 | | Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean | |
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Alfie Boe Revisits Les Mis in West End, Jun 2011Date: 26 November 2010 Tenor Alfie Boe, one of the stars of last month's special anniversary Les Miserables concerts at the O2 Arena, will, as previously tipped, revisit the role of Jean Valjean in the West End next year.
According to the Daily Mail, Boe will take over the role at the Queen's theatre "in early June for a six-month run". And producer Cameron Mackintosh has hinted that the opera star will also play the role in a forthcoming big-screen adaptation of the long-running Boublil and Schonberg musical.
Speaking to the Mail's Baz Bamigboye, Mackintosh said: "Alfie was a revelation in the O2 concert and I believe he has the kind of sound we’ll need for the movie. What doesn’t work is shrieking theatre voices ... The strength of Jean Valjean comes through the fitness of his voice. It’s thrilling and incredibly powerful."
Boe, who only became a professional singer after being overheard singing while polishing a car, won a Tony Award for his performance in Baz Lurhmann's Broadway production of La boheme in 2006. His other credits include Kismet, The Merry Widow and The Pearl Fishers for English National Opera.
Les Miserables had its world premiere at the Barbican on 8 October 1985. Based on Victor Hugo's classic humanitarian novel set in 19th-century revolutionary France, the musical has a book by Alain Boublil, music by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. After its premiere at the Barbican, the landmark Royal Shakespeare Company production, adapted and directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird and designed by John Napier, transferred, care of Cameron Mackintosh, to the West End’s Palace Theatre where it ran for 18 years and over 7,500 performances before moving down the road to the Queen’s on 3 April 2004. - by Theo Bosanquet Related Content| Internal Links |  | Video: Les Mis flash mob crusades at St Pancras - 15th May 2013 tv |  | Shows extend: Jersey Boys, Viva Forever! & Les Miserables - 5th Mar 2013 news |  | Les Miserables film breaks UK box office record - 16th Jan 2013 news |  | Musicals Extend: Les Mis, Phantom & Wicked - 1st Oct 2012 news |  | Les Mis film cast share details of 'groundbreaking' shoot? - 20th Sep 2012 gossip |  | Photos: Alexandra Burke performs at Les Miserables for Children in Need - 19th Sep 2012 photos |  | Burke, Blue & Halliwell join West End casts for Children in Need - 16th Aug 2012 news |  | Sierra Boggess joins cast of Les Mis? - 15th Jun 2012 gossip |  | Danielle Hope is new Les Mis Eponine, Tam Mutu plays Javert - 9th Mar 2012 news |  | Cast: Shannon & Rauch play Jean Valjean, new Jersey Boys - 14th Feb 2012 news |  | Will more of original Les Mis cast join Ruffelle & Wilkinson on big screen? - 27th Jan 2012 gossip |  | Phantom Star Ramin Karimloo Tours Solo Show in May - 29th Dec 2011 news |  | Brief Encounter With ... Alfie Boe - 7th Nov 2011 interviews |  | Karimloo Stars as Jean Valjean in Les Mis, from 29 Nov - 27th Oct 2011 news |  | Les Mis Mutters, Pilbrow Praised - 12th Sep 2011 blog |  | Photos: Tenor Trumps Les Mis In West End Tug of War - 14th Jul 2011 news |  | Tenor & Les Mis Battle In West End Tug of War??? - 13th Jul 2011 gossip |  | 1st Night Photos: New Les Mis Cast, Boe & Lucas - 24th Jun 2011 photos |  | Alfie Boe 'Bored Stiff' When He Watches Opera??? - 7th Jun 2011 gossip |  | Musicals Cast: Full Les Mis, Trafalgar Betwixt! - 31st May 2011 news |  | Cast: Wilkes Chicago, Sheen Fantine, Union Fings - 5th May 2011 news |  | Boss Blog: The Lure of the Longrunner - & Other Tourist Tales - 29th Mar 2011 blog |  | Longrunners Extend: WWRY, Mousetrap, Les Mis - 21st Mar 2011 news |  | Mackintosh Makes Acting Debut with Lucas & Boe??? - 2nd Mar 2011 gossip |  | Alfie Boe & Matt Lucas Confirm for Les Mis, 23 Jun - 23rd Feb 2011 news |  | WOS Radio: Edward Seckerson Talks to Alfie Boe - 20th Dec 2010 radio |  | Jean Valjeans Raise Funds for Troop Tickets??? - 13th Dec 2010 gossip |  | Musicals Cast: Falls, Love Story, Gates Les Mis - 14th Oct 2010 news |  | WOS Blog: Les Mis Celebrates In Style at The O2 - 4th Oct 2010 features |  | Photos: Les Mis Company of Companies for 25th - 4th Oct 2010 photos |  | WOS TV: Les Miserables Marks Epic 25th Birthday - 4th Oct 2010 tv |  | Artist Seeks Likeness in Les Mis Cast??? - 1st Oct 2010 gossip |  | Final Tickets for Les Mis at The O2, Tube Strikes - 1st Oct 2010 news |  | Les Mis at O2 Broadcast to Cinemas, NT Expands - 29th Sep 2010 news |  | Who Would Have Dreamed? Les Mis Hits 25 - 13th Sep 2010 features |  | Extensions: Sheridan Smith's Elle, Boheme & Mis - 26th Aug 2010 news |  | One Day More for Les Mis Celebrations??? - 14th Jul 2010 gossip |  | Nunn Sparks Row Over Anniversary Les Mis Tour - 30th Jun 2010 news |  | Photos: Jonas Brothers Cause a Stir at Les Mis - 22nd Jun 2010 news |  | Les Mis Has 25th at O2 with Lucas, Boe & Salonga - 2nd Jun 2010 news |  | Cast: Nick Jonas Joins Les Mis, Quinn Gets Dirty - 28th May 2010 news |  | Mackintosh Slashes May Musical Prices by 45% - 14th May 2010 news |  | Les Mis Tour Visits Barbican for 25th Anniversary - 15th Mar 2010 news |  | Les Mis Marks 25th Birthday with Major New Tour - 16th Jun 2009 news |  | - 1st Sep 2000 green+room |  | Les Miserables   - 1st Nov 1997 reviews | External Links |  | Daily Mail article |

Reader Comments
| Comment | Date | | Loud and unengaging - Su Mitchell | 23 Dec 11 |
| | Saw Les Mis last night (23 June 2011) to see opening night at Queens theatre. Saw original production on third night.
This new cast and orchestra are right up there with the original! Will write more shortly. However...
Alfie Boe - extraordinary! Bring him home is the best ever... as good as Calum!
Hadley Fraser - have not seen a Javert so strong, and opposite Boe, extraordinary! Stars was the best i have ever heard! Right up there with Philip Quast! but probably better...
Katy Secombe -so funny and so glad that Matt Lucas could keep up with her!
Craig Mather - without a doubt the best Marius i have seen...
Liam Tamne - quite brilliant...
Lisa-Anne Wood - delightful!
Alexia Khadime - wow!
Caroline Sheen - you just got better and better... hearing "I dreamed a dream" sung by you made you understand why Britain has talent...
Words cannot express the atmosphere last night... this was up there with the great Les Mis performances and left the O2 standing... and the RHH 10th...
Let me end on the orchestra... brilliant! - Iain | 25 Jun 11 |
| | Oh please!
I have worked on Les Mis for 4 years at the palace theatre. Alfie Boe voice is brilliant. Hope he gets cast! - Paulo | 16 Dec 10 |
| | I'd be quite dissapointed if Boe was cast as Valjean in a film adaptation. Don't get me wrong I saw him live at the 25th Anniversary Concert and he sang the role tremendously, but with his opera background I found his acting to be weak. To me John Owen-Jones is the perfect movie Valjean; he inhabits the role and sings it beautifully.
Although I'm sure Cameron Mackintosh didn't mean to sound disrespectful to musical theatre actors, for whom it's known he has a great deal of respect (after all without them he wouldn't be where he is today, and he cast as many of them as possible in the 25th Anniversary Concert) I struggle to understand why he thinks an opera voice would be more suitable than a musical theatre voice, considering opera voices are even more theatrical than musical theatre voices. I know Mackintosh likes to be the 'hands-on' producer but whilst that's OK for musical theatre in which he has years of experience, he is less experienced in film and I think it may be savvy of him to hand over the creative reins to an experienced film-maker. - GWH123 | 27 Nov 10 |
| | I agree with Millie. What's wrong with having people who have actually played roles in Les Mis for a good number of years, instead of being stunt casted in association with the 25th Anniversary Concert. I prefer the 10th Anniversary Concert for that exact reason. - Jess | 26 Nov 10 |
| | 'shrieking theatre voices'?!!!! What an insult to those who have played brilliantly in Les Mis over the years :( Does this mean we won't have 'proper' singers for the film? :( - Millie | 26 Nov 10 |
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