Barbican Theatre News

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, December 23, 2012 - Sunday, December 23, 2012.

In an interview with the New York Post, LES MISERABLES star Hugh Jackman confirmed that director Cameron Mackintosh has approached him for a potential movie adaptation of MISS SAIGON. Jackman said he has never seen the musical but is 'all for it.'

In an interview with the New York Post, Hugh Jackman commented on the possibility of a forthcoming Miss Saigon movie adaptation saying, 'I hope 'Les Miserables' leads to more movie musicals - but, selfishly, only if I can be in them!' Read the full interview here, in which he discusses reading Victor Hugo's epic of a novel to prep for the film, his first experience seeing Les Mis on stage, Cameron Mackintosh's request for Jackman to play 'Javert' on stage, working with Joan Lader, the difficulties of singing 'Bring Him Home' for the movie, Anne Hathaway and more!

Just days before the Christmas release of Tom Hooper's Les Miserables film adaptation, Rebecca Caine, who originated the role of 'Cosette' in the stage musical in 1985, appeared on 'Context with Lorna' to talk about why Les Miserables has such an effect on those who see it. Click below to watch the interview!

Getting ready for the Les Miserables movie Christmas Day premiere, star Anne Hathaway brings you her rendition of 'Feliz Navidad'. Watch below!

With the US debut of the LES MISERABLES movie just days away, a new trailer featuring the song 'On My Own', sung by Samantha Barks as 'Eponine', has just been released! Click below to watch!

As we move into the last days of December, we asked our team of reviewers to give us their highlights - and lowlights - of 2012. Here are the thoughts of two of our team - Jenny Antill and Becky Brewis!

Christmas Day 2012 marks the biggest and best day of the year for many Broadway babies around the world, but the anticipatory fervor has little to do with the man with the beard in red and white from the North Pole - you see, the guy in question in this equation is more apt to be seen in red and black and his origins are decidedly a bit more Gallic than Jolly Old St. Nick. The man whom I speak of is, of course, Jean Valjean, the protagonist of Victor Hugo's spellbinding 1862 historical epic LES MISERABLES, a novel which was subsequently adapted into a 1980 concert spectacular and ultimately a 1985 full-fledged stage musical, painstakingly developed through the shepherding of uber producer Cameron Mackintosh, alongside the talents responsible for breathing song into the story - original French composer/lyricist team Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil (along with Jean-Marc Natel), to whom Mackintosh added English lyricist Herbert Kretzmer (and also contributor James Fenton). Through a special partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company, LES MISERABLES: THE MUSICAL premiered at the Barbican Theatre in the West End soon thereafter under the direction of Trevor Nunn and John Caird and opened to largely negative reviews, albeit ecstatic, ebullient audiences. Broadway was next, where it went on to win Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Actor, Best Featured Actress & Actor and even more (eight total). LES MISERABLES onstage was a hit like few others from then on and the rest, ze say, is history - or, in this case, l'histoire. Yet, on Christmas Day, the next step in the evolution of the worldwide phenomenon commonly and colloquially known as LES MIZ will occur - just days after the Mayan-predicted end of days, no less - and the movie musical adaptation of the stage show will finally become a reality, featuring an all-star cast comprised of Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Aaron Tveit, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, among others. The time has come to hear the people sing onscreen at long, long last. But, first, how is the film?

While many MIZ-heads may have assumed the film adaptation of their beloved musical would never actually come to fruition, here it really is, all too soon available for all to see - lo, more than twenty years after it was first announced byway of an official promo ad in a tour souvenir going as far back as the late-1980s. I was lucky enough to catch an advance screening during the dawning days of December and many small moments, full musical sequences and my first impressions themselves have filled me with a certain kind of inexpressible enrapturing ecstasy heretofore inexperienced, coming as a direct result, no doubt, of the sheer force of power the film exacts in its relentless, barreling, blazingly bravado-bedecked style - a style, I can firmly say, is completely unique in movie history. LES MISERABLES is a lot of things, but, first and foremost, it is that which it is unlike that makes it most remarkable of all; that is: it is unlike any movie musical ever made. And, it is a masterpiece.

In the clip below, original Valjean, Colm Wilkinson, chats about taking on the role of the Bishop, working with Hugh Jackman, and more!

Insane Clown Posse's Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope comment on the trailer for the highly anticipated film adaptation of LES MISERABLES, which hits theaters Christmas Day. Click below to watch!

LES MISERABLES might not open in movie theatres for another week, but accoridng to Fandango, the movie is the company's #1 advance ticket-seller among all Christmas Day releases, surpassing its previous record-holder, 2009's "Sherlock Holmes,' and the #1 advance ticket-seller among movie musicals, surpassing the previous record-holder, 2006's "Dreamgirls."

LES MISERABLES might not open in movie theatres until Christmas day, but that doesn't mean you have to wait another week for another sneak peek. Check out a clip of original Valjean, Colm Wilkinson, as the Bishop in the clip below!

The highly anticipated film version of LES MISERABLES doesn't hit theaters for another week, but producer Cameron Mackintosh may already have his eye on another movie musical.

LES MISERABLES might not open in movie theatres until Christmas day, but that doesn't mean you have to wait another week for a sneak peek. Check out 'One Day More' from the movie below!

In Amanda Seyfried's latest visit to ELLEN, she talked about her special birthday gift from Les Miserables film co-star Hugh Jackman: a lap dance. Watch the interview clip below!

Under the direction of Tom Hooper, the Les Miserables film stars Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, Anne Hathaway as Fantine, Eddie Redmayne as Marius and Amanda Seyfried as Cosette. The cast sat down and talked preperations, working as part of an ensemble and more after a pre-screening at LA's Writer's Guild Theater. Hear what they had to say below!

LES MISERABLES might not open in movie theatres until Christmas day, but you need not wait that long to get the inside scoop on the highly anticipated new film. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was invited to chat with Eddie Redmayne, who stars as 'Marius,' about his history with director Tom Hooper, his obsession with the role of 'Gavroche,' and so much more!

BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was invited to chat with producer Cameron Mackintosh about the cast's amazing vocal ability, the decision to have them sing live on set, and so much more!

LES MISERABLES might not open in movie theatres until Christmas day, but you need not wait that long to get the inside scoop on the highly anticipated new film. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was invited to chat with producer Eric Fellner about adapting the musical for film, persuing director Tom Hooper, finding an all-star dream cast, and so much more! Check out the full interview below!