Les Misérables heads to the Opera House

Opera Australia will bring Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Les Misérables to the Sydney Opera House in 2027, the first time the musical has played the venue.

The fully staged production will open in the Joan Sutherland Theatre, and will be the first time the production has played in Australia in more than a decade. The 2027 season also comes 40 years after the show’s Australian premiere in 1987.

Based on Victor Hugo’s novel, the musical tells a story about the survival of the human spirit, with songs including I Dreamed a Dream, On My Own and One Day More, and has been seen by more than 150 million people in 57 countries and translated into 22 languages. It has won five Olivier Awards, eight Tony Awards and five Helpmann Awards.

Opera Australia director of opera Amy Lane said the company was proud to present the musical at the Opera House for the first time.

“It is a work of extraordinary emotional power that has connected generations of audiences around the world,” Lane said.

Les Misérables producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh said he was delighted to bring the staging back to Australia, where audiences have embraced the show over the years.

“To finally see it on the stage of the Sydney Opera House is something I have been dreaming of for years,” Mackintosh said. “I can’t wait to see it take its place on that magnificent stage in 2027.”

NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said the season would bring “audiences, visitors and spending into Sydney”. The production is supported by the NSW Government through Destination NSW.

For many in the Jewish community, the musical carries added meaning. Its composer, Claude-Michel Schönberg, and lyricist, Alain Boublil, are both Jewish.

In an interview with Jewish News UK, Schönberg spoke about his Hungarian-born parents, who settled in France and lived quietly as the only Jewish family in their Breton town during the German occupation, protected by neighbours and local officials. He also spoke of relatives lost in the Holocaust.

He said there is always a part of his writing that is “typically Jewish”, pointing to the opening of Master of the House as an example. He also reflected on wishing he had grown up within a Jewish community, while saying he understood why his parents chose a low profile.

For more information and ticket details, visit lesmis.com.au