J. Mark McVey Joins LES MIZ Tour as Valjean in Arizona, 6/7-6/12

Cameron Mackintosh's new 25th anniversary production of Les Misérables welcomes J. Mark McVey to the role of Jean Valjean beginning in Tempe, AZ, at ASU Gammage June 7-12, 2011. The all new production of Les Misérables features glorious new staging and spectacular reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo.  

J. Mark McVey will portray the fugitive Jean Valjean. He will be joined by Andrew Varela as Javert, Betsy Morgan as Fantine, Michael Kostroff as Thénardier, Shawna M. Hamic as Madame Thénardier, Jeremy Hays as Enjolras, Chasten Harmon as Éponine, Justin Scott Brown as Marius and Jenny Latimer as Cosette. Katherine Forrester and Anastasia Korbal alternate in the role of Little Cosette/Young Éponine. Josh Caggiano and Colin DePaula alternate in the role of Gavroche.

The ensemble includes Richard Todd Adams, Richard Barth, Cathryn Basile, Julie Benko, Cole Burden, Briana Carlson-Goodman, Casey Erin Clark, Jason Forbach, Lucia Giannetta, Ian Patrick Gibb, Cooper Grodin, Ben Gunderson, Beth Kirkpatrick, Cornelia Luna, Benjamin Magnuson, Jason Ostrowski, Max Quinlan, John Rapson, Rachel Rincione, Sarah Shahinian, Alan Shaw, Joseph Spieldenner, Joe Tokarz, Aliya Victoriya and Natalie Weiss.

J. Mark McVey (Jean Valjean), a Helen Hays Award-winning actor/singer, made his Broadway debut as Jean Valjean and happily returns to add to his 2900+ performances in Les Misérables. Broadway/Notable: The Who's Tommy, Stairway To Paradise, Hey Love, Show Boat, Chess, Carousel, My Fair Lady. Concerts/ Recordings: "Broadway and Beyond," "If You Really Knew Me," TSO -"Lost Christmas Eve" (Gold Record).

Andrew Varela (Javert) was last seen on Broadway in Sondheim's Sunday In The Park With George (Jules). Other Broadway/National Tours: Little Women (Prof Bhaer); Les Misérables (Jean Valjean); The Phantom of the Opera (Phantom); Cats (Gus/Growltiger); Evita; Disney's King David. Other roles: The Pirate King in Pirates!; Sky in Guys and Dolls; Jud in Oklahoma!; The Prince in The Student Prince.

Betsy Morgan (Fantine). Broadway: Original casts of A Little Night Music (Revival), Little Mermaid, High Fidelity. NY Theatre/Readings/Workshops: Tales of the City, Dangerous Beauty, Addams Family, Prairie, Leap of Faith, Memphis, The Fantasticks, Bernarda Alba (Lincoln Center). TV: "Flight of the Conchords." Originated the role of Leslie Benedict in the Premiere of Giant at Signature Theatre.

Michael Kostroff (Thénardier) is best known for his long-running roles on HBO's "The Wire" and "Disney's Sonny with a Chance." He's guest starred on "Weeds," "Cold Case," "Brothers and Sisters," "West Wing," "ER," "Studio 60," "The Closer" and dozens more. Kostroff toured previously in Les Misérables (Thénardier) and in The Producers, understudying Max Bialystock-a role he's since played all over the country. He's the author of "Letters from Backstage."

Shawna M. Hamic (Madame Thénardier). NY Workshops: The Toymaker, Screams of Kitty Genovese, Glen or Glenda. Regional: Twist (Directed / Choreographed by Debbie Allen), Les Misérables, Ragtime, Hello Dolly, The Molly Maguires, Genesis, My Fair Lady, Mame, Kismet, Once Upon..., H2$, Guys and Dolls (in Macao, China).

Jeremy Hays (Enjolras). Broadway: Les Misérables. National Tour: Cats (Rum Tum Tugger). Regional: Hair (Berger) (American Stage), Les Misérables (TUTS), Camelot (Lancelot) (PA Center Stage).

Chasten Harmon (Éponine). Broadway: Hair. Off-Broadway: Iphigenia 2.0 (dir. by Tina Landau), Signature Theatre; Grind (Clementine), The York Theatre. Regional: Once on this Island (Ti Moune) and All Shook Up (Lorraine), Marriott Theatre; Leader of the Pack, Cape Playhouse. Training from NYU, TSOA.

Justin Scott Brown (Marius) is thrilled to be a part of the new 25th Anniversary production of Les Misérables! National tour: Spring Awakening (1st National). Regional: The Sound of Music, Titanic, Miss Saigon, Les Misérables and others at The MUNY. Favorite roles include Finch/How to Succeed... and Giorgio/Passion. CCM (BFA-2009).

Jenny Latimer (Cosette). National tour debut! Regional credits include: She Loves Me at Westport Country Playhouse, Maury Yeston's Phantom (Christine), The Fantasticks (Luisa), Hamlet (Ophelia), Rabbit Hole (Izzy) and My Fair Lady (Eliza). She studied acting at Brigham Young University and while there received a scholarship to study with the Steppenwolf Theater Company.

The New York Times calls this Les Misérables "an unquestionably spectacular production from start to finish." The London Times hails the new show "a five star hit, astonishingly powerful and as good as the original." The Star-Ledger says "a dynamically re-imagined hit. This Les Misérables has improved with age" and NY1-TV proclaims "this new production actually exceeds the original. The storytelling is clearer, the perspective grittier and the motivations more honest. Musical theatre fans can rejoice: Les Miz is born again."

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 Arena. The O2 Concert was presented in over 500 cinemas throughout the United States on November 17, 2010 and is now available on Blu-ray DVD through Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

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.

Upcoming tour stops include:
Tempe, AZ ASU Gammage June 7-12, 2011
Los Angeles, CA Ahmanson Theatre June 14-July 31, 2011
Portland, OR Keller Theatre August 2-7, 2011
Seattle, WA The 5th Avenue Theatre August 9-27, 2011
Denver, CO Buell Theatre August 30-September 10, 2011
Memphis, TN Orpheum Theatre September 13-18, 2011
Birmingham, AL Birmingham-Jefferson September 20-25, 2011
Washington, DC Kennedy Center September 28-October 30, 2011
Providence, RI PPAC November 1-6, 2011
Toledo, OH Stranahan Theatre November 8-13, 2011
Appleton, WI Fox Cities PAC November 15-20, 2011
Dayton, OH Schuster Center November 22-27, 2011
Grand Rapids, MI DeVos Hall November 29-December 4, 2011
Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre December 6-18, 2011
Dallas, TX AT&T PAC December 20, 2011-January 1, 2012

For more information on the production, a list of additional tour cities and for a video preview, visit www.LesMis.com.