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Direct from #Broadway - @lesmizUS returns to @KimmelCenter 1/9-1/21. More info @ kimmelcenter.org
Press Contacts:
Monica Robinson
(215) 790-5847
mrobinson@kimmelcenter.org
Carole Morganti, CJM Public Relations
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CAMERON MACKINTOSH’S ACCLAIMED MUSICAL PHENOMENON
RETURNS TO THE KIMMEL CENTER CULTURAL CAMPUS
AFTER FIVE YEARS,
JANUARY 9–21, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Philadelphia, PA, November 27, 2017) –– For the first time since 2013, Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables, will return to Philadelphia for a two-week engagement, January 9–21 at the Academy of Music on the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus. Coming directly from a celebrated two-and-a-half year Broadway engagement, this show is part of the 2017-18 Broadway Philadelphia season, presented collaboratively by the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and The Shubert Organization.
“It is with great anticipation that we welcome back one of the longest-running Broadway musicals to Philadelphia after a five year absence!” said Anne Ewers, President and CEO of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. “With one of the greatest scores of all time, everyone will recognize at least one of the thrilling and beloved songs from one of the greatest musicals every created.”
With glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, this breathtaking production of Les Misérables, which broke box office records during its pre-Broadway tour, has left both audiences and critics awestruck, cheering “Les Miz is born again!” (NY1).
Cameron Mackintosh said, “I‘m delighted that after a four year absence this glorious production is once again touring the major cities across North America and is more spectacular than ever.”
Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption – a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Featuring one of the greatest scores of all time, with thrilling and beloved songs including “I Dreamed A Dream,” “On My Own,” “Stars," “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More,” “Do You Hear the People Sing,” and many more, this epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history. Along with the Oscar-winning movie version, it has now been seen by more than 130 million people in 44 countries and in 22 languages around the globe. Les Misérables is still the world’s most popular musical, breaking box office records everywhere in its 32nd year.
Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Boublil and Schönberg’s Les Misérables has music by ClaudeMichel Schönberg; lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer from the original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel; additional material by James Fenton; and original adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. The original Les Misérables orchestrations are by John Cameron with new orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke, Stephen Metcalfe, and Stephen Brooker. The production is directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell; designed by Matt Kinley, inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo; with costumes by Andreane Neofitou and Christine Rowland; lighting by Paule Constable; sound by Mick Potter; musical staging by Michael Ashcroft and Geoffrey Garratt; and projections by Fifty-Nine Productions. Music Supervision is by Stephen Brooker and James Dodgson, with casting by Kaitlin Shaw for Tara Rubin Casting.
“Thrilling, spectacular and unforgettable.”
-The New York Times
“**** (4 out of 4 stars). One of the greatest musicals ever created! A gorgeous touring ‘Les Misérables’ is back on the barricades, renewed and refreshed.”
-Chicago Tribune
“This ‘Les Miz’ is a winner. Standout cast shines in revamped production.”
-The Providence Journal
“You simply won’t want it to end.”
-Boston Globe
“A stirring, thumping, heart-throbbing return of a pop opera whose themes of revolution and righteousness seem particularly well suited to our current turbulent times.”
-Hartford Courant
“Visually stunning! A monumental musical packed with power voices.”
-Chicago Sun Times
Les Misérables originally opened in London at the Barbican Theatre on October 8, 1985, transferred to the Palace Theatre on December 4, 1985, and moved to its current home at the Queen’s Theatre on April 3, 2004, where it continues to play to packed houses and is the only version of the original production left in the world. The original Broadway production of Les Misérables opened at the Broadway Theatre on March 12, 1987 and transferred to the Imperial Theatre on October 17, 1990, running for 6,680 performances. The original U.S. National Tour began in November 1987 and visited over 150 cities before closing in St. Louis, MO in 2006. Broadway audiences welcomed Les Misérables back to New York on November 9, 2006 where the show played the Broadhurst Theatre until its final performance on January 6, 2008.
The new production was conceived in 2009 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary, with record-breaking productions in the U.K., Australia, Korea, Japan, Spain, France, Manila, Singapore, and Dubai. The new production is currently playing to sold out houses around Japan and in São Paulo with upcoming productions in Mexico and around the U.K. The North American Tour traveled across the U.S. for two years then played a five month engagement in Toronto before returning to the Imperial Theatre on Broadway in March 2014 for over 1,000 performances.
To date, Les Misérables remains the 5th longest-running Broadway production of all time.
Les Misérables
Academy of Music at the Kimmel Center Campus Dates and times:
Tuesday, January 9, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Thursday January 11, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Friday, January 12, 2018 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, January 13, 2018 at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm
Sunday, January 14, 2018 at 1:00 pm and 6:30 pm
Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Thursday January 18, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Friday, January 19, 2018 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm
Sunday, January 21, 2018 at 1:00 pm and 6:30 pm
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now and start and start at $20.00. Tickets can be purchased by calling (215) 8931999, visitingkimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling (215) 790-5883. More information atkimmelcenter.org.
The Shubert Organization
For more than 100 years, The Shubert Organization has been in the forefront of the American theatre. Under the leadership of Philip J. Smith, Chairman, and Robert E. Wankel, President, The Shubert Organization owns and operates 17 Broadway theatres and six Off-Broadway venues, as well as the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia. The company has produced and co-produced hundreds of plays and musicals, including the original Broadway production of CATS, Dreamgirls, Sunday in the Park with George, Amadeus, The Real Thing, The Grapes of Wrath, Equus, The Elephant Man, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, School of Rock The Musical, and The Humans. The Shubert Organization is proud of its ongoing refurbishment program for its theatres, seeking to preserve the historic character while modernizing them to accommodate the needs of today’s audiences.
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, The Kimmel Center’s mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience through diverse programming, arts education, and community outreach. The Kimmel Center campus is comprised of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, SEI Innovation Studio, and the Merck Arts Education Center), the Academy of Music (owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association), and the
Merriam Theater. The Kimmel Center is also home to eight Resident Companies: The Philadelphia
Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly Pops, PHILADANCO, The Chamber
Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Curtis Institute of Music. TD
Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is the season sponsor of the Kimmel Center’s 2017-2018 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org.
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For a PDF version of this press release, click here.