Cameron Mackintosh announced the casting of his highly acclaimed new 25th anniversary production of Les Misérables making its United States premiere at Paper Mill Playhouse prior to a major US National Tour. The all new production of Les Misérables features glorious new staging and spectacular reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo.
Lawrence Clayton will portray the fugitive Jean Valjean. He will be joined by
Andrew Varela as Javert,
Michael Kostroff as Thénardier,
Shawna Hamic as Madame Thénardier,
Betsy Morgan as Fantine,
Jeremy Hays as Enjolras,
Chasten Harmon as Eponine,
Justin Scott Brown as Marius and Jenny Latimer as Cosette. Katherine Forrester and Anastasia Danielle Korbal alternate in the role of Young Cosette. The actors alternating in the role of Gavroche will be announced at a later date.
The ensemble includes
Richard Todd Adams,
Richard Barth,
Cathryn Basile,
Julie Benko,
Cole Burden,
Briana Carlson-Goodman,
Casey Erin Clark,
Jon Fletcher,
Jason Forbach, Lucia Gianetta, Ian Patrick Gibb, Cooper David Grodin, Ben Gunderson, Cornelia Luna,
Benjamin Magnuson,
Jason Ostrowski, John Rapson, Rachel Rincione,
Heather Jane Rolff,
Sarah Shahinian, Alan Shaw,
Joseph Spieldenner, and
Natalie Weiss.
Due to popular demand, Les Misérables will now play at
Paper Mill Playhouse November 19 through December 30, 2010, adding 12 performances. Les Misérables will play the following performance schedule: Wednesdays at 7:00PM, Thursdays at 1:30PM & 7:00PM, Fridays at 7:00PM, Saturdays at 1:30PM & 7:00PM and Sundays at 1:30PM & 7:00PM. (Extension weeks have a alternate schedule. Check
Paper Mill Playhouse's website for more information regarding the extension.) Single tickets are now on sale and range in price from $25 to $92. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973-376-4343, or at the Paper Mill Box Office on Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at
Paper Mill Playhouse's brand new website: www.papermill.org.
Paper Mill Playhouse gift cards, available in any denomination, can be purchased at the
Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and
American Express accepted. Groups of ten or more can receive up to a 25% discount or more on tickets and should call 973-379-3636, extension 2438.
Paper Mill Playhouse's premiere of Les Misérables is generously supported by a gift from the Ferolito Family.
For more information, please visit;
www.papermill.org or
www.lesmis.com.
The London Times hails the new production "a five star hit, astonishingly powerful and as good as the original." The Guardian proclaims "a rousing, entertaining evening of spectacular theatre." Musical Stages says "the new orchestrations, direction, staging and lighting tell the story in a stimulating and refreshing new way that enables us all to dream a new dream and take us on a new adventure that we cannot fail to enjoy." The Daily Telegraph says, "sheer passion, pace, overwhelmingly moving, with many moments that send shivers of excitement racing down the spine. You emerge feeling stirred and exhilarated." The Daily Express says "
Victor Hugo's novel is spellbindingly brought back to life" and the London Evening Standard says "a handsome and moving new staging."
"I'm delighted that 25 years after Les Miz originally opened in London the audience for this marvelous show is bigger and younger than ever before," said producer
Cameron Mackintosh. "Over the years I have seen many successful but visually different productions, so it has been exciting to draw inspiration from the brilliant drawings and paintings of
Victor Hugo himself, Integrated with spectacular projections. The new Les Miz is a magnificent mix of dazzling images and epic staging, driving one of the greatest musical stories ever told."
Based on
Victor Hugo's classic novel, Les Misérables is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit. The magnificent score of Les Misérables includes the classic songs "I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," "Stars," "Bring Him Home," "Do You Hear the People Sing?," "One Day More," "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," "Master Of The House" and many more.
Cameron Mackintosh's new production of Boublil and Schönberg's Les Misérables has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by
Herbert Kretzmer from the original French text by
Alain Boublil and
Jean-Marc Natel and additional material by
James Fenton. The production is directed by Laurence Connor and
James Powell, designed by
Matt Kinley inspired by the paintings of
Victor Hugo with costumes by
Andreane Neofitou and additional costumes by
Christine Rowlands, lighting by
Paule Constable and sound by
Mick Potter.
Les Misérables originally opened in London at the
Barbican Theatre on October 8, 1985, transferred to the Palace Theatre on December 4, 1985 and moved to its current home at the
Queen's Theatre on April 3, 2004 where it continues to play to packed houses. When Les Misérables celebrated its 21st London birthday on October 8, 2006, it became the World's Longest-Running Musical, surpassing the record previously held by Cats in London's West End.
In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the legendary musical Les Misérables made theatrical history with an international first - three different productions in London at the same time. The Original Production, (still playing to packed houses at the
Queen's Theatre), the acclaimed New 25th Anniversary Production at the Barbican (where the show originally premiered) and a celebratory concert at The O2. The O2 Concert will be presented in cinemas throughout the United States in November.
The Broadway production of Les Misérables originally opened at the Broadway Theatre on March 12, 1987 and transferred to the Imperial Theatre on October 17, 1990 running for 6,680 performances. The US National Tour began in November 1987 and visited over 150 cities before closing in St. Louis, MO in 2006. Broadway audiences welcomed Les Miz back to New York on November 9, 2006 where the show played the Broadhurst Theatre until its final performance on January 6, 2008. To date, Les Misérables remains the 3rd longest-running Broadway production of all time.
Seen by nearly 60 million people worldwide in 42 countries and in 21 languages, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world's most popular musicals ever written, with new productions continually opening around the globe, with seven more currently scheduled. There have been 36 cast recordings of Les Misérables, including the multi-platinum London cast recording, the Grammy Award-winning Broadway cast and complete symphonic albums and the soon to be released live recording of the New 25th Anniversary Production. The video of the 10th Anniversary Royal
Albert Hall Gala Concert has sold millions of copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling musical videos ever in the UK. There are over 2,500 productions of the Les Misérables School's Edition scheduled or being performed by over 125,000 school children in the UK, US and Australia, making it the most successful musical ever produced in schools.
Cameron Mackintosh is currently developing a film of Les Misérables with
Working Title and Universal.
The new 25th anniversary production of Les Misérables will play the following cities and theatres:
Millburn, NJ
Paper Mill Playhouse November 19-December 30, 2010
Philadelphia, PA Kimmel Center January 4-16, 2011
Fort Lauderdale, FL Broward Center January 18-30, 2011
Baltimore, MD Hippodrome March 1-6, 2011
Louisville, KY Kentucky Center March 8-13, 2011
Columbus, OH Ohio Theatre March 15-20, 2011
Detroit, MI Fisher Theatre March 22-April 3, 2011
Cleveland, OH Palace Theatre/PlayhouseSquare April 5-17, 2011
Milwaukee, WI Marcus Center April 19-24, 2011
Omaha, NE Orpheum Theater April 26-May 1, 2011
Fayetteville, AR Walton Arts Center May 3-8, 2011
Madison, WI Overture Center May 10-15, 2011
Nashville, TN TPAC May 17-22, 2011
Salt Lake City, UT Capitol Theatre May 25-June 5, 2011
Tempe, AZ Gammage Auditorium June 7-12, 2011
Los Angeles, CA Ahmanson June 14-July 31, 2011
Portland, OR Keller Auditorium August 2-7, 2011
Denver, CO The Buell theatre August 31-September 4, 2011
Birmingham, AL BJCC Concert Hall September 20-25, 2011
Additional cities will be announced at a later date. For more information on the production, please visit www.lesmis.com.
