Lea Salonga will return to Les Misérables as Madame Thénardier for the Manila, Philippines engagement of Les Misérables: The Arena Concert Spectacular. Newly cast as Fantine is Rachelle Ann Go, also joining for the January stop on the world tour.
Salonga is a Tony Award-winning, global theatrical superstar who made history as the first Asian actress to play Eponine on Broadway; she also later played the role of Fantine on Broadway. Go also hails from the Philippines, and became an overnight sensation after winning a reality talent show Search for a Star at age 11. Go has graced the Broadway stage in Miss Saigon, and played Fantine in the 30th anniversary staging of Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre in London.
The Philippines cast of the concert will also include Geronimo Raunch as Jean Valjean, Jeremy Secomb as Javert, Will Callan as Marius, Lulu-Mae Pears as Cosette, Harry Chandler as Enjolras, and Earl Carpenter as the Bishop of Digne.
The Arena Concert Spectacular will come to the U.S. this summer, playing New York's July 23-August 9, 2026. In addition to the North American premiere, producer Cameron Mackintosh previously announced new engagements at the 3Arena in Dublin (May 29–June 6, 2026), Utilita Arena in Birmingham (June 11–14, 2026), and London’s Royal Albert Hall (June 18–21, 2026). Full casting for upcoming tour dates will be announced at a later time.
Following a record-breaking two-year run since opening in Belfast in September 2024, the new dates will mark the end of the official 40th anniversary celebrations of Les Misérables. The musical last played Broadway in 2016, and the London production has just entered its 41st year at the Sondheim Theatre.
The Mackintosh production is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, and original French text by Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, additional material by James Fenton, and adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird.
Orchestrations are by Stephen Metcalfe, Christopher Jahnke, and Stephen Brooker, with original orchestrations by John Cameron. The production is directed by James Powell and Jean-Pierre Van Der Spuy, designed by Matt Kinley, with costumes by Andreane Neofitou, Christine Rowland, and Paul Wills, lighting by Paule Constable and Warren Letton, sound by Mick Potter, projections realized by Finn Ross, and music supervision by Stephen Brooker and Alfonso Casado Trigo.
The Arena Concert Spectacular was developed from the successful Les Misérables The Staged Concert, which played over 200 record-breaking performances in the West End and the 25th Anniversary performance at The O2. It features a new design created for larger venues.
Mackintosh’s production of Boublil and Schönberg’s Les Misérables also continues its record-breaking run at the Sondheim Theatre in London’s West End.
Stewart Clarke in Les Misérables
Robson Broad and company of Les Misérables
Katie Hall in Les Misérables
Ian McIntosh in Les Misérables
Annabelle Aquino, Amena El Kindy, and Jacob Dachtler in Les Misérables
Amena El Kindy in Les Misérables
