Cameron Mackintosh Talks LES MISERABLES Revival

In an article posted on today's Variety, Les Miserables producer Cameron Mackintosh offers his view on whether the hit 2012 big screen adaptation of the iconic stage musical will have an effect on the success of the highly-anticipated Broadway revival, beginning previews next week.

"There was a point during the life of 'Les Miz' when I thought maybe a fabulous end is something to think about," Mackintosh said. "But then a few things happened."

Firstly was the unexpected Susan Boyle global phenomenom. Video of the singer's performance of 'I Dreamed a Dream' on "Britain's Got Talent" went viral overnight and sparked renewed interest in the classic Les Mis song.

Next came the launch of the 25th anniversary tour, featuring a new staging of the show, from a new creative team of directors and designers. Premiering with a 2009 UK tour, the new production quickly came to the U.S. in 2010, along with an anniversary concert featuring a host of stars.

According to Mackintosh, all of these events contributed to a new momentum to the sales of the original West End production, which had been playing at the Queens Theater since 2004. "On the West End, we didn't get as big a box office lift from the 'Les Miz' film as 'Phantom' did, because 'Phantom' hadn't already had the benefit of things like Susan Boyle and the 'Les Miz' tour," Mackintosh said. "The 'Les Miz' movie did us good, but we were already at a very high level at the Queens."

Read the story in full here

Cameron Mackintosh's acclaimed new production of Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schönberg's Tony Award-winning musical masterpiece Les Miserables begins previews on Broadway tomorrow, Saturday, March 1 at the Imperial Theatre. The official opening night for Les Miserables is Sunday, March 23.

The cast of the new LES MIZ features Ramin Karimloo (West End and Toronto star of Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies in London) as Jean Valjean; Will Swenson (Tony Award-nominated star of Broadway's Hair and Priscilla Queen of the Desert) as Javert;Caissie Levy (West End and Broadway star of Ghost and Hair and Elphaba in Broadway's Wicked) as Fantine; Nikki M. James (Tony Award winner for The Book of Mormon) as Eponine; Andy Mientus (who captured the hearts of TV viewers with his portrayal of Kyle Bishop on the NBC series "Smash") as Marius; Samantha Hill (Christine in The Phantom of the Opera) as Cosette; acclaimed Canadian actor Cliff Saunders (The 39 Steps) as Thenardier; Tony Award-nominee Keala Settle (Hands on a Hardbody) as Madame Thenardier and Kyle Scatliffe (the West End production of The Scottsboro Boys) as the revolutionary Enjolras.

The LES MIZ ensemble includes Erin Clemons, Joshua Colley, Emily Cramer, Natalie Charle Ellis, Jason Forbach,Heidi Giberson, Nathaniel Hackmann, Mia Sinclair Jenness, Andrew Kober, Gaten Matarazzo, Chris McCarrell,Melissa Mitchell, Dennis Moench, Adam Monley, Betsy Morgan, Angeli Negron, Melissa O'Neil, Max Quinlan, John Rapson, Terance Reddick, Arbender Robinson, Christianne Tisdale, Mckayla Twiggs and Aaron Walpole. The swings are Cathryn Basile, John Brink, Ben Gunderson, Weston Wells Olson and Rachel Rincoine.

This newly re-imagined Les Miserables, which grossed over $160 million in its recent two and a half year American tour, and recently broke box office records, receiving rave reviews and capacity crowds with the Canadian production at the Princess of Wales in Toronto starring Ramin Karimloo.

International productions of the new Les Miserables have met with equal success and acclaim in the U.K., France, Spain, Japan and Korea and will open soon in Australia. This new version of Les Miserables, which premiered in the U.K. in 2009, inspired filmmakers to make the immensely successful Oscar/Golden Globe/BAFTA-winning movie.

Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel, Les Miserables is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit. The magnificent score 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.

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