| Les Miśerables - The Dream Cast in Concert | |
| Director: | Gavin Taylor |
| Producer: | Cameron Mackintosh |
| Starring: | Colm Wilkinson Philip Quast Michael Ball Judy Kuhn Lea Salonga Ruthie Henshall Michael Maguire Alun Armstrong Jenny Galloway Anthony Crivello |
| Music: | Claude-Michel Schönberg |
| Editing: | Nigel Cattle |
| Studio: | Cameron Mackintosh Limited HD Thames |
| Distributor: | Video Collection International |
| Runtime: | 148 minutes |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert (1995), also titled Les Misérables in Concert, is a concert version of the 1980 musical Les Misérables, which was based on Victor Hugo's 1862 novel, produced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the West End production. It was filmed in October 1995 at the Royal Albert Hall and was shortly afterwards released on VHS in the United Kingdom in November by Video Collection International. The concert was released on DVD, VHS and LD in North America by Columbia TriStar Home Video in 1998, and re-released on DVD in North America in 2008. The latest DVD presents the concert in its original 16x9 ratio.
Although filmed with HD cameras, a Blu-ray edition has not been released yet. The 10th Anniversary cast stars Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, Philip Quast as Inspector Javert, Michael Ball as Marius Pontmercy, Lea Salonga as Éponine, Judy Kuhn as Cosette, Ruthie Henshall as Fantine, Michael Maguire as Enjolras, Anthony Crivello as Grantaire, Alun Armstrong as Thénardier, Jenny Galloway as Madame Thénardier, Adam Searles as Gavroche, Hannah Chick as Young Cosette, and several others, and was directed by John Caird. The performers were chosen from the London, Broadway and Australian productions of the show and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by David Charles Abell. It also aired on PBS part of the Great Performances series.
The 10th anniversary concert of Les Misérables is known as the "Dream Cast in Concert" because Mackintosh hand-selected the cast. Colm Wilkinson reprised his role as Valjean after starring in the original West End and Broadway productions. Philip Quast was cast as Inspector Javert after the producers of the show witnessed his performance in a musical production in his hometown in Australia. Wilkinson and Quast are widely recognized as the "Dream Casting" of the idolized roles of Valjean and Javert.[1] Lea Salonga is the only non-Caucasian performer in the main cast. Her participation has been credited by many stage musical enthusiasts of breaking down racial barriers for future castings of the live show.
This presentation uses a "modernised" and more heavily orchestrated score than that of the original musical. It follows the traditional "musicals-in-concert" format with the cast lined up against a set of microphones with the orchestra and chorus behind them. The entire company wear costumes and use only necessary props (such as Javert's baton, Thénardier's notebook, etc.). Apart from minor movement on the concert stage, the performers do not participate in major action scenes. Where necessary, the video switches to action from the stage production.
A few action-based scenes from the musical are not included in the concert – such as the street brawl broken up by Javert, Gavroche's death, and the confrontation between Marius and Thénardier at the wedding feast. Some musical numbers, such as "At the End of the Day", "Lovely Ladies", "The Runaway Cart", "In My Life", and "Turning" were also shortened.
During the performance of "Castle on a Cloud", as Hannah Chick sang the line "Crying at all is not allowed", a loud pop was heard – the popping of a balloon, one of many stored in the ceiling for release at the end of the show. It visibly startled her (as seen by her sudden flinch), but she recovered immediately and continued the song with no delay in the delivery.
The five international English-speaking Valjeans featured in the encore song played the convicts in the opening number "Look Down".
The programme ends with an encore in which seventeen international actors who portray Jean Valjean in their respective countries join Wilkinson on stage to each sing a few bars of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" in their native languages. They are then joined by the entire cast and choir to sing the last verse of "One Day More", receiving a standing ovation. Red, white, and blue balloons, as well as confetti, fall from the ceiling; sparklers erupt on stage as the show finishes.
| Actor | Role | Previous performance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colm Wilkinson | Jean Valjean | Original London Cast Original Broadway Cast | |
| Philip Quast | Javert | Original Australian Cast Complete Symphonic Recording | |
| Ruthie Henshall | Fantine | Replacement London Cast | |
| Michael Ball | Marius Pontmercy | Original London Cast Complete Symphonic Recording | |
| Judy Kuhn | Cosette | Original Broadway Cast | |
| Lea Salonga | Éponine | Replacement Broadway Cast | |
| Michael Maguire | Enjolras | Original Broadway Cast | |
| Alun Armstrong | Monsieur Thénardier | Original London Cast | |
| Jenny Galloway | Madame Thénardier | Replacement London Cast | |
| Anthony Crivello | Grantaire | Original Broadway Cast | |
| Adam Searles | Gavroche | Replacement London Cast | |
| Hannah Chick | Young Cosette | new | |
| Paul Monaghan | The Bishop of Digne | new | |
| Jérôme Pradon | Courfeyrac | Replacement London Cast | |
| Peter Polycarpou | Jean Prouvaire | Original London Cast | |
| Matthew Cammelle | Feuilly | Replacement London Cast | |
| Darryl Knock | Joly | Replacement London Cast | |
| David Bardsley | Combeferre | Replacement London Cast | |
| Gareth Snook | Bamatabois | Replacement London Cast | |
| Michael McCarthy | Factory Foreman | Replacement London Cast | |
| Jackie Marks | Factory Girl | Original London Cast | |
| Beverly Klein | Crone | Original London Cast |
The following are the seventeen Valjeans who participated in the second encore (in order):
| Country | Actor | |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Cavill | ||
| Robert Marien | ||
| Jerzy Jeszke | ||
| Takeshi Kaga | ||
| Gyula Vikidál | ||
| Tommy Körberg | ||
| Krzysztof Stasierowski | ||
| Henk Poort | ||
| Michael Burgess | ||
| Reinhard Brussmann | ||
| Rob Guest | ||
| Øystein Wiik | ||
| Jan Ježek | ||
| Kurt Ravn | ||
| Jeff Leyton | ||
| Egill Ólafsson | ||
| Craig Schulman |
The five English speaking Valjeans (Cavill, Burgess, Guest, Leyton and Schulman) appear as the five principal convicts in "Look Down" at the beginning of Act 1.[2]
The DVD was released by Columbia TriStar Home Video on 17 November 1998. This Region 1 fullscreen DVD is now out of print. It has a run time of 159 minutes.
A two-disc widescreen collector's edition was released by BBC Video in Region 1 territories on 19 February 2008. Viewers have reported that a segment of "Little People" is inexplicably removed. This release also does not contain the speeches. The second disc contains Les Misérables: Stage by Stage, a documentary from 1989.
Recent versions of the DVD include the missing segment of Little People.[3]
A remastered special edition DVD of the concert was released on November 20, 2012.[4]