LES MISÉRABLES 25th Anniversary Tour Celebrates 500 Performances, 2/12

Cameron Mackintosh's new 25^th anniversary production of Les Misérables will celebrate its 500^thperformance this Sunday, February 12, during the 2PM matinee at the Straz Center in Tampa, FL.  The all new production of Les Misérables began performances on November 19, 2011 at the Paper Mill Playhouse and features glorious new staging and spectacular reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo. For more information on the production, engagement dates, and locations please visit www.LesMis.com. For a video sneak peek of the New 25^th Anniversary Production of Les Misérables, please visit www.LesMis.com/watch.

Limited tickets are still available for the Tampa engagement and may be purchased by calling 813.229.STAR (7827) or 800.955.1045 outside Tampa Bay, in person at the Straz Center Ticket Office or online at www.strazcenter.org.

J. Mark McVey portrays the fugitive Jean Valjean.  He is joined by Andrew Varela as Javert, Richard Vida as Thénardier, Shawna M. Hamic as Madame Thénardier, Betsy Morgan as Fantine, Jeremy Hays as Enjolras, Chasten Harmon as Éponine, Max Quinlan as Marius and Julie Benko as Cosette.  Kylie McVey and Juliana Simone alternate in the role of Little Cosette/Young Éponine. Anthony Pierini and Sam Poon alternate in the role of Gavroche. 

The ensemble includes Richard Todd Adams, Richard Barth, Natalie Beck, Casey Erin Clark, Jason Forbach, Ian Patrick Gibb, Ben Gunderson, Siri Howard, Beth Kirkpatrick, Cornelia Luna, Nadine Malouf, Jordan Nichols, Weston Wells Olson, Jason Ostrowski, John Rapson, Rachel Rincione, Heather Jane Rolff, Hannah Shankman, Alan Shaw, Mavis Simpson-Ernst, Joseph Spieldenner, Joe Tokarz, Eric Van Tielen, Natalie Weiss and James Zannelli.

Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel, Les Misérables is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit.  The magnificent score of Les Misérables includes the classic songs "I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," "Stars," "Bring Him Home," "Do You Hear the People Sing?," "One Day More," "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," "Master Of The House" and many more. 

Cameron Mackintosh's new production of Boublil and Schönberg's Les Misérables has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer from the original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, additional material by James Fenton and original adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. The original Les Misérables orchestrations are by John Cameron with new orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke and additional orchestrations by Stephen Metcalfe and Stephen Brooker.  The production is directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, designed by Matt Kinley inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo with costumes by Andreane Neofitou and additional costumes by Christine Rowlands, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter, musical staging by Michael Ashcroft and projections by Fifty-Nine Productions.  

Les Misérables originally opened in London at the Barbican Theatre on October 8, 1985, transferred to the Palace Theatre on December 4, 1985 and moved to its current home at the Queen's Theatre on April 3, 2004 where it continues to play to packed houses. When Les Misérables celebrated its 21^stLondon birthday on October 8, 2006, it became the World's Longest-Running Musical, surpassing the record previously held by Cats in London's West End.

In celebration of its 25^th anniversary, the legendary musical Les Misérables made theatrical history with an international first - three different productions in London at the same time. The Original Production (still playing to packed houses at the Queen's Theatre), the acclaimed New 25^th Anniversary Production at the Barbican (where the show originally premiered) and a celebratory concert at The O2 Arena.  The O2 Concert was presented in over 500 cinemas throughout the United States on November 17, 2010 and is now available on Blu-ray DVD through Universal Studios Home Entertainment. 

The Broadway production of Les Misérables originally opened at the Broadway Theatre on March 12, 1987 and transferred to the Imperial Theatre on October 17, 1990 running for 6,680 performances.  The US National Tour began in November 1987 and visited over 150 cities before closing in St. Louis, MO in 2006.  Broadway audiences welcomed Les Miz back to New York on November 9, 2006 where the show played the Broadhurst Theatre until its final performance on January 6, 2008. To date, Les Misérables remains the 3^rd longest-running Broadway production of all time. 

Seen by nearly 60 million people worldwide in 42 countries and in 21 languages, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world's most popular musicals ever written, with new productions continually opening around the globe, with seven more currently scheduled. There have been 36 cast recordings ofLes Misérables, including the multi-platinum London cast recording, the Grammy Award-winning Broadway cast and complete symphonic albums and the soon to be released live recording of the New 25^th Anniversary Production. The video of the 10^th Anniversary Royal Albert Hall Gala Concert has sold millions of copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling musical videos ever in the UK. There are over 2,500 productions of the Les Misérables School's Edition scheduled or being performed by over 125,000 school children in the UK, US and Australia, making it the most successful musical ever produced in schools. Cameron Mackintosh is currently developing the film of Les Misérables with Working Title and Universal.

 

The New 25^th Anniversary Production of Les Misérables continues its North American tour with the following tour stops:

February 14-19           Memorial Auditorium Raleigh, NC

February 21-26           Crouse-Hinds               Syracuse, NY

February 28-March 4  Shea's PAC                  Buffalo, NY

March 6-11                 Bushnell                      Hartford, CT

March 13-April 4        Opera House               Boston, MA

April 3-8                      Wharton Center          East Lansing, MI

April 10-15                  Clowes Hall                 Indianapolis, IN

April 17-22                  Peace Center              Greenville, SC
April 24-29                  Fox Theatre                 Atlanta, GA

May 1-6                       Times-Union Center    Jacksonville, FL

May 8-13                     Aronoff Center            Cincinnati, OH

May 16-26                   Kravis Center              West Palm Beach, FL

May 29-June 3            Bass Hall                     Austin, TX

June 5-10                     Popejoy Hall                Albuquerque, NM

June 12-24                   Segerstrom Center     Costa Mesa, CA

July 10-August 26        Orpheum Theatre       San Francisco, CA       

More on www.lesmis.com.