Les Miserables at PlayhouseSquare

CLEVELAND PREMIERE ENGAGEMENT AT PLAYHOUSESQUARE; APRIL 5-17, 2011

CLEVELAND, OH – Tickets for Cameron Mackintosh’s new 25th anniversary production of Les Misérables are on sale now for the premiere Cleveland engagement at PlayhouseSquare.  The all new production of Les Misérables features glorious new staging and spectacular re-imagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo.  To purchase tickets, visit www.playhousesquare.org, call 216-241-6000 or visit the PlayhouseSquare ticket office at 1519 Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland. Ticket prices start $10.  For more information on the production, and for a video preview, please visit www.LesMis.com.

Lawrence Clayton will portray the fugitive Jean Valjean.  He will be joined by Andrew Varela as Javert, John Rapson as Thénardier, Shawna M. Hamic as Madame Thénardier, Betsy Morgan as Fantine, Jeremy Hays as Enjolras, Chasten Harmon as Éponine, Justin Scott Brown as Marius and Jenny Latimer as Cosette.  Katherine Forrester and Anastasia Korbal alternate in the role of Little Cosette/Young Éponine.   Josh Caggiano and Colin DePaula alternate in the role of Gavroche.

The ensemble includes Richard Todd Adams, Richard Barth, Cathryn Basile, Julie Benko, Cole Burden, Briana Carlson-Goodman, Casey Erin Clark, Jason Forbach, Lucia Giannetta, Ian Patrick Gibb, Cooper Grodin, Ben Gunderson, Beth Kirkpatrick, Cornelia Luna, Benjamin Magnuson, Jason Ostrowski, Max Quinlan, Rachel Rincione, Sarah Shahinian, Alan Shaw, Joseph Spieldenner, Joe Tokarz, Aliya Victoriya and Natalie Weiss.                           

The New York Times calls Les Misérables “an unquestionably spectacular production from start to finish.” The London Times hails the new show “a five star hit, astonishingly powerful and as good as the original.”  The Star-Ledger says “a dynamically re-imagined hit.  This Les Misérables has improved with age” and NY1-TV proclaims “this new production actually exceeds the original. The storytelling is clearer, the perspective grittier and the motivations more honest. Musical theatre fans can rejoice: Les Miz is born again.”

“I’m delighted that 25 years after Les Miz originally opened in London the audience for this marvelous show is bigger and younger than ever before,” said producer Cameron Mackintosh. “Over the years I have seen many successful but visually different productions, so it has been exciting to draw inspiration from the brilliant drawings and paintings of Victor Hugo himself, integrated with spectacular projections.  The new Les Miz is a magnificent mix of dazzling images and epic staging, driving one of the greatest musical stories ever told.”

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 and additional material by James Fenton.  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 and sound by Mick Potter.

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 21st London 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 25th 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 25th 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.  The O2 Concert is now available on Blu-ray and DVD by 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 3rd 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 of Les 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 25th Anniversary Production. The video of the 10th 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 a film of Les Misérables with Working Title and Universal.

Les Misérables will be at the Palace Theatre at PlayhouseSquare for 16 performances, April 5 – 17.  Performances are Tuesday – Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 and 6:30 p.m.  Tickets are currently on sale at the PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office (1519 Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland), online at www.playhousesquare.org or by calling 216-241-6000.   Group orders for 15 or more may be placed by calling 216-664-6050.

The Cleveland engagement of Les Misérables is part of the KeyBank Broadway Series at PlayhouseSquare.  KeyBank is the title sponsor of the KeyBank Broadway Series at PlayhouseSquare. For information, visit www.key.com.

This performance engagement is also a part of the Smart Seats program at PlayhouseSquare that offers smart entertainment at a smart price.  For more information on Smart Seats, visit www.playhousesquare.org/smartseats.

To enrich the experience of the theatergoers, the PlayhouseSquare Community Engagement & Education Department creates an in-depth online newsletter, the Buzz Extra, and presents free Broadway Buzz events to complement KeyBank Broadway Series shows.  Broadway Buzz Pre-Show Talks, providing behind-the-scenes insight, are held in the Idea Center at PlayhouseSquare one hour prior to each performance of Les Misérables.  On opening night, April 5, the Pre-Show Talk airs live on WCLV 104.9 FM at 6:30 p.m. and streams live on wclv.com. On Thursday evenings, guests are invited to stay in the theater for a post-show chat with members of the cast.  Broadway Buzz events are made possible by the generous donors and sponsors that support PlayhouseSquare’s not-for-profit mission.