Cameron Mackintosh presents a brand new production of Boublil & Schonberg's legendary musical, Les Miserables, with glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo. This new production that has been acclaimed by critics, fans and new audiences and is breaking box office records around the country is now coming to Broadway.
LES MISERABLES has returned to Broadway's Imperial Theatre in an acclaimed new production that has audiences leaping to their feet. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, LES MIZ is an unforgettable story of heartbreak, passion, and the resilience of the human spirit, that has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history.
Featuring the timeless score and beloved songs "I Dreamed A Dream," "Bring Him Home," "One Day More," and "On My Own," this breathtaking new Broadway production has left the critics awestruck, hailing it "A LES MIZ FOR THE 21st CENTURY!" (The Huffington Post)
The revelation is Ramin Karimloo, an Iranian-born Canadian who is well known in London but makes his Broadway debut here. As Jean Valjean, the petty criminal turned respected citizen still on the run from the law, Karimloo projects a masculine authority that cannily reveals hidden pockets of vulnerability. He's blessed with matinee-idol looks and a crystalline tenor that pierces the back rows of the Imperial Theatre. With apologies to Hugh Jackman, his may be the best sung, best acted Valjean I've ever seen. Will Swenson (Priscilla Queen of the Desert) has never sounded better as the by-the-book Inspector Javert, who has been chasing Valjean for decades, though his performance at times edges toward the bombastic...The rest of the cast is mostly solid...In [Karimloo's] solos, 'Who Am I?' and particularly 'Bring Him Home,' not only does he inject each phrase with feeling and musicality but he fully embodies the message of the song. There's not a gesture, not a head bob out of place. At the end of the day, he brings the most luster to this stirring revival.
Despite that running time, this reboot feels faster, grittier, gloomier and, above all, more emphatic than ever, which is saying something for a show that was always an unrelenting assault on the tear ducts...Ramin Karimloo has been celebrated for his musical theater performances in London, but his Broadway debut has been a long time coming and he doesn't disappoint. His Jean Valjean has the brawn and the brooding demeanor of a man who has endured two decades of incarcerated hard labor on minor charges. But he also brings the requisite spiritual elevation of the transformed Valjean, without forcing the victimized character's saintliness...Sure, there's no disguising the Cliffs Notes feel of the adaptation. The storytelling is so compacted that plot points whiz by like blurred subway stops on an express train, making this less a narrative than a machine...But the inbuilt emotional sensations of the show are what matter. Judging by the vocal crowd response when favorite characters appear (even the plucky urchin Gavroche gets screaming entrance applause), or when the first bars of one of the endlessly refrained key musical motifs are heard, story is no longer the point. This critic-proof production will likely speak loudest to young audiences coming to it onstage relatively fresh - not those of us who have been anesthetized by 30 years of over-exposure. And maybe that's just as it should be.
1985 | West End |
Original London Production West End |
1987 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1987 | US Tour |
1st National Tour US Tour |
1988 | US Tour |
2nd National Tour US Tour |
2006 | Broadway |
Return Engagement [Broadway] Broadway |
2010 | US Tour |
25th Anniversary Production US Tour |
2014 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2017 | US Tour |
Revival National Tour US Tour |
2021 | West End |
West End Staged Concert Revival West End |
2021 | West End |
West End Revival West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | James Powell |
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Laurence Connor |
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Caissie Levy |
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Leading Actor in a Musical | Ramin Karimloo |
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Lighting Design | Paule Constable |
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Orchestrations | Christopher Jahnke |
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Orchestrations | Stephen Metcalfe |
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Orchestrations | Stephen Brooker |
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Scenic Design | Matt Kinley |
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Sound Design of a Musical | Mick Potter |
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Les Miserables |
2014 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Ramin Karimloo |
2014 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Les Miserables |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | James Powell |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Laurence Connor |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical) | Paule Constable |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Les Miserables |
2014 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance | Ramin Karimloo |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Ramin Karimloo |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Cameron Mackintosh |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Les Miserables |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Musical | Mick Potter |
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