If there’s a musical that continues to capture generations, it’s Les Misérables. The epic musical based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel has become one of the most beloved and enduring productions in theatre history.
Since its 1980 premiere in Paris, Les Mis has evolved through multiple incarnations while maintaining its powerful themes of justice, redemption and revolutionary spirit.
Les Misérables the musical was written by songwriter Alain Boublil and composer Claude-Michel Schönberg.
Boublil was born in Tunisia to a Sephardi family and at the age of just 32, created La Revolution Francaise, the first-ever staged French rock opera. While Boublil wrote the words, Schönberg composed the music.
It was a fictional story of impossible love between Charles Gauthier, the son of a shopkeeper who was classified as very low on the hierarchy scale, and Isabelle de Montmorency, an aristocrat who flees with the royal family. Boublil was inspired to write the story after seeing Jesus Christ Superstar in New York.
Schönberg was born in France to musical parents – his father was an organ repairer and his mother was a piano tuner.
“I am especially thrilled to be bringing it back to Australia where the outrageous of idea of doing Les Mis as a concert began…” Cameron Mackintosh
“I would stand in front of the record player and conduct,” Schönberg told Jewish News UK, explaining that as a child, he was surrounded by the pianos his father sold and taught by a “charming old lady” who insisted he learnt Mozart and Chopin before “playing my own stuff”.
Les Mis has become one of the most famous musicals of all time – it has won eight Tony Awards, is the sixth longest-running Broadway show and remains the longest-running musical in the West End.
However, it wasn’t a musical at first, simply a French-language concept album. It was the original stage production at the Palais des Sports in Paris that caught the attention of producer Cameron Mackintosh. With English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer (who was also Jewish), the musical opened in London’s West End in 1985.
And it has been on an ongoing journey ever since, having been performed in over 40 countries and translated into 22 languages.
Throughout its evolution, Les Misérables has maintained remarkable cultural relevance. Songs like Do You Hear the People Sing? have been adopted by protest movements worldwide, One Day More and Empty Chairs at Empty Tables were both used during COVID lockdown periods around the world and most recently Bring Him Home has been sung – by Broadway and Hollywood stars, including Debra Messing and Billy Porter, as well as by the Israel Opera – about the Israeli hostages kidnapped into Gaza during the Hamas-led massacre on October 7.
The latest evolution of Les Misérables will arrive on Australian shores later this month with Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular.
This concert version represents yet another reinvention of the classic musical, focusing on the power of the score while presenting a semi-staged production that highlights the vocal performances.
Set to play in Sydney at the ICC Theatre and Melbourne at Rod Laver Arena, this Australian spectacle follows in the tradition of the successful 2019 staged concert at London’s Gielgud Theatre, which celebrated the show’s record-breaking run.
The idea for the world arena tour of Les Misérables was first discussed over 18 years ago by producer Cameron Mackintosh and Nick Grace after the success of a short European tour.
Mackintosh said he has long dreamt of taking Les Mis around the world.
“I am especially thrilled to be bringing it back to Australia where the outrageous of idea of doing Les Mis as a concert began. When I first did the stage production of Les Misérables in Sydney in 1987, – with the wondrous Marina Prior as Cosette – (only two years after its London opening) we were invited to do a concert in Sydney’s Domain in January 1989 as part of the Sydney Festival. It was very early in the life of Les Misérables, so we had no idea if anyone would turn up, let alone know the music, as the show had only been playing for a year in the 1000-seat Theatre Royal. But, to our astonishment, 135,000 people turned up and embraced the show with a mighty roar – it was a night I will never forget, and the concert was born.”
Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular is part of the production’s 40th anniversary celebrations.
This Australian production combines elements of traditional staging with concert performance, featuring a full orchestra on stage alongside the performers. And according to Mackintosh, the Australian production is a fusion of musical theatre and rock and roll.
“It will be over 10 years since Boublil and Schönberg’s timeless masterpiece was last seen in Australia, so I feel sure this quick blast of MIZ ROCKS! will delight fans until I can bring the stage production back One Time More,” he said.
The stripped-back theatrical approach places renewed focus on Boublil and Schönberg’s magnificent compositions while still conveying the narrative power of Hugo’s story. Even for those die-hard fans who have seen Les Misérables multiple times before, it has never been like this.
Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular will play at Sydney’s ICC Theatre from April 30 before moving to Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena from May 14. For tickets, visit lesmisarenatour.com.au
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