Les Misérables
Les Misérables, commonly known as Les Mis or Les Miz, is, especially in terms of international renown, the most famous of all French musicals.It is based on the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Since its Paris debut in 1980, it has become one of the most famous and most widely performed of all musicals. Its lush and beautiful Tony award-winning score offers such classic songs as "I Dreamed a Dream", "Bring Him Home", "One Day More", and the ballad "On My Own."
"Les Mis" tells the story of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his attempts to start a new life and make the world a better place. The musical was written by the composer Claude-Michel Schonberg and the librettist Alain Boublil, and opened in September 1980 at the Palais des Sports in Paris for a projected eight-week season - it ran for sixteen weeks, closing only because the venue was already committed to other projects after that point. In 1982, English producer Cameron Mackintosh began work on an English language version, with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. The first English production, produced by Mackintosh and directed by Trevor Nunn, opened on October 8, 1985, in the Barbican Theatre, London before moving first to the Palace Theatre and later to the Queen's Theatre. The Broadway production that opened in 1987 was nominated for twelve Tony Awards and won eight, including Best Musical and Best Original Score, and ran until 2003; at the time of its closing it was the second-longest running show in the history of Broadway (after Cats) and is now the third longest-running show. A fully re-orchestrated production is soon to re-open at the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway.
"Les Mis" came first in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals" in June 2005 receiving more than 40% of the votes cast. On 8 October 2006, the show celebrated its 21st anniversary and became London's longest-running musical - overtaking Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats. The show - which is presently playing at London's Queen's Theatre - is currently booking to December 2007.
In The News:
REVIEW: Les Misérables, Mayflower, Southampton, until Saturday, September 11.
How fantastic for us first-timers finally to see what all the fuss is about. Les Mis warrants all the hype and more.
Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:33:09 -0700
Les Miserables at The Mayflower
EVERY superlative in the English dictionary must have been used to describe Les Miserables over the years, but the 25th anniversary production is just about as close to musical theatre perfection as you are ever likely to encounter.
Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:06:32 -0700
LAST NIGHT'S REVIEW: Les Miserables at The Mayflower
Les Miserables, The Mayflower, Southampton.
Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:21:32 -0700
3 Les Miserables Tickets O2 Arena 3/10
3 tickets to see the 25th Anniversary performance of Les Miserables at the O2 Arena in London. 6pm Evening Performance, Sunday 3rd October Block 102, Row L - terrific seats! Tickets are IN HAND and can be collected from Norwich area in return of cash or cleared cheque payment.
Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:32:30 -0700
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