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Happy to be Miserables after 21 years
By Tom Teodorczuk 09.10.06
Les Mis: 21 years in West End
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West End musical Les Miserables called on some of its original stars to help celebrate its record-breaking 21-year run.
Cast members from Sir Cameron Mackintosh's original RSC production, including Michael Ball, Patti LuPone and Frances Ruffelle, joined the
current ensemble for the finale of the Napoleonic musical saga.
They were celebrating a remarkable feat for a show which so nearly did not make it to the West End in the first place.
During the finale of Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre on Saturday, the barricades revolved to reveal the original cast members.
American star Patti LuPone, the show's first Fantine, went on to perform I Dreamed A Dream.
She was followed by Elaine Paige, former star of Cats, another Mackintosh musical, which Les Mis was overtaking on its world record run.
Paige sang Memory, from Cats, before handing over her coat from Les Mis in a symbolic gesture to Gina Beck, who plays Cosette in the current
production.
Speeches followed from Sir Trevor Nunn, Les Mis's original director, and Colm Wilkinson who played hero Jean Valjean in the original production,
which began at the Barbican in 1985 before transferring to the Palace Theatre.
Michael Ball played Marius in the original show, which is based on Victor Hugo's epic novel, before going on to star in The Phantom Of The
Opera and Aspects Of Love as well as recording 13 solo albums. He said: "None of us 21 years ago could have realised what a worldwide
phenomenon Les Miserables was going to be."
Frances Ruffelle, who won a Tony Award for playing Eponine in the first production of Les Mis, said: "I'm really grateful for what the show did for my career. Sometimes doing these shows can get quite boring but that never happened during Les Miserables.
"I absolutely loved it. We knew we had something special but the reviews were so awful it was a gamble to take it into the West End."
She added: "During the finale I had no idea how I would keep going. I had tissues stuffed down my dress just in case I burst into tears."
Les Miserables has been seen by 54 million people in 38 countries. The West End production has lasted longer than the 20-year time span in Hugo's original novel.
The Phantom Of The Opera celebrates its 20th anniversary today. Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit first opened in the West End in October 1986 with
Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman in the lead roles.
It is still going strong at Her Majesty's Theatre. It opened in New York in 1988 and in
January this year became the longest-running show in Broadway history.
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