Les Misérables
28th September 1985
Barbican Theatre, RSC / Palace Theatre, RSC
This was a Royal Shakespeare Company presentation of an RSC Cameron Mackintosh production. The world première performance was at the Barbican Theatre on 28th September 1985 and it opened to the press on 8th October.
The production then transferred to the Palace Theatre in the West End where it opened on the 4th December 1985.
The first US production opened in Washington DC a year later on 27th December 1987 before opening in New York at the Broadway Theatre on 12th March 1987.
Productions in Japan and Australia soon followed as well as a series of US and Canadian touring productions. Within a few years, it was running in numerous productions all over the world in many different languages.
The London production of Les Misérables later transferred from the Palace Theatre to the Queen’s Theatre, where it is still running.
Producers and Artistic Directors wishing to make their own productions of Les Misérables can make enquiries about licensing by clicking here.
Olivier Awards 1985
Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Musical – Patti Lupone for the role of Fantine.
Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Musical – Alun Armstrong for the role of M. Thénardier (Nomination) and Colm Wilkinson for the role of Jean Valjean (Nomination)
Musicial of the Year - Les Miserables by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. (Nomination)
Les Misérables
| A Musical by | Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schönberg |
| Based on the novel by | Victor Hugo |
| Lyrics by | Herbert Kretzmer |
| Music by | Claude-Michel Schönberg |
| Original Text by | Alain Boublil & Jean-Marc Natel |
| Additional Material by | James Fenton |
Creative team
| Adapted and Directed by | Trevor Nunn and John Caird |
| Designed by | John Napier |
| Lighting by | David Hersey |
| Costumes Designed by | Andreane Neofitou |
| Musical Supervision and Orchestrations by | John Cameron |
| Musical Staging by | Kate Flatt |
| Sound by | Andrew Bruce |
| Musical Direction by | Martin Koch |
| Company Fight Work by | Malcolm Ransom |
| Assistant Director | Dion McHugh |
| Design Assistant | Benjamin Hilliard |
| Lighting Assistants | Jozef Celder & Adam Grater |
| Stage Manager | Trevor Williamson |
| Deputy Stage Manager | Philip McDonald & Michael Stanislaw |
| Assistant Stage Managers | Rosy Fowler |
| Literal Translation from the French | Siobhan Bracke |
Cast
| Actors in order of appearance | |
| Jean Valjean | Colm Wilkinson |
| Javert | Roger Allam |
| Brujon / Drinker / Sailor / Chain Gang | Dave Willets |
| Combeferre / Factory Foreman / Student / Traveller / Chain Gang | Paul Leonard |
| Bamatabois / Grantaire / Drinker / Chain Gang | Clive Carter |
| Joly / Chain Gang / Factory Worker / Sailor / Old Couple | Christopher Beck |
| Feuilly / Student / Young Man / Sailor / Chain Gang | Gary Huddlestone |
| Thénadier / Chain Gang | Alun Armstrong |
| Marius / Chain Gang | Michael Ball |
| Montparnasse / Chain Gang / Labourer / Young Couple | Keith Burns |
| Enjolras / Chain Gang | David Burt |
| Courfeyrac / Factory Worker / Farmer / Drinker | Craig Pinder |
| Old Beggar Woman / Whore / Innkeeper’s Wife / Drinker | Jill Martin |
| Jean Prouvaire / Innkeeper / Drunk / Pimp | Peter Polycarpou |
| Bishop of Digne / Lesgles / Diner / Unemployed Man | Ken Caswell |
| Babet / Fauchelevent / Traveller / Constable | Ian Calvin |
| Pimp / Claquesous / Drinker / Constable | Colin Marsh |
| Fantine | Patti Lupone |
| Old Woman / Woman Worker | Sally Mates |
| Crone / Factory Girl / Woman with Baby / Old Couple | Beverley Klein |
| Blind Beggar / Whore / Factory Girl / Diner | Caroline Quentin |
| Whore / Factory Girl / Drinker | Aline Mowat |
| Factory Girl / Whore / Young Prostitute / Young Girl | Jackie Marks |
| Gavroche / Whore / Factory Girl / Young Couple | Liza Hayden |
| Eponine / Whore | Frances Ruffelle |
| Cosette / Whore | Rebecca Caine |
| Whore / Factory Girl / Young Girl | Siân Rivers |
| Little Cosette | Zoë Hart / Jayne O’Mahoney / Joanne Woodcock |
| Madame Thénadier | Sue Jane Tanner |
| Little Eponine | Danielle Akers / Gillian Brander / Juliette Caton |
| Gavroche | Oliver Spencer / Ian Tucker |
| Understudies | |
| Marius | Keith Burns |
| Javert | Clive Carter |
| Thénadier | Ken Caswell |
| Enjolras | Paul Leonard |
| Eponine | Jackie Marks |
| Madame Thénadier | Sally Mates |
| Fantine | Aline Mowat |
| Cosette | Siân Rivers |
| Jean Valjean | Dave Willetts |
| Standbys | Aidan Cook / Holly Russell |
Musicians / Orchestra
| Assistant Music Director / Keyboards | Andy Read |
| Flute / Piccolo | Christopher Lacey |
| Clarinet / Alto Saxophone | Victor Slaymark |
| Oboe / Cor Anglais | Caroline Marwood |
| Horns | Brian Newman / Duncan Hollowood |
| Trumpets | Roderick Tearle / Peter Wright |
| Trombone | David Hissey |
| Synthesiser / Piano | Peter Washtell |
| Percussion | Tony McVey |
| Drums | Peter Boita |
| Guitar | Ian Laws |
| Bass Guitar | Brent Forbes |
| Violin (Leader) | Laurie Lewis |
| Violins | Norman Lederman / Richard Bureau / Vaughn Armon |
| Cellos | Peter Halling / Paul Kegg |
Production Staff
| Producer | Cameron Mackintosh |
| Company Manager | Robert M. West |
| Stage Manager | Sheena Linden |
| Deputy Stage Manager | Stephen Higgins |
| Assistant Stage Managers | Jason Bevan / Rosy Fowler / Isabel Pric |
| Assistant to Dion McHugh | Ken Caswell |
| Sound Operator | Madeleine Parisio |
| Scenery Painted by | Victor Mara Ltd. |
| Engineering by | P E Kemp Engineers Ltd. |
| Additional Mechanical Engineering by | Mike Barnet |
| Property Supervision by | Richard Christie and Partners |
| Cobbles by | Stephen Pyle |
| Wheels supplied by | Revvo |
| Costumes by | RSC Production Wardrobe / Bermans and Nathans |
| Men's Tailoring by | S. B. Watts Ltd / Keith Bish |
| Ladies' Costumes by | Henrietta Webb / Lynda Haslam / Rosalind Williams |
| Hats by | Sandra Bendall |
| Breaking-down by | Brian North / Janet Ekaette / Lisa Whitefoot / Robert Allsopp |
| Wigs for Miss Caine, Miss LuPone, Miss Tanner and Mr Wilkinson by | Ray Marston |
| Other Wigs and Make-up by | Barbican Theatre Wig Department |
| Rehearsal Pianists | Lesley Hayes / Kate Young |
| Movement Assistant | Kim Brandstrup |
| Production Photographer | Michael Le Poer Trench |
| Programme Acknowledgements | |
| Programme Compiled and Edited by | Margaret Gaskin (with thanks to Siobhan Bracke) |
| Designed by | Dewynters Limited. |
| Advertising by | Cabbell Publishing Ltd. |
Synopsis and Character Appearances
From the original 1985 RSC Barbican Theatre programme
Prologue: 1815, Digne
| Jean Valjean, released on parole after 19 years on the chain gang, find that the yellow ticket-of-leave he must, by law, display condemns him to be an outcast. Only the saintly Bishop of Diane treats him kindly and Valjean, embittered by years of hardship, repays him by stealing some silver. Valjean is caught and brought back by police, and is astonished when the Bishop lies to the police to save him, also giving him two precious candlesticks. Valjean decides to start his life anew. | |
| Jean Valjean | Colm Wilkinson |
| Javert | Roger Allam |
| Chain Gang | Dave Willets / Paul Leonard / Clive Carter / Christopher Beck / Gary Huddlestone / Alun Armstrong / Michael Ball / Keith Burns / David Burt |
| Farmer | Craig Pinder |
| Labourer | Keith Burns |
| Innkeeper's Wife | Jill Martin |
| Innkeeper | Peter Polycarpou |
| The Bishop of Digne | Ken Caswell |
| Constables | Ian Calvin / Colin Marsh |
1823, Montreuil-sur-Me
| Eight years have passed and Valjean, having broken his parole and changed his name to Monsieur Madeleine, has risedn to become both a factory owner and Mayor. One of his workers, Fantine, has a secret illegitimate child. When the other women discover this, they demand her dismissal. The foreman, whose advances she had rejected, throws her out. | |
| Fantine | Patti Lupone |
| Foreman | Paul Leonard |
| Workers | Craig Pinder / Christopher Beck |
| Women Workers | Sally Mates / Beverley Klein / Caroline Quentin / Aline Mowat |
| Factory Girl | Jackie Marks |
| Desperate for money to pay for medicines for her daughter, Fantine sells her locket, her hair, and then joins the whores in selling herself. Utterly degraded by her new trade, she gets into a fight with a prospective customer and is about to be taken to prison by Javert when "The Mayor" arrives and demands she be taken to hospital instead. The Mayor then rescues a man pinned down by a runaway cart. Javert is reminded of the abnormal strength of convict 24601 Jean Valjean, a parole-breaker whom he has been tracking for years but who, he says, has just been recaptured. Valjean, unable to see an innocent man go to prison in his place, confesses to the court that he is prisoner 24601. At the hospital, Valjean promises the dying Fantine to find and look after her daughter Cosette. Javert arrives to arrest him, but Valjean escapes. | |
| Sailors | Gary Huddlestone / Dave Willetts / Christopher Beck |
| Whores | Jill Martin / Aline Mowat / Caroline Quentin / Liza Hayden / Jackie Marks / France Ruffelle / Rebecca Caine / Siân Rivers |
| Old Woman | Sally Mates |
| Crone | Beverley Klein |
| Pimp | Colin Marsh |
| Bamatabois | Clive Carter |
| Fauchelevent | Ian Calvin |
1823, Montfermeil
| Cosette has been lodged for five years with the Thénadiers who run an inn, horribly abusing the little girl whom they use as a skivvy while indulging their own daughter, Eponine. Valjean finds Cosette fetching water in the dark. He pays the Thénardiers to let him take Cosette away and takes her to Paris. But Javert is still on his tail... | |
| Cosette | Zoe Hart / Jayne O'Mahony / Joanne Woodcock |
| Madame Thénadier | Sue Jane Tanner |
| Thénadier | Alun Armstrong |
| Eponine | Danielle Akers / Gillian Brander / Juliette Caton |
| Drinker | Craig Pinder |
| Young Couple | Keith Burns / Liza Hayden |
| Drunk | Peter Polycarpou |
| Diners | Ken Caswell / Caroline Quentin |
| Other Drinkers | Colin Marsh / Clive Carter / Dave Willetts / Aline Mowat / Jill Martin |
| Young Man | Gary Huddlestone |
| Young Girls | Jackie Marks / Siân Rivers |
| Old Couple | Beverly Klein / Christopher Beck |
| Travellers | Paul Leonard / Ian Calvin |
1823, Paris
| Nine years later, there is great unrest in the city because of the likely demise of the popular leader General Larmarque, the only man left in the Government who shows any feeling for the poor. The urchin Gavroche is in his element mixing with the whores and beggars of the capital. Among the street-gangs is one led by Thénadier and his wife, which sets upon Jean Valjean and Cosette. They are rescued by Javert, who does not recognise Valjean until after he has made good his escape. The Thénariers' daughter Eponine, who is secretly in love with the student Marius, reluctantly agrees to help him find Cosette, with whom he has fallen in love. | |
| Gavroche | Liza Hayden / Oliver Spencer / Ian Tucker |
| Old Beggar Woman | Jill Martin |
| Young Prostitute | Jackie Marks |
| Pimp | Peter Polycarpou |
| Unemployed Man | Ken Caswell |
| Blind Beggar | Caroline Quentin |
| Woman with Baby | Beverly Klein |
| Students | Paul Leonard / Gary Huddlestone |
| Eponine | Frances Ruffelle |
| Marius | Michael Ball |
| Cosette | Rebecca Caine |
| Thénadier's Gang | |
| Montparnasse | Keith Burns |
| Babet | Ian Calvin |
| Brujon | Dave Willets |
| Claquesous | Colin Marsh |
| At the political meeting in a small café, a group of idealistic students prepare for the revolution they are sure will erupt on the death of General Lamarque. When Gavroche brings the news of the General's death, the students, led by Enjolras, stream out into the streetsto whip up popular support. Only Marius is distracted, by thoughts of the mysterious Cosette. | |
| Combeferre | Paul Leonard |
| Feuilly | Gary Huddlestone |
| Courfeyrac | Craig Pinder |
| Enjolras | David Burt |
| Joly | Christopher Beck |
| Grantaire | Cliver Carter |
| Lesgles | Ken Caswell |
| Jean Prouvaire | Peter Polycarpou |
| Cosette is consumed by thoughts of Marius, with whom she has fallen in love. Valjean realises that his "daughter" is changing very quickly but refuses to tell her anything of her past. In spite of her own feelings for Marius, Eponine sadly brings him to Cosette and then prevents an attempt by her father's gang to rob Valjean's house. Valjean, convinced it was Javert who was lurking outside his house, tells Cosette they must prepare to flee the country. On the eve of the revolution, the students and Javert see the situation from their different viewpoints; Cosette and Marius part in despair of ever meeting again; Eponine mourns the loss of Marius; and Valjean looks forward to the security of exile. The Thénadiers, meanwhile, dream of rich pickings underground from the chaos to come. | |
There now follows an interval of 15 minutes
| The students prepare to build the barricade. Marius, noticing that Eponine has joined the insurrection, sends her with a letter to Cosette, which is intercepted at the Rue Plumet by Valjean. Eponine decides, despite what he has said to her, to rejoin Marius at the barricade. The barricade is built and the revolutionaries defy an army warning that they must give up or die. Gavroche exposes Javert as a police spy. In trying to return to the barricade, Eponine is shot and killed. Valjean arrives at the barricades in search of Marius. He is given the chance to kill Javert but instead lets him go. The students settle down for a night on the barricade and are entertained by Gavroche. In the quiet of the night, Valjean prays to God to save Marius from the onslaught which is to come. The next day, with ammunition running low, Gavroche runs out to collect more and is shot. The rebels are killed, including their leader Enjolras. Valjean escapes into the sewers with the unconscious Marius. After meeting Thénardier, who is robbing the corpses of the rebels, he emerges into the light only to meet Javert once more. He pleads for time to deliver the young man to hospital. Javert decides to let him go and, his unbending principles of justice having been shattered by Valjean’s own mercy, he kills himself by throwing himself into the swollen River Seine. A number of Parisian women come to terms with the failed insurrection and its victims. Unaware of the identity of his rescuer, Marius recovers in Cosette’s care. Valjean confesses the truth of his part to Marius and insists that after the young couple are married, he must go away rather than taint the sanctity and safety of their union. At Marius and Cosette’s wedding, the Thénadiers try to blackmail Marius. Thénardier says Cosette’s “father” is a murderer and as proof produces a ring which he stole from the corpse in the sewers the night the barricades fell. It is Marius’ own ring and he realises it was Valjean who rescued him that night. He and Cosette leans for the first time of her own history before the old man dies, joining the spirits of Fantine, Eponine and all those who died on the barricades. |