Expanded from the staged concert that played London's West End in 2019, the previously announced Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular will embark on a world tour beginning September 19, 2024, at the SSE Arena Belfast, where it will continue through September 28.
Following Belfast, the production will play limited dates at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro Arena (October 3–6), Sheffield’s Utilita Arena (October 10-13), and Aberdeen’s P & J Live Arena (October 17–20). The tour will then commence its European leg in Luxembourg October 25–27, followed by engagements in Geneva, Trieste, Milan, Copenhagen, Oslo, and Zurich. The final U.K. dates will be in Manchester at the AO Arena (December 26–29) and at the Utilita Arena, Newcastle (January 2–5) before moving on to Sweden, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.
The new tour has been crafted for arenas and large theatres with audiences between 3,000 and 5,000, and will feature a U.K. company of more than 110 actors, musicians, and crew. A host of fan favorite Les Misérables alum are expected to appear during the tour as well. Casting and creative team members will be revealed in the coming months.
Producer Cameron Mackintosh says, “I’m thrilled to announce the initial venues where this spectacular production of Les Misérables will run. This much anticipated world tour will be a unique opportunity for many celebrated performers to play their favorite roles for short periods in different parts of the world, so fans will get the chance to see their favorite stars (and mine!) in their favorite musical. Over the show’s nearly 40 years existence, it has also proved to be the launch pad for an extraordinary list of stars around the world, in many different languages and countries. Both the show and the score of Les Miz continues to win poll after poll around the world as the public’s favourite musical of all time containing so many of the most memorable and beloved songs ever written for the musical theatre. The euphoria of the cast reunion performances of Miz are legendary and always prove a sell-out so I look forward to this unique event being the ultimate demonstration of 'Do You Hear The People Sing' ever!”
Tickets for the U.K. dates and some of the European performances will go on sale October 12. Click here for ticket information.
An arena tour for a musical is rare, but not unprecedented. Rock operas Jesus Christ Superstar and The Who's Tommy both played arenas in their heyday, and an arena tour of Broadway's ill-fated Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark was initially expected to follow the Main Stem run.
Les Misérables is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, original French text by Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, additional material by James Fenton, and an adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. Following a French production in 1980, the English translation premiered via Royal Shakespeare Company in 1985, transferring to London's West End later the same year and to Broadway in 1987. The musical became one of a string of British-originating musical juggernauts, becoming the West End's longest-running musical and one of Broadway's longest-running shows as well. The original London production closed in 2019, reopening with an updated physical production and staging later the same year. The musical's longtime West End home, the Queen's Theatre, hosted Les Misérables The Staged Concert, on which this arena spectacular is based, in the interim between the two productions.
Concert presentations have been a big part of Les Misérables' legacy throughout its history, including filmed anniversary concerts in 1995 and 2010. Les Misérables The Staged Concert was also filmed and broadcast to movie theatres internationally. A feature film adaptation starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, and Eddie Redmayne was released in 2012 and earned a Best Picture nomination at the 2013 Academy Awards.
