Les Misérables

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Introduction to "Les Misérables"

"Les Misérables" premiered in London’s West End at the Barbican Theatre on October 8, 1985, before transferring to the Palace Theatre on December 4, running there until 2004, then moving to the Queen’s Theatre (now Sondheim Theatre) until today. With music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, and a book by Schönberg and Alain Boublil based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel, it’s clocked over 14,000 performances by March 2025, making it the West End’s longest-running musical. Directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird, it starred Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean and Roger Allam as Javert. Revived with a 2019 staged concert and a reimagined production, its anthems like "I Dreamed a Dream" have made it a global phenomenon.

The Creative Team Behind the Show

Claude-Michel Schönberg composed the stirring score, with Herbert Kretzmer’s English lyrics adapted from Boublil’s French bringing Hugo’s prose to life. Boublil and Schönberg’s book distilled the novel’s sprawl into a theatrical epic. Trevor Nunn and John Caird’s direction, paired with John Napier’s iconic barricade design, set a new standard. Colm Wilkinson’s Valjean, Patti LuPone’s original Fantine, and Michael Ball’s Marius launched a legacy, with producers Cameron Mackintosh and the Royal Shakespeare Company fueling its ascent. Later casts Alfie Boe, Ramin Karimloo kept it fresh, while Matt Kinley’s 2019 redesign modernized its look, sustaining its emotional and visual punch.

A Saga of Redemption and Revolution

In 19th-century France, ex-convict Jean Valjean, paroled after 19 years for stealing bread, finds grace through a bishop’s mercy, vowing reform. Pursued by relentless Inspector Javert, he adopts orphaned Cosette, daughter of doomed Fantine. Years later, Cosette loves Marius, a student rebel in the 1832 Paris uprising. Amid barricades, Valjean saves Marius, confronts Javert who suicides in despair and dies redeemed, joined by Fantine’s spirit. Songs like "Do You Hear the People Sing?" and "One Day More" propel this tale of sacrifice, love, and defiance against poverty and tyranny, ending in a transcendent call to hope.

Performance and Reception

The 1985 debut overcame tepid reviews “a witless travesty,” sniffed The Sunday Telegraph to become a word-of-mouth juggernaut, with 3,000+ Palace shows and over 10,000 at the Sondheim by 2025. The Guardian later recanted, hailing its “raw passion.” The 2019 concert, with Ball and Boe, sold out, and the reimagined staging earned five-star raves WhatsOnStage called it “a revitalized triumph.” Critics grew to adore its sweep, audiences its heart over 3 million saw it in London by 2010 alone. Cast recordings topped charts, with Susan Boyle’s "I Dreamed a Dream" a global hit, proving its staying power across decades.

Legacy in West End Theatre

"Les Misérables" redefined musical theatre, its eight 1987 Tonys including Best Musical and three 1985 Oliviers setting a benchmark for epic storytelling, inspiring "Miss Saigon" and beyond. Its 14,000+ West End performances dwarf peers, with a 1995 10th-anniversary concert at Royal Albert Hall and a 2012 Oscar-winning film (Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway) seen by 60 million globally. Staged in 52 countries, translated into 22 languages, it’s reached 130 million worldwide. From Barbican to Sondheim, its barricades still stand a West End colossus of music, morality, and revolution that keeps singing, unbroken, into the future.