LES MISERABLES Will Return to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in February

Casting for Cameron Mackintosh's acclaimed production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's Tony Award®-winning musical phenomenon, LES MISÉRABLES, has been announced for its much anticipated Sarasota engagement at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, direct from a celebrated two-and-a-half year Broadway engagement. The show opens on Wednesday, February 26 and runs through Sunday, March 1 with eight performances.

With glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, this breathtaking production of LES MISÉRABLES, which broke box office records during its pre-Broadway tour, has left both audiences and critics awestruck, cheering "Les Miz is born again!" (NY1).

Cameron Mackintosh said, "I'm delighted that after a four-year absence this glorious production is once again touring the major cities across North America and is more spectacular than ever."

Patrick Dunn portrays the fugitive 'Jean Valjean.' He is joined by Preston Truman Boyd as 'Javert,' Jimmy Smagula as 'Thénardier,' Michelle Dowdy as 'Madame Thénardier,' Mary Kate Moore as 'Fantine,' Matt Shingledecker as 'Enjolras,' Phoenix Best as 'Éponine,' Joshua Grosso as 'Marius' and Jillian Butler as 'Cosette.' Emily Jewel Hoder and Kayla Teruel alternate in the role of 'Little Cosette/Young Éponine.' Parker Dzuba and Patrick Scott McDermott alternate in the role of 'Gavroche.'

The ensemble includes John Ambrosino, Felipe Barbosa Bombonato, Sarah Cetrulo, Olivia Dei Cicchi, Brent Comer, Kelsey DeNae, Jillian Gray, Matt Hill, Monté J. Howell, Stavros Koumbaros, Andrew Love, Andrew Maughan, Maggie Elizabeth May, Darrell Morris, Jr., Bree Murphy, Domonique Paton, Tim Quartier, Erin Ramirez, Julia Ellen Richardson, Patrick Rooney, Brett Stoelker, Quinn Titcomb, Kyle Timson and Christopher Viljoen.

Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, LES MISÉRABLES tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption - a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Featuring one of the greatest scores of all time, with thrilling and beloved songs including "I Dreamed A Dream," "On My Own," "Stars," "Bring Him Home," "One Day More," "Do You Hear the People Sing" and many more, this epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history. Along with the Oscar-winning movie version, it has now been seen by more than 130 million people in 44 countries and in 22 languages around the globe. LES MISÉRABLES is still the world's most popular musical, breaking box office records everywhere in its 35th year.

Cameron Mackintosh's 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, additional material by James Fenton and original adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. The original LES MISÉRABLES orchestrations are by John Cameron with new orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke, Stephen Metcalfe and Stephen Brooker. 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 Christine Rowland, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter, musical staging by Michael Ashcroft and Geoffrey Garratt and projections by Fifty-Nine Productions. Music Supervision is by Stephen Brooker and James Moore, with casting by Kaitlin Shaw for Tara Rubin Casting.

Produced on stage by Cameron Mackintosh, LES MISÉRABLES is the world's longest running musical now in its 35th year in London. The movie version was also produced by Mackintosh (along with Working Title and Universal) and it became the most successful movie ever of an original stage musical.

The original production of LES MISÉRABLES, co-produced by Cameron Mackintosh and the RSC, opened at the Barbican Theatre, London, on October 8, 1985 and subsequently transferred to the Palace Theatre in December a few weeks later and after 18 years moved to the Queen's Theatre in 2004 where it continued to play to sell-out business. Due to urgent major rebuilding and restoration that was needed at the Queen's theatre (due to bomb damage from World War II) the original production closed in July 2019. The run of LES MISÉRABLES continued its record-breaking run next door in a spectacular sellout staged concert at the Gielgud Theatre before the new production reopened in December 2019 at the newly restored Sondheim Theatre, formerly known as the Queen's, which has been renamed in honor of Cameron Mackintosh's great friend, theatrical legend Stephen Sondheim, whose innovative work has transformed musical theatre around the world.

The original Broadway production of LES MISÉRABLES 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 original 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.

The new production was conceived in 2009 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary, with record-breaking productions in the U.K., Australia, Japan, Korea, France, Spain, Dubai, Manila, Singapore, Brazil and Mexico. The North American Tour traveled across the U.S. for two years then played a five-month engagement in Toronto before returning to the Imperial Theatre on Broadway in March 2014 for over 1,000 performances. The new production is currently playing to sold out houses across North America and on tour in the U.K.

To date, LES MISÉRABLES remains the 6th longest-running Broadway production of all time.