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It is shaping up to be quite the year for ‘Les Misérables’ in the West End.
Cameron Mackintosh's musical – which turns 34 this year – had already been scheduled to leave its current home, the Queen’s Theatre, while the venue was done up and head to the Gielgud Theatre for a bit. This was meant to be the end of the original 1985 production, which would be replaced by a newer touring version (which has sparked some controversy).
Now, to make things even more complicated, it's been announced that the version of ‘Les Mis’ that will play at the Gielgud Theatre will be a third iteration of the show: a concert incarnation that was staged at the Royal Albert Hall and The O2 back in the day. And it comes with an impressively starry cast – Michael Ball (Javert), Alfie Boe (Jean Valjean), Carrie Hope Fletcher (Fantine) and Matt Lucas (Thénardier), plus more to be announced, with a combined cast and orchestra of over 65 people.
‘Les Misérables – The All-Star Staged Concert’ (as it's known) will run Aug 10-Nov 30, with tickets on sale now. That means there will be a month in which London has no ‘Les Mis’ at all, as the original version closes July 13.
Finally, the new version will move into the Queen's Theatre in December 2019 – dates to be announced but tickets should go on sale in March.
If you’re confused – we kind of are too, but basically there’s a hell of a lot of ‘Les Mis’ in London this year.
To buy tickets to ‘Les Misérables – The All-Star Staged Concert’, go here.