The premiere Detroit engagement of Cameron Mackintosh's new 25th anniversary production of Les Misérables will be at the Fisher Theatre, thru April 3. The all new production of Les Misérables features glorious new staging and spectacular reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo. Tickets go on sale this Sunday, December 5 at the Fisher Theatre box office from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 1-800-982-2787, and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.broadwayindetroit.com.
Lawrence Clayton will portray the fugitive Jean Valjean. He will be joined by Andrew Varela as Javert, Michael Kostroff as Thénardier, Shawna M. Hamic as Madame Thénardier, Betsy Morgan as Fantine, 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. 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 Giannetta, Ian Patrick Gibb, Cooper Grodin, Ben Gunderson, Cornelia Luna, Benjamin Magnuson, Jason Ostrowski, John Rapson, Rachel Rincione, Heather Jane Rolff, Sarah Shahinian, Alan Shaw, Joseph Spieldenner, Joe Tokarz, Aliya Victoriya and Natalie Weiss.
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 Arena. The O2 Concert was presented in over 500 cinemas throughout the United States on November 17, 2010.
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.
Performance times for Les Misérables, appearing March 22 - April 3, 2011 at the Fisher Theatre, located at 3011 W. Grand Blvd., in Detroit, are:
- Tuesday through Saturday evening performances at 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday matinee performances at 2:00 p.m.
- Sunday evening performances at 7:30 p.m.
Ticket prices for the Detroit engagement of Les Misérables start at $39.00 (inclusive of parking and facility fee) and will go on sale this Sunday, December 5 at the Fisher Theatre box office from
11 a.m. - 4 p.m. and at all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets will also be available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.BroadwayInDetroit.com, and by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-982-2787. Limited premium seats are available at the box office only. For group sales (12 or more) please call (313) 871-1132 or email groups@broadwayindetroit.com. For additional information, call (313) 872-1000 or visit www.BroadwayinDetroit.com.
The Detroit engagement of Les Misérables is sponsored by your Southeastern Michigan Lincoln Mercury dealers.
For more information, please visit www.BroadwayInDetroit.com. For additional production information and a video preview, please visit www.LesMis.com.
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