BWW TV: Les Miz at the Bowl Grand Finale Performance

Well, here it is folks ... the LES MIZ finale - footage from the Opening Night performance at The Hollywood Bowl.From the overwhelming e-mail response we've received re: the LES MIZ pieces on BWW, we know it was clearly worth the trip to the West Coast to bring you comprehensive coverage.

We must also thank everyone at The Hollywood Bowl for being so gracious to us. What we witnessed while we were there was simply amazing. With a TOTAL Sellout on Saturday Night and NEAR Sellouts on Friday and Saturday, 45, 000 + people witnessed a magnificent staging with BIG SCREEN focus on one of the greatest musicals of all time. It looked like a glorious painting with glorious voices and performances and beautiful cool California evenings.

The world's most beloved musical came to the famed Hollywood Bowl in an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime, staged concert adaptation, directed by Richard Jay-Alexander. This unique production came about by a very special agreement that The Hollywood Bowl has made with Music Theatre International and Cameron Mackintosh, the musical world's most successful Producer. It boasted an all star cast featuring Broadway's J. Mark McVey as "Jean Valjean"; Brian Stokes Mitchell as "Javert"; John Lloyd Young as "Marius", Lea Michele as "Eponine", Melora Hardin as "Fantine", Michael McCormick as "Thenardier", Tom Lowe as "Enjolras", Michele Maika as "Cosette" and Ruth Williamson as "Madame Thenardier".

Performing in the cast were Barbara Chiofalo, Natalie Daradich, Travis Davidson, Joshua Finkel, Stephen Full, Julie Garnye, Joel Gelman, Sue Goodman, Daniel Guzman, Wayne Hu, Jennifer Naimo, Steve Mazurek, Lesley McKinnel, Weston Wells Olson, Ethan Le Phong, Patrick Reese, Eddy Rioseco, Tristan Rumery, Allyson Tucker, and Darlene Williams along with students Sergio Pasquarielo, Frankie Kane Kraft, Anton M. Garsola, Andrew Karl and Christopher Karl.

The concert celebrated the timeless tale of passion and redemption and the glorious Claude-Michel Schonberg / Alain Boublil score of Les Miserables as it has never seen or heard it before and undoubtedly never will again. This concert adaptation of the eight-time Tony Award-winning musical featured the 55 member Hollywood Bowl Orchestra conducted by Kevin Stites. The production also featured local high school students, adding a dash of home-grown talent. During this one-of-a-kind production, audiences were transported to post-Revolutionary France while basking in the beautiful California night.

You could hear a pin drop in the cavernous and historic venue.During J. Mark McVey's stunning 'Bring Him Home" it seemed even the crickets were chirping in tune. Each night received a spontaneous standing ovation and the cheers were deafening.There were also plenty of famous people in the audience - Marc Cherry, David Warren, Kristin Chenoweth, Jay Landers, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Adam Shenkman, Setevn Sater, Andreas Carlsson, Michele Lee, Priscilla Pointer, Michael Gill, Nick Allott, Steve Schnepp, Richard Salfas, Loni Anderson, ex-Gavroches - Andrew Leeds & Rider Strong, Joe Benincasa from The Actors' Fund, Philip S. Birsh of PLAYBILL, Emmy-winning writer Jeffrey Richman, Bruce Glikas, Scott Mauro, Billy Masters, Dan Guerrero, Sam Harris .... and many more. It was the L.A. summer Event to remember! Enjoy the footage.

Video shot by Anthony Smiljkovich and Edited by E. Matthew Cady