Les Misérables - The Dream Cast in Concert
Encyclopedia
Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert a.k.a. Les Misérables in Concert is a concert version of the musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

 Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....

, produced to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It was filmed in October 1995 at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....

 and released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

, VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....

 and LD
LD
LD may refer to:In science and mathematics:*Lethal dose#, where "#" represents the percentage of test organisms killed by a specific dosage , e.g...

 in 1998 and re-released on DVD in North America in 2008. The latest DVD presents the concert in its original 16x9 ratio. Although filmed with HD cameras, a Blu-ray edition has not been released yet. The 10th Anniversary cast stars Colm Wilkinson
Colm Wilkinson
Colm Wilkinson is an Irish tenor, best known for originating the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and for playing the title role in The Phantom of the Opera .Due to his association with these musicals, he reprised the role of...

 as Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables...

, Philip Quast
Philip Quast
Philip Quast is an Australian actor perhaps best known for his role as Inspector Javert in the stage musical version of Les Misérables, or for appearances in numerous Australian soap operas including Sons and Daughters, The Young Doctors and Police Rescue.-Personal life:Quast was born in 1957 in...

 as Inspector Javert
Javert
Javert is a fictional character from the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. He is a prison guard, and later policeman, who devotes his life to the law. He is always referred to just simply as "Javert" or "Inspector Javert" by the narrator and other characters throughout the novel; his first name...

, Michael Ball
Michael Ball (singer)
Michael Ashley Ball, born 27 June 1962) is a British actor, singer, and radio and TV presenter who is best known for the song "Love Changes Everything" and musical theatre roles such as Marius in Les Misérables, Alex in Aspects of Love, Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Edna Turnblad...

 as Marius Pontmercy
Marius Pontmercy
Marius Pontmercy is a principal fictional character in Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel Les Misérables. He is young, intense, and in love with Cosette. He fights at the barricades with Enjolras and the Friends of the ABC when %C3%89ponine tricks him into going to the barricade and he resolves to die...

, Lea Salonga
Lea Salonga
Lea Salonga-Chien is a mezzo-soprano singer and actress from the Philippines well known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards.She was the first Asian to play the roles of Éponine and...

 as Éponine
Éponine
Éponine Thénardier is a fictional character in the 1862 novelLes Misérables by Victor Hugo.- Éponine in the novel :As children, Éponine and her younger sister Azelma are described as pretty, well-dressed, charming and a delight to see. They are pampered and spoiled by their parents the Thénardiers...

, Judy Kuhn
Judy Kuhn
-Life and career:Kuhn was born in New York City and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. She attended Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C.She entered Oberlin College in 1976. Although she was very interested in singing and theater, she began Oberlin in the College, not the Conservatory. After taking...

 as Cosette
Cosette
Euphrasie "Cosette" Fauchelevant is a fictional character in the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.- Cosette in the novel :...

, Ruthie Henshall
Ruthie Henshall
Valentine Ruth Henshall , better known as Ruthie Henshall, is an English singer, dancer, and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Henshall attended the Laine Theatre Arts school in Epsom, Surrey before making her first professional appearance on stage in 1986...

 as Fantine
Fantine
Fantine is a character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables.- Backstory :"Fantine was one of those beings which are brought forth from the heart of the people... She was called Fantine because she had never been known by any other name...""All four were ravishingly beautiful. As to Fantine,...

, Michael Maguire as Enjolras
Enjolras
Enjolras is the charismatic leader of the Friends of the ABC in the 1862 novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.- The Friends of the ABC :...

, Alun Armstrong
Alun Armstrong (actor)
Alun Armstrong is a prolific British character actor. Armstrong grew up in County Durham in North East England. He first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of...

 as Thénardier
Thénardiers
The Thénardiers, commonly known as Thénardier and Madame Thénardier , are two of the primary villains in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables and the stage musical of the same name...

, Jenny Galloway
Jenny Galloway
Jenny Galloway is a British actress, and singer best known for her stage career.Theatre credits include:* Madame Thénardier - Les Misérables* Widow Corney - Oliver!...

 as Madame Thénardier
Thénardiers
The Thénardiers, commonly known as Thénardier and Madame Thénardier , are two of the primary villains in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables and the stage musical of the same name...

, Adam Searles
Adam Searles
Adam Searles is a British stage, film, and television actor notably known for his performances as Gavroche in Les Misérables at the Palace Theatre, London and as the original Artful Dodger in Cameron Mackintosh's 1994 production of Oliver! at The London Palladium...

 as Gavroche
Gavroche
Gavroche is a fictional character from the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.-Gavroche in the novel:Gavroche is the eldest son of M. and Mme Thénardier. He has two sisters, Éponine and Azelma, and two unnamed younger brothers. He is also technically unnamed; the reader is told he chooses the...

, Hannah Chick as Young Cosette
Cosette
Euphrasie "Cosette" Fauchelevant is a fictional character in the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.- Cosette in the novel :...

, and several others, and was directed by John Caird
John Caird (director)
John Newport Caird is a British stage director and writer of plays, musicals and operas. He is an Honorary Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, a regular director with the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain and the Principal Guest Director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre,...

. The performers were chosen from the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 and Australian productions of the show and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...

 was conducted by David Charles Abell
David Charles Abell
David Charles Abell is a British American orchestral conductor active in symphonic music, opera and musical theatre. Known for his television appearances worldwide as conductor of the Les Misérables 10th and 25th Anniversary concerts, he is recognised as an authoritative interpreter of the...

.

Production

This presentation uses a "modernised" and more orchestrated Alain Boublil
Alain Boublil
Alain Boublil is a musical theatre lyricist and librettist, best known for his collaborations with the composer Claude-Michel Schönberg for musicals on Broadway and London's West End...

Claude-Michel Schönberg
Claude-Michel Schönberg
Claude-Michel Schönberg is a French record producer, actor, singer, songwriter, and musical theatre composer, best known for his collaborations with the lyricist Alain Boublil.These include the musicals:...

 score than that of the musical. It follows the traditional "musicals-in-concert" format with the cast lined up against a set of microphones with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...

 and chorus
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...

 behind them. The entire company wear costumes and use only necessary properties (such as Javert's baton, Thénardier's notebook, etc.). Apart from minor movement on the concert stage, the performers do not participate in major action scenes. Where necessary, the video switches to action from the stage production.

Only a few scenes from the musical are not included in the concert, including the street brawl broken up by Javert, "The Death of Gavroche" and the confrontation between Marius and Thénardier at the wedding feast.

The second encore

The programme ends with an encore in which seventeen actors who portray Jean Valjean in seventeen different nations join Wilkinson on stage to each sing a few bars of "Do You Hear the People Sing?
Songs from Les Misérables
Les Misérables, colloquially known as Les Mis, is one of the most famous and most performed musicals worldwide. It is based on the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, which follows the struggles of a cast of characters as they seek redemption and revolution in nineteenth century France...

" in their native languages. They are then joined by the entire cast and choir to sing the last verse of "One Day More!
Songs from Les Misérables
Les Misérables, colloquially known as Les Mis, is one of the most famous and most performed musicals worldwide. It is based on the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, which follows the struggles of a cast of characters as they seek redemption and revolution in nineteenth century France...

", receiving applause and a standing ovation. Balloons and confetti fall from the ceiling and sparklers erupt on stage as the show finishes.

Main performers

Colm Wilkinson
Colm Wilkinson
Colm Wilkinson is an Irish tenor, best known for originating the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and for playing the title role in The Phantom of the Opera .Due to his association with these musicals, he reprised the role of...

Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables...

Original London/Broadway cast
Philip Quast
Philip Quast
Philip Quast is an Australian actor perhaps best known for his role as Inspector Javert in the stage musical version of Les Misérables, or for appearances in numerous Australian soap operas including Sons and Daughters, The Young Doctors and Police Rescue.-Personal life:Quast was born in 1957 in...

Javert
Javert
Javert is a fictional character from the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. He is a prison guard, and later policeman, who devotes his life to the law. He is always referred to just simply as "Javert" or "Inspector Javert" by the narrator and other characters throughout the novel; his first name...

Original Australian cast/Complete Symphonic Recording
Ruthie Henshall
Ruthie Henshall
Valentine Ruth Henshall , better known as Ruthie Henshall, is an English singer, dancer, and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Henshall attended the Laine Theatre Arts school in Epsom, Surrey before making her first professional appearance on stage in 1986...

Fantine
Fantine
Fantine is a character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables.- Backstory :"Fantine was one of those beings which are brought forth from the heart of the people... She was called Fantine because she had never been known by any other name...""All four were ravishingly beautiful. As to Fantine,...

Replacement London cast
Jenny Galloway
Jenny Galloway
Jenny Galloway is a British actress, and singer best known for her stage career.Theatre credits include:* Madame Thénardier - Les Misérables* Widow Corney - Oliver!...

Madame Thénardier
Thénardiers
The Thénardiers, commonly known as Thénardier and Madame Thénardier , are two of the primary villains in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables and the stage musical of the same name...

Replacement London cast
Alun Armstrong
Alun Armstrong (actor)
Alun Armstrong is a prolific British character actor. Armstrong grew up in County Durham in North East England. He first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of...

Thénardier
Thénardiers
The Thénardiers, commonly known as Thénardier and Madame Thénardier , are two of the primary villains in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables and the stage musical of the same name...

Original London cast
Lea Salonga
Lea Salonga
Lea Salonga-Chien is a mezzo-soprano singer and actress from the Philippines well known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards.She was the first Asian to play the roles of Éponine and...

Éponine
Éponine
Éponine Thénardier is a fictional character in the 1862 novelLes Misérables by Victor Hugo.- Éponine in the novel :As children, Éponine and her younger sister Azelma are described as pretty, well-dressed, charming and a delight to see. They are pampered and spoiled by their parents the Thénardiers...

Replacement Broadway Cast
Michael Ball
Michael Ball (singer)
Michael Ashley Ball, born 27 June 1962) is a British actor, singer, and radio and TV presenter who is best known for the song "Love Changes Everything" and musical theatre roles such as Marius in Les Misérables, Alex in Aspects of Love, Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Edna Turnblad...

Marius Pontmercy
Marius Pontmercy
Marius Pontmercy is a principal fictional character in Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel Les Misérables. He is young, intense, and in love with Cosette. He fights at the barricades with Enjolras and the Friends of the ABC when %C3%89ponine tricks him into going to the barricade and he resolves to die...

Original London cast/Complete Symphonic Recording
Michael Maguire Enjolras
Enjolras
Enjolras is the charismatic leader of the Friends of the ABC in the 1862 novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.- The Friends of the ABC :...

Original Broadway cast
Judy Kuhn
Judy Kuhn
-Life and career:Kuhn was born in New York City and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. She attended Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C.She entered Oberlin College in 1976. Although she was very interested in singing and theater, she began Oberlin in the College, not the Conservatory. After taking...

Cosette
Cosette
Euphrasie "Cosette" Fauchelevant is a fictional character in the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.- Cosette in the novel :...

Original Broadway cast
Anthony Crivello
Anthony Crivello
Anthony Crivello is an American actor and singer, mostly in musicals on Broadway. He has written several scripts and more than twenty songs.-Personal life:...

Grantaire Original Broadway cast
Adam Searles
Adam Searles
Adam Searles is a British stage, film, and television actor notably known for his performances as Gavroche in Les Misérables at the Palace Theatre, London and as the original Artful Dodger in Cameron Mackintosh's 1994 production of Oliver! at The London Palladium...

Gavroche
Gavroche
Gavroche is a fictional character from the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.-Gavroche in the novel:Gavroche is the eldest son of M. and Mme Thénardier. He has two sisters, Éponine and Azelma, and two unnamed younger brothers. He is also technically unnamed; the reader is told he chooses the...

Hannah Chick Young Cosette
Cosette
Euphrasie "Cosette" Fauchelevant is a fictional character in the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.- Cosette in the novel :...

Paul Monaghan Bishop of Digne
Bishop Myriel
Bishop Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel, referred to as Bishop Myriel or Monseigneur Bienvenu , is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. Myriel is the Bishop of Digne...


The seventeen Valjeans

The following are the seventeen Valjeans who participated in the second encore:
Country Actor
Phil Cavill
Robert Marien
Robert Marien
Robert Marien, born May 5, 1956, is a Québécois actor, singer, and songwriter who has performed in the musical Les Misérables in Montreal, Paris, New York and London. He has also appeared in numerous films.-External links:...

Jerzy Jeszke
Jerzy Jeszke
Jerzy Jeszke, born November in Bytów, is a Polish actor and singer.-Life And Work:He started his four-year-long studies of acting and singing at the "Studio" Danuta Baduszkowa in 1976 and completed it with honours in 1980...

Takeshi Kaga
Takeshi Kaga
is a well-known stage and movie actor in Japan who is probably best known internationally for his portrayal of Chairman Kaga in the Japanese television show Iron Chef produced by Fuji TV. His real name is .-Biography:...

Gyula Vikidál
Gyula Vikidál
Gyula Vikidál is a Hungarian singer. He was born on Jan 25, 1948. He started his career early as a rock vocalist in groups like Iris, Pannonia, Gezarol, Pop, Rekorder and Gemler. When he joined the P. Mobil heavy rock group, it was an underground group but soon acquired a broad fan base.In 1979-81...

Tommy Körberg
Tommy Körberg
Bert Gustav Tommy Körberg is a Swedish singer, actor, and musician. In 1969, he won Swedish Recording Industry Award Grammis in a category Best Debut Performance. English-speaking audiences know him best for his role in the Benny Andersson–Björn Ulvaeus–Tim Rice musical Chess...

Krzysztof Stasierowski
Henk Poort
Henk Poort
Henk Poort, born 20 January 1956 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is a Dutch actor and singer, who mainly plays in operas and musicals. Major roles include Erik in the Dutch version The Phantom of the Opera and Jean Valjean in the first staging of the Dutch version of Les Misérables in the late 1990s...

Michael Burgess
Michael Burgess (singer)
Michael Burgess is a popular Canadian actor and singer .Burgess is best known for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in the Toronto production of Les Misérables. He appeared as one of the 17 Jean Valjeans at the end of the Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert...

Reinhard Brussmann
Rob Guest
Rob Guest
Robert John Guest, OBE was a British born New Zealand-Australian actor and singer, best known for his work in Australian musical theatre, particularly in various productions of The Phantom of the Opera...

Øystein Wiik
Jan Ježek
Kurt Ravn
Jeff Leyton
Egill Ólafsson
Craig Schulman


Cavill and Leyton also appeared as two of the five principal convicts in "Work Song" at the beginning of Act 1.

DVD release

The DVD was released by Sony Pictures on November 17, 1998. This Region 1 fullscreen DVD is now out of print. It has a run time of 159 minutes.

A two-disc widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....

 collector's edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...

 was released by BBC Video in Region 1 territories on February 19, 2008. Viewers have reported that a segment of "Little People," is inexplicably removed. This release also does not contain the speeches. The second disc contains Les Misèrables: Stage by Stage, a documentary from 1989
.

Recent versions of the DVD include the missing segment of Little People.
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