Les Miserables Details
One of the most celebrated musicals the world over, Tony Award-winning Les Misérables is back for another season. Les Misérables opened on Broadway on March 12, 1987 and was nominated for twelve Tony Awards that same year, taking home an astounding eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Commonly known as Les Mis or Les Miz by fans, this musical phenomenon has been seen by over 70 million people in 44 countries.
Based on the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo, Les Miz takes you back in time to 19th-century France. Through captivating songs, the characters each share their stories of broken dreams, hope, and love. Every song is woven seamlessly throughout the story, building towards a climax that is both exhilarating and heart wrenching. Les Misérables is truly a testament to the resilience of the human spirit that should not be missed.
The 2017-18 cast brings their own unique perspective to this tour, starting with Director James Powell. A veteran of the stage, Powell worked on such musicals as Miss Saigon (2014) and Dirty Dancing (2006, 2014). This is his third time directing Les Miz (2010, 2014, 2017), but like everything he does, he strives to bring something unique to each production no matter how many times he’s handled the material. The 2017-18 Tour of Les Misérables is his most inspiring work to date. Challenging his cast to dig deeper and find what connects each character to the audience, he brings out the very best in each of his actors. By allowing them to bring the audience along on this powerful and emotional journey, he has taken the entire production to the next level.
Another exciting change in this year’s tour is more noticeable, thanks to Set Designer Matt Kinley. Kinley’s creative credits include working on the set and design for Les Misérables in 2006, 2010, 2014 and now in 2017, as well as Miss Saigon in 2014 and 2017. After discovering that Victor Hugo was a prolific painter as well as a gifted author, Matt Kinley used some of Victor’s own paintings to inspire the stunning sets that flow effortlessly from scene to scene. It’s a visual treat that audiences are sure to enjoy.
The talented cast is another beautiful addition to this timeless classic, adding their own personal spin on each character so that even lifelong fans of the musical will find themselves drawn in and connected to each character like never before. There are so many notable cast members, all of which are a pleasure to watch.
Les Misérables US Tour Dates for the 2017-2018 Season
Though the tour is set to run from September 2017 until August 5th, 2018, this is already longer than its original end date of June 3rd, 2018 in San Diego, CA. The additional cities to date are Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, and Denver, CO. As the tour year progresses, there is a possibility of more dates being added in the future, so be sure to keep an eye out for updates throughout the year.
Target Audience
While this show has something for longtime fans of Broadway and newbies alike, Les Misérables heavy, emotional content is meant for teens and adults. It covers topics from prostitution to death, tragedy and intense battle scenes, so parental guidance is suggested for children 10+.
Les Misérables Runtime
Les Miz typically runs around 3 hours with intermission. The official runtime is 2 hours and 55 minutes, but as with any live show, it could run slightly shorter or slightly longer.