Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the worldwide phenomenon, Les Miserables is coming to Broadway in the spring. In fact, you may even know if you’re hiding under that rock. The point is, this show is one of the biggest shows coming to Broadway this spring, and we bloggers at Camp Broadway couldn’t be more excited.
The show has a stellar cast that includes Ramin Karimloo (coming from the Toronto cast) as Valjean, Will Swenson (Hair) as Javert, Caissie Levy (Ghost) as Fantine, Nikki M. James (Book of Mormon) as Eponine, and Andy Mientus (Spring Awakening) as Marius. An allstar cast if I’ve ever seen one.
Les Miserables came on everyone’s radar with the movie that premiered in 2012, and the 25th anniversary that featured Norm Lewis as Javert and Karimloo as Enjolras, but not many people know much about casts before that.
On West End where it’s run for over twenty five years, people have crossed the stage including Patti LuPone (original London Fantine), almost all of the ensemble from the Les Miserables movie, Sierra Boggess (Fantine), Ramin Karimloo, who started his career understudying Marius for friend Hadley Fraser. Both would go on to play opposite each other as Valjean and Javert.
On Broadway, from the first run and the 2006 revival included replacements such as, Nick Jonas (Gavroche, later Marius), Lea Michele (young Cosette, later Eponine), Celia Keenan-Bolger (Eponine), Ann Harada (Mme. Thenadier), Lea Salonga (Eponine, Fantine), and Max Von Essen (Enjolras).
Just coming off the MUNY’s production, Phantom’s Hugh Panaro (originated Marius in 1st Ntl Tour and Broadway) and Norm Lewis (Original Revival Javert) as Valjean and Javert in Les Miserables. Most likely, if you have a favorite actress or actor, they probably played a role in Les Miserables, regionally or on Broadway. The show has been the starting point, or for many people the pinnacle, of many people’s careers. To have a show that so many people strive to star in back in New York is exciting not just for the crowd, but for the actors currently on Broadway.
Who knows who we could see in Les Mis in the next few years? Besides the stellar cast we have, who would you love to see in Les Miserables?