LES MISÉRABLES Comes to the Kennedy Center, Closes 10/30

Les Misérables made its pre-Broadway premiere at the Kennedy Center in December 1986, and now Cameron Mackintosh's new 25th anniversary production of Boublil and Schönberg's Les Misérables will close in the Kennedy Center Opera House on October 30, 2011. Featuring glorious new staging and spectacular reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, the production is directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer from the original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel. 

J. Mark McVey portrays the fugitive Jean Valjean. He is joined by Andrew Varela as Javert, Richard Vida 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. Maya Jade Frank and Juliana Simone alternate in the role of Little Cosette/Young Éponine. Colin DePaula and Ethan Paul Khusidman alternate in the role of Gavroche.

The ensemble includes Richard Todd Adams, Richard Barth, Natalie Beck, Cole Burden, Casey Erin Clark, Jason Forbach, Lucia Giannetta, Ian Patrick Gibb, Ben Gunderson, Siri Howard, Beth Kirkpatrick, Cornelia Luna, Kylie McVey, Jason Ostrowski, Max Quinlan, John Rapson, Rachel Rincione, Sarah Shahinian, Hannah Shankman, Alan Shaw, Joseph Spieldenner, Joe Tokarz, Eric Van Tielen, Natalie Weiss, and James Zannelli.

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

"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."

The production features 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 and additional orchestrations by Stephen Metcalfe and Stephen Brooker. The production is 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, sound by Mick Potter, musical staging by Michael Ashcroft, and projections by Fifty-Nine Productions.

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.

Following its pre-Broadway premiere at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. from December 1986 to February 1987, the 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 U.S. 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 U.K. 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 U.K., U.S., 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.

For more information on Les Misérables, and for a video preview, please visit www.LesMis.com.

TICKET INFORMATION
Performances of Les Misérables will run September 28 to October 30, 2011 in the Opera House evenings at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 1:30 p.m. Additional matinee performances will take place on October 5 and 26 at 1:30 p.m. There is no evening performance on October 30. Tickets are on sale and start at $39. Purchases can be made in-person at the box office, online, or by calling (202) 467-4600 or (800) 444-1324. Subscription packages are available for purchase by calling (202) 416-8500 or by visiting kennedy-center.org.