Jean Valjeans Raise Funds for Troop Tickets???

In Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil‘s long-running musical Les Miserables, the revolutionaries are pitted against the armed forces, but following a recording of the four Jean Valjeans singing a specially orchestrated version of “Bring Him Home” at the musical’s 25th Anniversary Concert at The O2 in October, those manning the barricades will now help serving troops get free tickets to major sporting, theatrical and cultural events. The single, which was performed by four Valjeans; Alfie Boe who headed the concert cast, Colm Wilkinson who originated the role in the West End and on Broadway, John Owen-Jones who fronted the anniversary production’s national tour and run at the Barbican and Simon Bowman who plays the role at the Queen’s Theatre, goes on sale in shops today (13 December 2010) and was released yesterday on iTunes for 99p. All proceeds from the sale go to Tickets for Troops, a charity established last year to provide members of the armed forces with free tickets from organisations such as The Football Association and The Ryder Cup, giving away over a quarter of a million tickets since its inception. The ‘Valjean quartet’ will also perform “Bring Him Home” on this year’s Royal Variety Performance which is broadcast on BBC1 on 16 December 2010.

This year’s Les Miserables celebrations have also featured highly in the nominations for the 2011 Whatsonstage.com Awards. Owen-Jones is nominated for his performance in the 25th anniversary production at the Barbican, which itself is nominated for Best Musical Revival. The ‘company of companies’ at the O2 is up for the Best Ensemble prize, whilst the concert – and its world-wide cinema broadcast – are nominated for Theatre Event of the Year. To top it all, the long-running Queen’s Theatre production is also nominated for Best West End Show. You can cast your vote for the 2011 Whatsonstage.com Awards at Whatsonstage.com/awards.