The rehearsals for the new tour production of LES MISÉRABLES began in London on Monday 26 October. This international tour will celebrate the 25th anniversary of this show based on the Victor Hugo novel that has become one of the most popular musicals ever written.

The tour will open at Cardiff´s Wales Millennium Centre on 12 December, 2009 and will run there until 16 January, 2010. The production will then stop off at Manchester (Palace Theatre, from 19 January to 13 February 2010), Norwich (Theatre Royal, from 16 February to 20 March 2010), Birmingham (Hippodrome, from 23 March to 17 April 2010), Edinburgh (Playhouse, from 20 April to15 May 2010) before crossing the Channel heading for Paris (Chatelet, from 26 May to 4 July 2010). More dates and places are to be announced soon.

The cast of this new production is led by Gareth Gates (Marius), John Owen-Jones (Jean Valjean), Earl Carpenter (Javert), Madalena Alberto (Fantine), Katie Hall (Cosette), Rosalind James (Eponine), Jon Robyns (Enjolras), Ashley Artus (Thernadier) and Lynne Wilmot (Mdm. Thenadier).

Gareth Gates arrives to the tour production of LES MISÉRABLES after appearing in the West End revival of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, where he replaced Lee Mead in the main role. Gates was runner-up on the first series of ‘Pop Idol’ in’ February 2002, and in 2008 he appeared on ITV1 ‘Dancing on Ice’.

John Owen-Jones gets back into the shoes of Jean Valjean,  after having played the role in West End and in Broadway. In 1998, he became the youngest person ever to play the role of Jean Valjean full-time when he took over in the London production at the age of 26.  Jones has also appear in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

Earl Carpenter plays again Javert, a role that he already performed last season in the West End production of LES MISÉRABLES at Queen´s Theatre. Carpenter credits in London include THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

Madalena Alberto will be Fantine. Born in Portugal, Madalena has recently starred in the musical OVER THE THRESHOLD at Jermyn Street Theatre in London. She has played the roles of Carmen Diaz in FAME (UK Tour), Lucy in THETHREEPENNY OPERA (Lisboa), and Hunyak in CHICAGO (Kuala Lumpur). Alberto was part of the original cast of ZORRO, THE MUSICAL in the West End, where she also covered the role of Luisa. For the last four years, Madalena has also developed a career as a composer, performing her own songs.

Katie Hall was one of the BBC show  ‘I’d Do Anything’ contestants. After the reality, she was part of the cast of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Last June she joined the London production of LES MISÉRABLES as Cosette, a character that she will perfom again on this tour.

Rosalind James  will play the role of Eponine. The British actress made her debut in musical theatre perfoming Bet in the West End production of OLIVER! in 1994. Her credits also include WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND (Aldwych Theatre), RENT (Dublin), JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (tour) and DADDY COOL (Shaftesbury Theatre and Berlin). Last season she was part of the original cast of GONE WITH THE WIND.

Jon Robyns performed the role of Marius last season in London production of LES MISÉRABLES at Queen´s Theatre. Now, he will be his loyal friend Enjolras. Robyns was part of the company that opened AVENUE Q in the West End, playing the roles of Princeton and Rod. He also has appeared in CHESS IN CONCERT at Royal Albert Hall, and in the DICKENS UNPLUGGED tour prior to the opening of the show in the West End.

The ensemble of the tour production of LES MISÉRABLES  is comprised by Jonathan Alden, Ian Caddick, Leigh Rhiannon Coggins, David Covey, Beth Davies, Victoria Farley, Christopher Jacobsen, Vanessa Leagh Hicks, Luke Kempner, David Lawrence, Adam Linstead, Rebecca McKinnis, Rhidian Marc, Carl Mullaney, James Muscato, Rosa O´Reilly, Rhiannon Sarah Porter, Laura Tebbutt and Owain Williams. Swings are Michael Baxter, Joanna Loxton, Peter Manchester, Gemma O´Duffy and Leighton Rafferty.

This new production of LES MISÉRABLES is directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell. It will have a new spectacular set design inspired by the works of Victor Hugo created by Matt Kinley.

LES MISÉRABLES originally opened in London at the Barbican Theatre on 8 October 1985, with direction of Trevor Nunn and John Caird. It was transferred to the Palace Theatre in the West End on 4 December 1985 and moved to its current home at the Queen´s Theatre on 3 April 2004. The musical celebrated its 21st London birthday on 8 October 2006, and it became the World’s Longest Running Musical, surpassing the record previously held by Cats in London’s West End.

LES MISÉRABLES has been seen by over 56 million people worldwide in 42 countries and in 21 languages.  There have been 34 cast recordings of the show, including the multi-platinum London cast recording and the Grammy Award-winning Broadway cast and complete symphonic albums. The video of the 10th Anniversary Royal Albert Hall Gala Concert has sold nearly two million copies worldwide.

Produced by Cameron Mackintosh, LES MISÉRABLES is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel and additional material by James Fenton. 

A scene of LES MISÉRABLES