By Jennifer R Jones | Posted on September 15, 2016 12:53 PM
Les Miserables Wraps Up Its Run After Over Two Years In The Most Recent Revival. The Show Will Embark On A National Tour Starting Fall 2017.
1,046 Performances For This Acclaimed Production
On March 23, 2014, a new revival opened for Les Misérables, the globally celebrated musical based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The musical first played on Broadway in 1987, when it took home the Tony Award for Best Musical.
That original production ran for many years until 2003, during which time it beat the record for longest-running show. In 2012, a highly lauded film adaptation was released starring Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Anne Hathaway, and Russell Crowe.
New Orchestrations For "Les Misérables" Revival
The production that began in March 2014, like the original, was produced by Cameron Mackintosh. The show has a book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, and music by Claude-Michel Schönberg. The original adaptation was done by Trevor Nunn and John Caird, with additional material by James Fenton, and with original orchestrations by John Cameron.
As for the new production, there are new orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke, Stephen Brooker, and Stephen Metcalfe. The recently shuttered revival was directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell. Upon closing on September 4, 2016, the Broadway production played a total of 1,046 performances at the Imperial Theatre. In sum, over the course of three Broadway productions, Les Misérables has played a total of 8,200 performances.
Financially Lucrative And A National Tour In The Works
Even for such marvelous masterpieces as Les Misérables, it is often difficult for a show to recoup its initial investment. Fortunately, this revival managed to succeed in that regard.
Although it was not clear exactly when along the run the show recouped, and therefore it can be assumed that it was very late in the run, the producers did officially report that Les Misérables recouped its entire capitalization, having grossed a total of $109 million throughout its run.
Uneven Turnout In The Box Office
In its last week of performances, Les Misérables brought in its highest weekly gross of 2016, amounting to $1,326,559, which represents 113.14% of its gross potential. In the last five weeks of the run, the weekly grosses exceeded $1 million. As for the year 2016, the second-highest weekly gross actually occurred in the first week of the year, the week ending January 3, 2016, which had a weekly gross of $1,245,505, or 105.73% of its gross potential.
With scattered other weeks on par with that performance, the show generally had uneven box office, with the lowest weekly gross of the run (for a full performance week) taking place in the week ending November 1, 2015 with a weekly gross of only $480,903. In light of this success, and the undeniable beloved nature of the show, a U.S. national tour will launch starting the fall of 2017.
Global Success
The producers had held off on touring the show until the Broadway production closed, in order to sustain demand for the major production. Meanwhile, the London production has been running straight for 30 years, and there are additional productions in Australia and South Korea. In sum, the show worldwide has grossed a total of $2.5 billion.
A Talented If Unknown Cast, And Mackintosh With Other Projects Up His Sleeve
With such a strong brand name as Les Misérables, made even more well known by the 2012 film, the recent Broadway revival did not rely on star power to sell tickets.
At the time of closing, the cast was led by John Owen-Jones in the role of Jean Valjean, Hayden Tee in the role of Javert, Brennyn Lark in the role of Eponine, Alison Luff in the role of Fantine, Alex Finke in the role of Cosette, Chris McCarrell in the role of Marius, David Rossmer in the role of Monsieur Thenardier, Rachel Izen in the role of Madame Thenardier, and Mark Uhre in the role of Enjolras.
Special Blend Of Talent And Luck
Meanwhile, the legendary producer Cameron Mackintosh has other projects up his sleeve. In addition to being involved with the revival of Miss Saigon, Mackintosh is also behind the present revival of Cats. Few theatre producers have become as attached to certain shows as the book writers and composers behind them, but Cameron Mackintosh has had a special blend of talent and good fortune throughout his career.
