Les Miserables
Queen's Theatre
Synopsis
There is a whole host of well known musicals running in the West End, many of which have had a home in the capital for decades, and they regularly attract a large audience along with considerable attention. Amongst the best known is the show that has now been running in the capital for more than a quarter of a century, first appearing at the Barbican Theatre in 1985 and progressing to its current home of the Queen’s Theatre in the years since. It can only be Les Misérables, a production that has been seen by audiences all over the world and would be the longest running show in the West End was it not for the 50-plus-year-old The Mousetrap at St Martin’s Theatre.
The show follows the character of Jean Valjean as he is released from jail on parole, where he has been holed up in a large prison hulk known as the Bagne of Toulon. Returning to a French village he finds himself shunned by the local community and forced to take refuge with a priest. But when he is caught stealing silver he believes he is in luck when the priest covers for him and saves him from a return to jail. However, Police Inspector Javert is not convinced and is determined to bring Valjean to justice, leading to an epic cat and mouse chase. This lasts for decades with Valkean altering his identity and great change taking place in a Paris gripped by Napoleonic rule.
Victor Hugo is the author that originally penned Les Misérables and this was published back in 1862. The show would eventually make its way to the stage in the form of a famous musical, opening in France in 1980 and immediately finding a large audience. Then, five years later, Cameron Mackintosh brought an English language version to the stage of the Barbican Theatre and the rest, as they say, is history.
As the longest running musical in the West End it beats out the close rival The Phantom of the Opera by a year and overtook the long-running blockbuster Cats following that show’s closure in 2002. As a result it is enormously popular and audiences flock from all over the world to witness the production is a location internationally renowned for acclaimed musical theatre performances.
Les Misérables is at the Queen’s Theatre and, though it has been running for many years, is currently booking well into 2011.
Venue Information
Queen's Theatre
Shaftesbury Avenue
London
W1D 6BA
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Directions
Take the Bakerloo or Piccadilly line to Piccadilly Circus and exit onto Shaftesbury Avenue. The theatre is a 5 minute walk.
