But the audience loved it, and 40 years on, the show is London’s – and the world’s – longest running musical.
A charity gala performance held on Wednesday (October 8) at the Sondheim Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue featured special guests Patti Lupone, who played the original Fantine, Francis Ruffelle (Eponine), and Michael Ball who debuted the role of Marius.
He has since played the part of escaped convict Jean Valjean, and Javert the Inspector who pursues him in the musical which on paper should never have worked.
It’s adapted by Boublil and Schönberg from Victor Hugo’s novel about the student uprisings on the Paris barricades of 1832.
After an outing in Paris in 1980, the original English language production was directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird and also starred Alun Armstrong as Thenardier the corrupt Innkeeper, and Roger Allam as Javert.
In the run up to opening night it was far too long and needed a trim, but thankfully they didn’t cut songs such as One Day More, I Dreamed A Dream, On My Own and Do You Hear The People Sing? which have gone down as classics as successive casts made them their own.
The show now runs at a sleeker two hours and 50 minutes and at Wednesday’s gala performance many past cast members returned to sing a special anniversary cast finale – including Alfie Boe, Samantha Barks, Matt Lucas, Carrie Hope Fletcher, and Bonnie Langford.
Proceeds from the performance go to two UK charities, The Felix Project and UKHarvest whose work resonates with the story of the young Jean Valjean who goes to prison after stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family.
Cameron Mackintosh, who produced the original show with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and continues his involvement today, said: “It is an extraordinary feeling to be celebrating our 40th Anniversary of Les Misérables on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue. Having staged several of our other milestone performances in iconic venues like the Royal Albert Hall for our 10th or the o2 Arena for our 25th, I wanted to bring this special celebration home back to its roots, in the theatre, where the British version first started at the Barbican in October 1985.”
He said the musical – dubbed by fans ‘Les Mis’ or ‘the Glums’ – was unusual in triumphing both as an Oscar-winning movie and a stage musical, scooping Olivier and Tony awards and seen by 150 million people worldwide.
He added: “Victor Hugo’s creation has proved to have no bounds, continuing to reach new corners of the Earth, playing to different races in their own languages, swept along by Boublil and Schönberg’s inspirational musical score. The reaction of the audience, wherever they are on the planet, is always uplifting; just as Victor Hugo hoped it would be when he first published the novel in 1845.”
Les Miserables is booking until October 2026 at the Sondheim Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London www.lesmis.com
