The renowned stage production of Les Misérables is set to celebrates its 30th anniversary tonight, with a special show performed at its current home; Queen’s Theatre.
The show, whose current cast includes Peter Lockyer as Jean Valjean, will see numbers of previous cast members return to the stage tonight, including Colm Wilkinson and Frances Ruffelle, who originated the roles of Jean Valjean and Eponine respectively. Proceeds from tonight’s performance will go towards Save the Children’s Syria appeal.
Although many special guests are invited to be present at the performance tonight, over 40% of the attendees will be members of the general public. These tickets were given out in a lottery style format, which producer Cameron Mackintosh said was the fairest way to get these tickets out to the fans.
On the show’s 25th anniversary, a concert version of the play was held at the O2, with cast members including Alfie Boe, Nick Jonas, Matt Lucas and Samantha Barks. This made history, as it meant that for the first time ever, a musical was running simultaneously at three different venues in London.
Les Misérables first debuted at the Barbican Theatre on 8th October 1985, and has since become the West End’s longest running musical – overtaking the previous record set by Cats in 2006. It has been seen by nearly 70 million people worldwide, and translated into 22 languages, with new productions still being discussed.
It is often considered as one of the world’s best musicals, as Victor Hugo’s poignant story combined with Boublil and Schonberg’s iconic score is still moving audiences 30 years on.
Les Misérables can be seen at the Queen’s Theatre in London. Watch the show’s trailer below.
