Photo Flash: First Look at the World Premiere of THE BRAILLE LEGACY

Olivier Award nominated Jérôme Pradon, whose West End credits include the UK premiere of the musical "Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown", Guillaume in "Martin Guerre", The Man in "Whistle Down the Wind", Aragorn in "The Lord of the Rings" musical, Chris in "Miss Saigon" and Javert in "Les Misérables" in London and Marius in Paris, as well as Judas in the Emmy-winning video of Jesus Christ Superstar, heads the cast of "The Braille Legacy", a musical that tells the thrilling, true, inspirational and epic story of Louis Braille, a young blind boy who wanted the same chance in life as those who see and ended up improving the lives of millions of blind people around the world.

It will run at Charing Cross Theatre from Monday 10 April to Saturday 24 June.

Acclaimed director Thom Southerland ("Ragtime", "Titanic", "Grey Gardens") is to direct the world première of a major new musical, "The Braille Legacy".

The world première production was announced on Wednesday January 4, World Braille Day, which is celebrated annually on the birthday of Braille inventor, Louis Braille. It recognises the contributions he made in helping blind and visually impaired people to read and write. The word Braille is famous around the world and is the same in all languages. "The Braille Legacy" is supported by the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

"The Braille Legacy" has an original French Book and Lyrics by Sébastien Lancrenon, Music by Jean-Baptiste Saudray, with an English translation by Ranjit Bolt. Music Supervision and Orchestrations are by Simon Lee.

"The Braille Legacy" is the story of a revolution and an heroic fight for independence, with the themes of difference, freedom, hope and love and the triumph of human values over adversity.

In Paris in the 19th century, blind people were victims of profound discrimination. Louis Braille, a bright young mind with a mad dream, arrives at the Royal Institute of Blind Youth, searching for the same chance as everyone else: to be free and independent. But he soon discovers that people and things aren't always what they first seem. By sheer determination and courage he stumbles upon something revolutionary: a simple idea, a genius invention, a legacy. Two hundred years ago, Louis Braille changed the world by inventing the tactile system of communication, the Braille alphabet, liberating the "People of the Night" and introducing literacy, knowledge and culture to a people who were otherwise trapped. It was their journey into the light.

Photo credit: Scott Rylander

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