WOS TV: Mackintosh & Co Mark Les Mis Birthday
Today (8 October 2010) is the 25th anniversary of Les Miserables, the record-breaking musical that has been seen by over 56
million people worldwide in 42 countries and in 21 languages.
To mark the occasion, our partners at Reelkandi have put together an exclusive montage of unseen interviews with company members involved in the spectacular concerts at the O2 Arena last Sunday, including producer Cameron Mackintosh…
It has been a busy week for the 1985 original cast of Les Miserables who appeared on stage at The O2 on Sunday night alongside Cameron Mackintosh as part of the “company of companies”. The Daily Mail also reports this morning that the original creative team of Trevor Nunn and John Caird will be honoured at a dinner with members of the original cast at
a party at Joe Allen’s restaurant in Covent Garden.
The show 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 its current home the Queen’s
on 3 April 2004. On its 21st birthday in 2006, it surpassed Cats as the West End’s
longest-running musical.
The cast of The O2 company was led by Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, Nick
Jonas as Marius, Norm Lewis as Javert, Matt Lucas as Thenardier,
Lea Salonga as Fantine, Jenny Galloway as Madame Thenardier, Katie
Hall as Cosette, Ramin Karimloo as Enjolras and Samantha Barks as
Eponine, joined by the casts of the West End production, the 25th
anniversary production (which finished its homecoming season at the
Barbican on Saturday) and members of the original 1985 London company.
