Gareth Gates Joins West End's LES MIZ

According to report by Whatsonstage.com, Gareth Gates will join the cast of the West End production of LES MISERABLES at the Queens Theatre. Gates will replace Alistair Brammer as Marius from October 18-November 20, and then January 31-June 18.

No newcomer to the role, Gates played Marius in the 25th anniversary tour of te show. He has also appeared on teevision in Pop Idol, and recently starred in the West End production of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT.

Additional cast members for the production include: simon bowman (Jean Valjean), Norm Lewis (Javert), Lucie Jones (Cosette), Rebecca Seale (Fantine), Martin Ball (Thenardier), Lorraine Bruce (Madame Thenardier) and Killian Donnelly (Enjolras).

"LES MISÉRABLES" originally opened in London at the Barbican Theatre on 8 October 1985, transferred to the Palace Theatre on 4 December 1985 and moved to its current home at theQueen's Theatre on 3 April 2004. When "LES MISÉRABLES" celebrated its 21st London birthday on 8 October 2006, it became the World's Longest Running Musical, surpassing the record previously held by "Cats" in London's West End. In January 2010, the West End production broke another record by celebrating its historic 10,000th performances.

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.

Cameron Mackintosh's production of "LES MISÉRABLES" is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel and additional material by James Fenton. The original London 1985 production of "LES MISÉRABLES" was adapted and directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird.