Les Miserables

The French musical Les Miserables has become affectionately known at Les Mis during its two decades on the West End.  The musical opened at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Barbican Theatre in 1985 and has continued to run successfully since with its current production showing at The Queens Theatre. Les Miserables success also spread to America where it has been successfully running since it opened in 1985.

The musical claimed the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1985 after its initial opening there. The musical tells the complicated and overlapping stories of several characters as their lives become increasingly more difficult and complicated. The story is set in 19th century France and is based on the Victor Hugo novel Les Miserables written in 1862.

The musical was written in French by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg in 1980 and was shown in Palais Des Sport in Paris where it claimed unpredicted success. The translation into English followed this success as they sought to attract a wider audience to the musical. The musical was adapted slightly during the translation and additional music was also added to this slightly revised version. The musical has become the longest running in the West End and the current production at The Queen’s Theatre has extended dates due to the high demand for tickets.