BWW:UK understands that the row over royalties for the Les Miserables original cast recording has now been resolved - and the cast will be receiving their royalties in the future!
Sources tell us that direct negotiations between First Night Records and cast members has resulted in an agreement that the cast will continue to receive payments from their work, as initially agreed.
Cast members were, unsurprisingly, delighted. Michael Ball, the original Marius, tweeted on Tuesday afternoon: "John Craig and First Night Records behave with magnanimity and class. Told you. Good feelings to all."
Rebecca Caine, the original Cosette, tweeted: "It's not very much money but it means so much to us for many reasons..."
BWW:UK have been told by several sources close to the original cast that they see their royalty payments as an ongoing acknowledgement of their involvement in and input to the show's creation through the workshopping process.
These payments are generally in three figures, but sources say that this has been boosted in recent years thanks to Susan Boyle's performance of I Dreamed A Dream on Britain's Got Talent and also the hype around the 25th anniversary concerts and the forthcoming Les Miserables movie.
As we reported on Saturday, the problem arose due to different interpretations of a clause in the original contract; and since then, Equity responded to the accusations from First Night Records that the initial contract was "silly".
Equity have responded to the news with this statement to BWW:UK: "We are delighted that First Night Records has agreed to reinstate the royalty payments to the performers in the original cast recording of Les Miserables. Equity is now in touch with the BPI – the UK record industry body – about industry-wide talks about a new contract."
