{"id":221057,"date":"2025-09-12T14:18:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T14:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/221057\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T14:18:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T14:18:09","slug":"10-things-to-know-about-les-miserables-which-returns-to-san-diego-on-tuesday-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/221057\/","title":{"rendered":"10 things to know about \u2018Les Mis\u00e9rables,\u2019 which returns to San Diego on Tuesday \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a theater critic, I see somewhere around 125 plays and musicals a year.<\/p>\n

Some of the weaker and most-dated shows I\u2019m happy to see only once. But there are some I never tire of. Top on my list is \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables,\u201d which returns Tuesday for its eighth visit since 1991 to the San Diego Civic Theatre.<\/p>\n

\u201cLes Miz,\u201d as it\u2019s nicknamed by fans, never fails to inspire me with its gorgeous and plaintive score, its moving story based on real events, its inspiring marches, grand, sweeping stagecraft and epic size.<\/p>\n

Co-written by writer-composers Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Sch\u00f6nberg, the 1985 musical is based on Victor Hugo\u2019s 1862 novel about life in post-Revolutionary France from 1814 to 1832. The central character is Jean Valjean, a peasant released after a 19-year prison sentence served for stealing a loaf of bread. Unable to find work because of his prison record, he jumps parole and assumes a new identity, but he is pursued relentlessly by the vengeful police inspector Javert.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t know \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d or want a refresher, here are 10 things to know about this musical and tour.<\/p>\n

1. The world\u2019s most popular musical<\/strong>. \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d has been seen by more than 130 million people in 43 countries and in 22 languages over the past 40 years. Combining the stage musical and its 2012 film adaptation, it has grossed nearly $5 billion.<\/p>\n

2. A slow burn. <\/strong>The musical began in 1980 as a French-language concept album. Its English-language London premiere in 1985 bombed with critics who criticized the show as melodramatic. Producers were hesitant to invest and directors shied away. But a landslide of ticket sales soon convinced West End investors the show would be a hit. By the time it arrived on Broadway two years later, it was a certified smash.<\/p>\n

3. Historic roots<\/strong>. Victor Hugo\u2019s novel was inspired by the bloody June Rebellion of 1832. Working-class rebel supporters of the Republic led a brief uprising against the forces of King Louis-Philippe by building armed barricades in the streets of Paris, but the overnight battle ended quickly and most rebels were killed or jailed. There was indeed a man who waved a red flag during the rebellion, as memorably seen in the musical. Hugo\u2019s novel begins 18 years before the rebellion and focuses on the life and work of a common man, Jean Valjean, trying to do good in a nation troubled by severe wealth inequity, corruption, disease, crime and starvation.<\/p>\n

4. The cast.<\/strong> This year\u2019s U.S. tour features 41 actors, including three children who play Gavroche, the boy rebel, and two girls alternating in the roles of Little Cosette and Young \u00c9ponine.<\/p>\n

\"NickNick Cartell as Jean Valjean sings \u201cBring Him Home\u201d in the national touring production of \u201cLes Miserables,\u201d which plays in San Diego Sept. 16-21. (Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n

5. Marathon man<\/strong>. The tour visiting San Diego next week stars actor Nick Cartell in the role of Jean Valjean. If that name sounds familiar, it\u2019s because Cartell played the same role when the tour visited San Diego in 2023. I interviewed him then<\/a>, and at that time he was closing in on his 1,000th performance in the role. In June, he surpassed the 1,500 mark<\/a> and is still going strong.<\/p>\n

6. Moving city<\/strong>. Although \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d is not the biggest touring musical (\u201cLion King\u201d holds that crown), it has been compared to a moving city due to its vast production, which travels in 11 large trucks. The show requires 1,200 costumes, 88 mostly human-hair wigs, a massive array of 148 audio speakers and 2,000 pounds of hanging scenery.<\/p>\n

7. The look.\u00a0<\/strong>For decades, \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d looked very much the same as the West End original, with the cast marching on a constantly revolving turntable. But in 2010, that changed when telescoping projection-mapping was\u00a0 first used to create a more cinematic and immersive stage design. It\u2019s most notable when Jean Valjean enters the Paris sewers to find injured rebel Marius, the true love of Valjean\u2019s young ward, Cosette.<\/p>\n

8. The clowns<\/strong>. In the musical, the greedy and unscrupulous innkeepers known as the Th\u00e9nardiers are broad clownlike characters who bring comic relief to the dark story. In the novel, they\u2019re irredeemably evil. Madame Th\u00e9nardier dies in prison, but her unrepentant husband escapes to America. Also in the novel, the boy rebel Gavroche was the Th\u00e9nardiers\u2019 eldest son.<\/p>\n

\"HaleyHaley Dortch, as Fantine, sings \u201cI dreamed a Dream\u201d in the 2022 touring production of \u201cLes Miserables.\u201d (Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n

9. Most popular song<\/strong>. Including reprises, \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d has about 55 songs in its score. The most popular song has varied over the years. When Susan Boyle sang \u201cI Dreamed a Dream\u201d on \u201cBritain\u2019s Got Talent\u201d in 2009, it rocketed up the charts. Same for \u201cOn My Own,\u201d when Anne Hathaway won an Oscar for her emotioal vocal performance in the 2012 film. Nowadays, the protest anthem \u201cDo You Hear the People Sing?\u201d is finding a wide audience worldwide.<\/p>\n

10. All-time bests<\/strong>. Who were the best-ever stage performers in the musical\u2019s principal roles? That\u2019s subjective, but here are my favorites in four key roles. The angel-voiced Irish tenor Colm Wilkinson set the standard for all the Jean Valjeans who followed. The precise and powerful Australian baritone Philip Quast has no rivals as police inspector Javert. English singer Ruthie Henshall<\/a> sang with fierce emotion as the original Fantine. And Filipino soprano Lea Salonga<\/a> is perfection as the tragic \u00c9ponine.<\/p>\n

\u2018Les Mis\u00e9rables\u2019<\/p>\n

When:<\/strong> 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Sept. 19; 2 and 8 p.m. Sept. 20; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sept. 21<\/p>\n

Where:<\/strong> San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown<\/p>\n

Tickets: <\/strong>$43 to $186<\/p>\n

Online:<\/strong> broadwaysd.com\/upcoming-events\/les-miserables-2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Originally Published: September 12, 2025 at 6:00 AM PDT<\/p>\n