Reunion of Les Miserables Canadian Casts Planned for June 2010

A reunion is being planned for this summer to reunite all the Canadians who have taken part in various productions of the Broadway smash-hit Les Miserables over the years.

Les Miserables is arguably one of the most well known and renowned musicals of all time. The third longest running show on Broadway (it closed May 18th, 2003 after 6,680 performances) and the longest show in the West End (recently celebrated its' 21st Anniversary and has topped 9,500 performances) Les Miserables is a special piece of musical theatre that has touched the hearts of many people around the globe.

The hugely popular musical was nominated for twelve Tony Awards and won eight, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Adapted from Victor Hugo's famous novel, the musical was composed in 1980 by French composer Claude-Michel Schonberg, with libretto by Alain Boubil and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. The show tells the story of a group of characters in 19th century France who deal with various trials and tribulations as they struggle for redemption and equality in a cruel world. At the centre of the story is Jean Valjean, a convict who spends his life trying to find the good and right way to live while being pursued by Javert, an officer of the law who feels Valjean must be brought to justice for breaking parole. Many other characters and stories flow through the musical, including one of a woman and her young daughter Cosette, whose image is now famous from being on the posters and marketing of all the Les Miserables promotional material.

The musical has been performed all over the world. There have been 56 professional companies and productions have played in 38 countries and 223 cities. The show has been translated into 21 different languages and no matter where it goes, it seems to be received with the same warmth and appreciation that it was originally graced with when it first opened at the Barbican Theatre in London in 1985.

The Canadian productions of Les Miserables have been extremely successful. The first one was launched in 1989 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre and was produced by Mirvish Productions. When that production closed the company toured the country with stops in Calgary; Vancouver; Montreal (bilingual cast); Winnipeg; Ottawa; Edmonton; Hamilton; Honolulu, HI; and Regina. When the show left Toronto there was an outcry so strong that it returned after the tour, with much of the original cast still intact. Over the years Toronto would see many productions of Les Miserables including National Tours and a very successful return engagement with Colm Wilkinson reprising the role of Jean Valjean (which he played in the Original London and Broadway Cast).

Vivianne Cowley is a stagehand who worked with the final company of the Canadian Cast of Les Miserables during its run at the Royal Alex, and it was she who first came up with the idea of attempting a reunion.

Vivianne was working on Ross Petty's Robin Hood during the Christmas Season and was reunited with Dan Chameroy, who was part of the Original Canadian Cast. Dan met and fell in love with his wife Christine during the Canadian run of Les Miserables, and they have stayed in touch ever since. Vivianne and Dan were surprised to realize it had been a full twenty years since Les Mis first took the stage at the Royal Alex, and so reunion plans were put into place. The Canadian theatre scene is vibrant and diverse but in many ways it is also very much like a family, very friendly and helpful. The response was immediate with many people interested in becoming involved.

At this point BWW decided to lend a hand in spreading the word, in an attempt to ensure they are able to reach as many people as possible. Vivianne tells funny stories of flubbed lines ("It's the same as the tart as it is the toaster" from "Lovely Ladies" comes to mind), Saturday nights in a basement "green room" and cordless drills left behind on stage. It becomes clear very quickly what a fun and tight knit group the cast was.

So a date was set and a Facebook group created, and now it is just a matter of spreading the word to everyone who was ever a part of the Canadian Les Miserables family. BWW will be on hand to report on the success of the event, which no doubt will have a wonderful turn-out and be a great tribute to a fantastic and dearly loved musical.

If you would like more details, or are an alumni looking to get involved, please contact me directly through the site or visit the Facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/event.php?eid=241760204271&index=1

The reunion is scheduled for June 7th, 2010, with venue and additional details still pending.

For more information on Les Miserables, please visit the official website of the production at http://www.lesmis.com/

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