It’s Today! : LES MISERABLES West End Reboot Raises Rancor

Pat Cerasaro

Based upon Victor Hugo's beloved 1862 novel of the same name, LES MISERABLES is an international theatrical phenomenon like few others. Since its English-language debut in 1985, the mega-musical by Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil and Herbert Kretzmer has taken the world by storm, now the longest-running musical in West End history and the inspiration for a hit big screen adaptation.

This week, producer Cameron Mackintosh announced plans to move the production to a new theater while its home base at the Queen's Theatre undergoes a major renovation. Following the four-month facelift, a rebooted version of the musical directed by Laurence Connor will replace the original Trevor Nunn/John Caird staging, along with a brand new cast. 

Fans and original cast members have not received the news appreciably, with a petition already reaching nearly 1000 signatures since the news was announced earlier this week. Original cast members Frances Ruffelle and Rebecca Caine voiced their disapproval of the reboot on social media, as well. Previously, the 25th anniversary production was presented on Broadway in 2014 and has toured around the world to much success for the better part of this decade. At this time, Mackintosh has not addressed the uproar caused by the announcement.

To date, the original production of LES MISERABLES has played more than 13, 300 performances in London's West End.