Interview: John Owen-Jones Is Trading in His Phantom Mask for a French Flag as LES MISERABLES' Final Valjean

Later this year, Welsh actor John Owen-Jones will sing Jean Valjean's final "Bring Him Home", and this isn't even his first time.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, on March 1, Owen-Jones takes over the role for the duration of the show's Broadway run, which concludes on Sunday, September 4, 2016 at the Imperial Theater (239 West 45th Street). Perhaps best known for his record-breaking turn in The Phantom of the Opera (he is the longest running West End Phantom with almost 2000 performances under his belt), he's literally been here before. Back in 2007, he was a part of the closing cast of the previous Les Miserable revival.

Said Cameron Mackintosh, "I am delighted that Broadway audiences have so enthusiastically embraced Les Miserables in its Broadway return. And having two of the best Valjeans of all-time - Alfie Boe followed by John Owen-Jones - could not be a better way for the show to finish off its final months on Broadway."

Owen-Jones arrived in New York City earlier this week to begin the rehearsal process, and he checked in with BroadwayWorld to chat about his Broadway return. Check out the full interview below!

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How did your first day of rehearsals go?

Surprisingly well, considering I haven't played this part for five years! I was a bit worried, if I'm being honest, about whether I still had it in me. Time goes by and voices change. I sang through the entire show though and I didn't get a single note from the musical director, so I think it's fine so far. I'm quite happy!

That's a good sign!

It's a good start anyway. Everyone is being very supportive, so maybe they're just being quiet and not saying anything yet. [Laughs] I also staged two thirds of Act One yesterday, so maybe by Friday I'll get through the rest of the show!

You already have such a rich history with this show...

Yes! In 2010, it was the 25th anniversary of the show and Cameron [Mackintosh] decided that it would be a good idea to reboot everything. And I was there from the beginning! I was there in rehearsals with Cameron and James Powell and Laurence Conner and Claude-Michel Schonberg. In a way I helped build this show to what it is, so it's really interesting for me to see where it is on the journey now. When I step into it I'll get to see how it's changed and matured.

In fact, I saw this production in Japan last year. Even though it was all in Japanese, I was still emotionally connected to it. I cried at the end! So it's obviously a very effective production if it can do that to you...when you don't even understand what's going on.

This is very much like a full circle moment for you!

And it's the second time that I'll be closing Les Miz on Broadway! So I'm either a good luck charm or a bad luck charm. [Laughs] I can't work out which one.

Did you know that you'd be coming to Broadway for a while now? When did you get that call from Cameron?

It was the 30th anniversary of Les Miz in the West End and so I was asked by Cameron to go and sing in the end for the Valjean quartet [watch!]. So I took a night off at Phantom to go and do it, and during that evening he kinda quietly mentioned to me that they were thinking about this. So of course, I was overjoyed, because it wasn't something that I even entertained the idea of doing. Broadway is so far away! I feel lucky to have been here once. So to get the chance to do it again...yeah, I was very excited. And my wife and kids absolutely love the city, so they are excited to come and join me.

You're coming from Phantom- a part that you have performed a record number of times. You have to even have a certain comfort level with Valjean too. How do keep it fresh and exciting for yourself?

I don't really need to because the audience is different every night. And the actors change. That's one of the beauties of live theatre. I never have to push it to make it interesting. Some actors aren't reactors, and they have to create something different to make it new, when actually all they really have to do is respond to the actor opposite them. Then it's new every night.

I watched some of the show last night and the audience was going crazy. That's enough to keep you going and keep it new every night. One thing that I always try to remember is that there may be people who have seen the show 150 times, but there's always someone in the audience who has never seen it before. That's the person I play to. That's the person I want to get the story across to. It's important that that still happens for people. Then I know I'm doing my job properly.

I've heard that you are singing at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops later this spring!

Yes! That has been on my bucket list. I couldn't believe that when I was asked to do it! When I was asked to do Les Miz, I was like, "I wonder if I'll be able to work out some way of performing at Carnegie Hall... I'll worry about that when I get to New York." Then before I even got on the plane I got an offer. I'm SO excited about doing that because it's one of the most beautiful places in the world to sing. I went to see Bryn Terfel, singing an opera recital there. There were no microphones, the chorus and orchestra were amazing, and you could hear every single word. It was crystal clear. When I sat in the audience I just thought, "I have got to sing here one day."

And doing concerts is a big part of your life right? And you have four solo albums... does that bring you a different kind of satisfaction? Being on stage and just being you?

It does. One of my main inspirations has been Mandy Patinkin. I looked at what he could do on film, TV, concerts, musicals, and I thought, "That's the kind of career I want. I want to be able to mix it up so I never get bored." Even though I've been in long-running shows and done loads of performances, I do other stuff as well.

One of the things about doing albums is that it's all me. It's my artistic statement. So whilst I'm doing musicals and what people expect of me, I can shape things to make people understand me as an artist. I'm not writing my own music, but I am interpreting music in my own way. It's really nice to be able to put that out there and say, "This is me." I'm blessed with a very supportive record company in my home country of Wales. They are very open to my ideas and pretty much let me do what I want. And I get to produce the albums as well! So I'm not just singing- I arrange songs, produce them, sit with my engineer and fix and change things. It's a very satisfying process.

Is this your first time back in New York long-term since the last Les Miz?

When we were here in 2007, it was all cut short. It was an upsetting time, because we got here and the whole excitement of starting a job in New York was taken away when it was announced the day after I arrived that the show was closing. So I did the show, but I kinda treated it as a working holiday. I've been back here on vacation since- my wife and kids love it. This time I'm really looking forward to not just spending time in New York, but to get out of the city. I've got really good friends in Brooklyn and their kids are the same age. So we're gonna spend the weekends going outside of the city.

What are you most looking forward to with this big Broadway run ahead of you?

The audiences, definitely. As I said, I was watching the show last night and they were going crazy. I've kinda missed that. Even though I get that everywhere else, there's just something different about New York audiences. I think that they're determined to have a good time because the tickets cost them so much. [Laughs] So they're really up for a good night out and you really feel that when you're on stage.

But also I'm excited to revisit this show and discover new things. I'm gonna get to work with a lot of really talented people, so I'm looking forward to getting to know them. I couldn't be more excited.

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After training at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, John Owen-Jones, at 26, became the youngest actor ever to play the role of Jean Valjean in the West End production of LES MISERABLES. He is one of a handful of actors to have played the role of Valjean both in the West End and on Broadway (in 2007). John was chosen by Cameron Mackintosh to reprise the role for world premiere of the 25th Anniversary new production of LES MISERABLES in its UK tour in 2010 (the basis for the current Broadway production). John was also part of the Valjean quartet featured in the finale of the LES MISERABLES 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 Arena, London. John comes to Les Miz directly from starring in the original London production of The Phantom of the Opera, where he is the longest-running Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera with nearly 2,000 performances in the role. He was asked to reinterpret the role in the Cameron Mackintosh's new production of the musical for its 25th anniversary UK tour in 2012, making him the only actor to have the opportunity to reinvent Valjean and The Phantom - two of the greatest roles in musical theatre history. He has performed as a soloist in concerts around the world from Bangor to Bangkok. John has released four albums. The independently released 'Hallelujah' (2006) and on the Sain label 'John Owen-Jones' (2009) and 'Unmasked' (2011). His latest album 'Rise' was released on March 2. www.johnowenjones.com.