Special 40th anniversary cast announced for West End production of LES MISÉRABLES
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Boublil and Schönberg’s musical sensation LES MISÉRABLES, Cameron Mackintosh has put together, for 8 weeks only, a special company of artists who have been part of Les Mis history and are drawn from the West End, International, movie and Arena Spectacular MIZ ROCKS World Tour casts of the show.
From 8 September-1 November, the role of Jean Valjean will be played by Killian Donnelly, alongside Bradley Jaden as Javert, Katie Hall as Fantine, Jac Yarrow as Marius, Shan Ako as Éponine, Jordan Shaw as Enjolras, Beatrice Penny-Touré as Cosette, and welcoming to the Sondheim Theatre celebrated British actor Adam Gillen as Thénardier, and Australian theatre legend Marina Prior as Madame Thénardier. Ian McIntosh will play the role of Jean Valjean at certain performances. Details on how to get tickets for the actual birthday performance, 8 October, will soon be announced.
Side by side with the anniversary company, Mackintosh introduces the terrific new cast who, from 7 July, will launch the show into its 5th record-breaking decade. It will be led by Ian McIntosh as Jean Valjean, alongside Sam Oladeinde as Javert, Katie Hall as Fantine, Adam Gillen joins the Company as Thénardier, Claire Machin as Madame Thénardier, Thiago Phillip Felizardo as Marius, Amena El-kindy as Éponine, Joe Griffiths-Brown as Enjolras, and Izzi Levine as Cosette, most of whom will continue in the world’s longest running musical from 3 November following the 8-week birthday season.
The company is completed by Hollie Aires, Aidan Banyard, Ella May Carter, Nicholas Carter, Matthew Dale, Irfan Damani, Lila Falce-Bass, Sophie-May Feek, Jessica Johns-Parsons, Seán Keany, Chris Kiely, Sam Kipling, Mia Lamb, Sarah Lark, Ollie Llewelyn-Williams, Matthew McConnell, Aaron-Jade Morgan, Adam Pearce, William Pennington, Jordan Simon Pollard, Lewis Renninson, Danielle Rose, Georgia Tapp, Noah Thallon, Imaan Victoria, and Danny Whelan.
Cameron Mackintosh said: “It’s hard to believe that LES MISÉRABLES is already 40 years old and still in the prime of life on Shaftesbury Avenue in London’s West End, packing out the Sondheim Theatre.
“What a year it has already been for LES MIS, with the spectacular Arena Tour selling out around the World featuring many of the stars of the stage production, and 11 of the UK's greatest Amateur Companies presenting their own acclaimed productions in major theatres around the country. Now in London, where it all began in 1985, with the British premiere of the reconstructed version of the show in English in association with the RSC, originally brilliantly staged by Trevor Nunn and John Caird, and then after 25 years, evolving into a new equally acclaimed production directed by James Powell and Laurence Connor with new designs and staging, keeping the spirit of LES MISÉRABLES revolutionary for the 21st Century.
“Remarkably, even though the first staging of the concept album of LES MISÉRABLES happened in Paris in 1980, directed by Robert Hossein, the French never truly embraced LES MIS until Christmas 2024, when the Châtelet, the National Theatre of France, presented a completely new all-French production of our version – it proved a triumph, deservedly garnering the show’s original creators, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, the Légion d'Honneur.
“As we go into our remarkable fifth decade, we have found a terrific new cast to continue storming the barricade from 7 July for ‘One Year More’. And in celebration of our 40th Birthday, I have put together, as I have always done for major celebrations, a special cast for eight weeks only, drawn from the outstanding performers of the last decade’s international productions of LES MIS, as well as the current Arena Spectacular and the Oscar winning movie, all of whom have emerged as new theatre stars. This will be the last time that they will all be able to play together in LES MIS as their careers take them onto new stellar paths.
“In 1985, Edward Behr in Newsweek predicted that LES MIS would be “a musical that makes history” - it certainly has. A very special Birthday celebration indeed for the World’s longest running musical.
“My grateful thanks must first be to the show's brilliant creators Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, without whom none of us would have a job, and the timeless words of Herbert Kretzmer inspired, as we all have been, by the great Victor Hugo. My eternal gratitude to everyone who has been involved with Les Misérables over the last 40 years both on and off the stage, and lastly thanks to you our audience for continually wanting to Hear The People Sing and ensure that Tomorrow Always Comes for Les Misérables.”
