanta. 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 as Lighting Designer, Peter Fitzgerald and Erich Bechtel as Sound Designers, Zachary Borovay 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!" This production earned Signature the 2009 Regional Theater Tony Award. The production officially opened on 14 December 2008 (after previews from 2 December), and ran through 22 February 2009 (extended from 25 January 2009).

Northern Stage, a regional theatre company in White River Junction, Vermont, also staged a production on a small stage, in December 2008; in their case, it was a three-quarter-thrust stage in a 245-seat house. This production featured Timothy Shew as Jean Valjean, Mary Gutzi as Madame Thénardier and Kevin David Thomas as Marius, all of whom appeared in the Broadway production (where Shew starred as Valjean, Gutzi as Fantine and Thomas as Marius). The production also featured Broadway veterans Dan Sharkey (The Music Man) and David DeWitt (Phantom of the Opera). Northern Stage Artistic Director Brooke Ciardelli directed the production.

In July 2009, the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (CLO) staged Les Misérables as part of their summer show collection.

Les Misérables 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 2 1/2 hours long. 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. The song "Fantine's Death/Confrontation" is edited, removing the signature counter-point duel between Valjean and Javert. "Dog Eats Dog" by Thénardier is heavily truncated, as is "Beggars at the Feast", with the song before it, "Wedding Chorale", being excluded entirely although the rest of the wedding remains in place. Also, the introduction to "Master of the House" is cut completely.

After The King's Theatre, The King's School and Tara Anglican School for Girls, in Sydney, Australia, gained rights for the full production in late 2000 from Cameron Mackintosh to perform the show. Music Theatre International developed a school version, available only to productions with an entirely amateur cast aged under 19. Hundreds of schools worldwide have purchased the rights and staged performances, and it was the best-selling production for high schools in the year 2006.

Holy Trinity Diocesan High School, located in Hicksville, New York, marked the first presentation of the Les Misérables school edition in the U.S.

Film adaptation

Although numerous films of the Les Misérables story have been made, no film adaptation of the stage musical has been produced. A film adaptation has been in development several times since the late 1980s. Alan Parker was reported to be attached to an adaptation at an early stage.

In 1992, Mackintosh announced that the film would be directed by Bruce Beresford and co-produced by Tri-Star Pictures, but this project was abandoned some time later.

The DVD and Blu-ray release of the 25th Anniversary Concert of the show includes an on-screen caption after the final encore: "Coming Soon – Universal Pictures proudly announce the musical motion picture of Les Misérables. A Working Title-Cameron Mackintosh film." Cameron Mackintosh has since stated at a press conference that the foundations for the film are currently being laid.

In March 2011, the press claimed that Tom Hooper was in negotiations to direct the film adaptation of the musical, with script by William Nicholson and to be produced by Mackintosh. These claims have yet to be confirmed.

Cast recordings

English

The following recordings of Les Misérables are available in the English: the Original London Cast, the Original Broadway Cast, the Complete Symphonic Recording, the Tenth Anniversary London Concert, The 25th Anniversary UK Tour Cast and the Twenty-fifth 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 entitled "I Saw Him Once", sung by Cosette, which was later incorporated into the first part of "In My Life".

The cast includes Colm Wilkinson as Valjean, Roger Allam as Javert, Patti LuPone as Fantine, Alun Armstrong as Thénardier, Susan Jane Tanner as Mme. Thénardier, Frances Ruffelle as Éponine, Ian Tucker as Gavroche, Michael Ball as Marius, David Burt as Enjolras, and Rebecca Caine as Cosette.

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 cast includes Colm Wilkinson as Valjean, Terrence Mann as Javert, Randy Graff as Fantine, Leo Burmester as Thénardier, Jennifer Butt as Madame Thénardier, Frances Ruffelle as Éponine, Braden Danner as Gavroche, David Bryant as Marius, Michael Maguire as Enjolras, and Judy Kuhn as Cosette.

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.) 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 1991. The cast includes Gary Morris as Valjean, Philip Quast as Javert, Debra Byrne as Fantine, Gay Soper as Mme. Thénardier, Barry James as Thénardier, Kaho Shimada as Éponine, Michael Ball as Marius, Anthony Warlow as Enjolras, and Tracy Shayne as Cosette.

10th Anniversary Concert

Main article: Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert

The Tenth 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 the 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, this edition omitted certain parts; however, they differed from those missing from the original (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).

The cast includes Colm Wilkinson as Valjean, Philip Quast as Javert, Ruthie Henshall as Fantine, Alun Armstrong as Thénardier, Jenny Galloway as Mme. Thénardier, Lea Salonga as Éponine, Adam Searles as Gavroche, Hannah Chick as Young Cosette, Michael Ball as Marius, Michael Maguire as Enjolras, Judy Kuhn as Cosette and Anthony Crivello as Grantaire.

Manchester Highlights

A five-track album featuring members of the UK national tour was released in 1992 and includes "I Dreamed a Dream" (Ria Jones); "Stars" (Philip Quast); "On My Own" (Meredith Braun); "Bring Him Home" (Jeff Leyton); and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" (Mike Sterling). The version of "Stars" is the same as that on the Complete Symphonic Recording.

25th Anniversary UK Tour Cast

Recorded live at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, this recording was released to commemorate 25 years of 'Les Misérables' in English. This recording featured new arrangements and reinspired orchestrations, and included John Owen-Jones as Valjean, Earl Carpenter as Javert, Madelena Alberto as Fantine, Lynne Wilmot as M. Thenardier, Ashley Artus as Mme. Thenardier, Gareth Gates as Marius, Katie Hall as Cosette, Jon Robyns as Enjolras, and Rosalind James as Eponine.

25th Anniversary Concert

The concert was taped 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 in the United States was 22 February 2011. A CD single of the 'Valjean Quartet' singing "Bring Him Home" was also recorded and released as a CD single with proceeds going to the charity "Tickets For Troops." The cast included Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, Norm Lewis as Javert, Nick Jonas as Marius, Samantha Barks as Eponine, Katie Hall as Cosette, Ramin Karimloo as Enjolras, Lea Salonga as Fantine, Matt Lucas as Monsieur Thénardier and Jenny Galloway as Madame Thénardier.

Other languages

There are also various non-English language cast albums of the musical. Template:Multicol

• 1980 Original French Concept Album
• 1987 Original Israeli Cast
• 1988 Original Hungarian Cast
• 1988 Original Vienna Cast
• 1990 Original Swedish Cast
• 1991 Original Dutch Cast
• 1991 Paris Revival Cast
• 1992 Original Danish Cast
• 1992 Original Czech Cast
• 1993 Original Korean Cast
• 1993 Original Madrid Cast
• 1994 Japanese "Blue" Cast
• 1994 Japanese "Red" Cast

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• 1996 Original Duisburg Cast
• 1996 Swedish Värmland Cast
• 1998 Original Antwerp Cast
• 2003 Japanese "Orange" Cast
• 2003 Japanese "Green" Cast
• 2003 Japanese "Light Blue" Cast
• 2003 Japanese "Violet" Cast
• 2003 Czech Revival Cast
• 2008 Dutch Revival Cast
• 2008 Le Capitole de Quebec Cast
• 2010 Original Polish Cast
• 2010 Madrid Revival Cast
• 2011 Czech Cast

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Awards and nominations

1985 Laurence Olivier Awards

• Best Musical (nomination)
• Best Actor in a Musical – Colm Wilkinson (nomination)
• Best Actor in a Musical – Alun Armstrong (nomination)
• Best Actress in a Musical – Patti LuPone (Winner)

1987 Tony Awards

• Best Musical (Winner)
• Best Book of a Musical (Winner)
• Best Original Score (Winner)
• Best Actor in a Musical – Colm Wilkinson (nomination)
• Best Actor in a Musical – Terrence Mann (nomination)
• Best Featured Actor in a Musical – Michael Maguire (Winner)
• Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Judy Kuhn (nomination)
• Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Frances Ruffelle (Winner)
• Best Direction of a Musical – Trevor Nunn and John Caird (Winner)
• Best Scenic Design (Winner)
• Best Costume Design (nomination)
• Best Lighting Design (Winner)

2008 John Kraaijkamp Musical Awards (Netherlands)

• Best Featuring Actor in a large musical production – Wim van den Driessche (nomination)
• Best Featuring Actor in a large musical production – René van Kooten (Winner)
• Best Supporting Actress in a large musical production – Marjolein Algera (nomination)
• Best Supporting Actor in a large musical production – Jamai Loman (Winner)
• Award for New Talent – Freek Bartels (Winner)
• Best Lighting Design – David Hersey and Richard Pacholski (Winner)
• Best Script – Alain Boublil and Jean- Marc Natel (nomination)

2010 London LifeStyle Awards

• London LifeStyle Award for London Theatre Show of the Year

See also

• Lists of musicals

External links

• ​Les Misérables​ at the Internet Broadway Database
• Cameron Mackintosh: Les Misérables (Worldwide)
• Cameron Mackintosh: Les Misérables (Broadway)
• An Archive of Performers from the Original Broadway Run of Les Mis
• An Archive of Performers from the London Run of Les Mis
• Les Misérables in I Dreamed A Dream: The Susan Boyle Story
• Les Miserables London
• Les Mis 25th Anniversary Production running in Madrid, 2010