Samantha Barks to return to Les Misérables in the West End for one week

Samantha Barks will spend a week in Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre next month.

Barks, recently announced for the arena tour this summer, will appear for eight performances only as Fantine from 18 to 23 May. Martha Kirby will be returning to the show from 25 May.

Also in the show are Ian McIntosh as Jean Valjean, Sam Oladeinde as Javert, Harry Hepple as Thénardier, Lizzie Bea as Madame Thénardier, Thiago Phillip Felizardo as Marius, WhatsOnStage Award nominee Jess Folley as Éponine, Izzi Levine as Cosette and Joe Griffiths-Brown as Enjolras.

Barks said: “Returning to Les Misérables in the West End feels like a true full-circle moment. Sixteen years ago, I first stepped into Éponine’s shoes, with so much still to learn. Now, I return with a deeper understanding of the story and its heart, to take on Fantine— I always wanted to return one day as Fantine, and it feels even more meaningful in this chapter of my life as a mother.

“This show has shaped so much of my journey, both on stage and on screen, and I’m incredibly grateful to revisit it with fresh perspective. London is where it all began for me, and to be back here telling this story again is incredibly special for me.”

The company is completed by Hollie Aires, Hazel Baldwin, Ella May Carter, Nicholas Carter, Matthew Dale, Irfan Damani, Lily De-La-Haye, Lila Falce-Bass, Sophie-May Feek, Jessica Johns-Parsons, Seán Keany, Chris Kiely, Sam Kipling, Mia Lamb, Sarah Lark, Ollie Llewelyn-Williams, Matthew McConnell, Aaron-Jade Morgan, Adam Pearce, William Pennington, Jordan Simon Pollard, Lewis Renninson, Danielle Rose, Georgia Tapp, Noah Thallon, Imaan Victoria, Danny Whelan and Ollie Wray.

Written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, the show is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. Mackintosh’s production has orchestrations by Stephen Metcalfe, Christopher Jahnke and Stephen Brooker with original orchestrations by John Cameron. The production is directed by James Powell and Laurence Connor, designed by Matt Kinley inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo with costumes by Andreane Neofitou, Christine Rowland and Paul Wills, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter, projections realised by Finn Ross and Fifty Nine Productions, musical staging by Geoffrey Garratt, and music supervision by Stephen Brooker and Alfonso Casado Trigo.

It has music by Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, additional material by James Fenton and adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird.

The production recently extended its run by a further seven months to March 2027, with tickets on sale now.