International NewsLes Misérables—The Staged Concert Will Play 6-Week Run at London's Sondheim TheatreMichael Ball, Alfie Boe, Carrie Hope Fletcher, and Matt Lucas will star.
By
Andrew Gans
October 12, 2020
Les Miserables—The Staged ConcertMichael Le Poer Trench
Les Misérables—The Staged Concert will play a six-week limited run at London's Sondheim Theatre December 5–January 17, 2021, to coincide with the musical’s 35th year on Shaftesbury Avenue. The news was initially announced on Britain’s Got Talent October 10, following a performance by three Cameron Mackintosh productions: Les Misérables, Mary Poppins, and The Phantom of the Opera.
The cast for the six-week run will include Michael Ball as Javert, Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, Carrie Hope Fletcher as Fantine, and Matt Lucas as Thénardier, with John Owen-Jones as Jean Valjean at certain performances.
With a reduced seating capacity of 750, safety measures and social distancing will be in place throughout the building. Tickets go on sale October 13 for priority booking and October 14 for the general public.
The newer staging of the musical from co-directors Laurence Connor and James Powell opened in January, and intends to reopen once the government's social distancing restrictions are eased and allow full capacity audiences.
In a statement,Mackintoshsaid,“As the production exists, it will only require slight re-staging to play safely with social distancing both on stage and throughout the auditorium. Our priority is always that our companies and audiences are in a safe, healthy environment so they can fully enjoy a wonderful show in a beautiful theatre." The producer also confirmed that the show's creators and venue's operators will waive royalties and rent, and artists have taken salaries less than pre-pandemic rates so that the production could feasibly break even with the limited capacity.
"With several shows now being announced, the West End is determined that theatregoers can look forward to Christmas in the traditional way with at least a handful of great shows. However, this is just a warm-up, allowing us to flex our atrophied artistic muscles in preparation for the whole of U.K. theatre—hopefully returning from next spring," he continued. "It is time to tear down the barricades and let tomorrow come.”
The play comes on the heels of a broader cultural conversation about Dahl's work and the prejudice that was embedded in many of his most beloved stories.
