| Les Misérables: The Staged Concert | |
| Director: | Nick Morris James Powell(stage direction) Jean-Pierre van der Spuy (stage direction) |
| Producer: | Dione Orrom |
| Based On: | |
| Starring: | Alfie BoeMichael BallCarrie Hope FletcherMatt LucasKaty SecombeRob HouchenLily KerhoasShan AkoBradley JadenEarl Carpenter |
| Music: | Claude-Michel Schönberg |
| Editing: | Tim Thompsett |
| Studio: | Cameron Mackintosh Ltd. |
| Distributor: | Universal Pictures |
| Runtime: | 145 minutes 165 minutes (including encore) |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
Les Misérables: The Staged Concert is a 2019 British live stage recording of the 1980 musical Les Misérables, itself an adaptation of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel, filmed at the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End on 2 December 2019, and broadcast live to UK and Irish cinemas. Starring Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, Carrie Hope Fletcher and Matt Lucas, it was the final performance of the stage production Les Misérables: The All-Star Staged Concert, which ran for four months from 10 August. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
Queen's Theatre, which had hosted Les Misérables since 2004, closed for refurbishment in July 2019, and the show moved to the adjacent Gielgud Theatre for four months,[1] allowing its record breaking run to continue.[2] During its stay at the Gielgud, Les Misérables took the form of an all star-staged concert and ran for 16 weeks between 10 August and 30 November. The show returned to Queen's (now renamed the Sondheim Theatre) with a new production in December.[3]
Due to the success of the production, producer Cameron Mackintosh added an extra performance on 2 December 2019 which was broadcast live to cinemas across the UK and Republic of Ireland,[4] and released in North America on 8 December.[5]
The stage concert was due to return to the Sondheim Theatre for a limited run from 5 December 2020, this was extended and due to play until 28 February 2021.[6] However the show closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic on 15 December after just 10 performances. It returned for a limited run between 20 May and 5 September 2021 with a renewed cast. The new cast featured Jon Robyns as Valjean, Bradley Jaden as Javert, Lucie Jones as Fantine, Gerard Carey and Josefina Gabrielle as the Thénardiers, Shan Ako as Éponine, Harry Apps as Marius, Jamie Muscato as Enjolras, Charlie Burn as Cosette, Earl Carpenter as the Bishop of Digne and understudy Javert, Cameron Blakely as Bamatabois/Babet, Nic Greenshields as Factory Foreman/Brujon, Connor Jones as Grantaire, and at certain performances Dean Chisnall playing the role of Valjean.[7]
The all-star cast featured Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, Michael Ball as Javert, Carrie Hope Fletcher as Fantine, and Matt Lucas and Katy Secombe as the Thénardiers. Additionally, Earl Carpenter played the dual role of The Bishop of Digne (which he took over from Simon Bowman) and Bamatabois whilst understudying Javert and John Owen-Jones played Jean Valjean for three performances a week. The orchestra was conducted by Alfonso Casado Trigo. The full cast (which also appears in the live stage recording) is listed below:
At the end of the final performance, Michael Ball announced that Bradley Jaden would be taking over the role of Javert in the new production. They then sang "Stars" together, as a duet. Next, Alfie Boe, who had performed in the concert, was joined by four other Jean Valjeans to sing "Bring Him Home": John Owen-Jones who shared the role with Boe, Jon Robyns from the new London cast, Dean Chisnall from the 2019 tour, and Killian Donnelly who Chisnall replaced in the tour. After speeches from Cameron Mackintosh and Claude-Michel Schönberg, the performance concluded with the ensemble performing "One Day More".
The Staged Concert was released digitally on 20 April 2020 in the UK and Australia,[8] with a twice-delayed DVD and Blu-ray following on 2 November 2020 in the UK, having originally been scheduled for release on 6 April and then 20 April.[9] [10]
The film was released digitally in North America on 4 August 2020.[11]