A timeline of 'Les Misérables' in the West End and beyond

As the show celebrates its 40th anniversary with a special all-star London run, look back on the show's extraordinary four decades.

It’s 40 years since Les Misérables launched its passionate revolution in the West End, and the show is marking its incredible four decades with a special anniversary version at the Sondheim Theatre. The eight-week run features an all-star company which epitomises the spirit of this beloved long-running show.

Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel explores justice, class, love, family and faith through its generation-spanning story of convict Jean Valjean, pursued by policeman Javert, struggling mother Fantine and her daughter Cosette, and the student revolution that sees young idealists take to the barricades in Paris.

The show has played in 55 countries, and several of its numbers have become breakout hits beyond the world of musical theatre – particularly “Bring Him Home” and “I Dreamed A Dream”.

Look back at the storied history of Les Misérables ahead of the triumphant 40th-anniversary celebration.

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1985: Les Misérables opens in London

The English-language premiere of Les Mis took place at the Barbican in London. This ambitious Royal Shakespeare Company production was directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird, and produced by Cameron Mackintosh.

The original cast featured Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, Roger Allam as Javert, Patti LuPone as Fantine, Michael Ball as Marius, Frances Ruffelle as Éponine, Alun Armstrong as Thénardier, Susan Jane Tanner as Madame Thénardier, and David Burt as Enjolras.

1985: Les Misérables transfers to the West End

The three-month run at the Barbican sold out as audiences flocked to see this new phenomenon, and the show immediately transferred to the Palace Theatre. It has remained a staple of the West End ever since.

Les Mis received four nominations at that year’s Olivier Awards: Best New Musical, leading actor for both Wilkinson and Armstrong, and LuPone won for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical.

1987: Les Misérables opens on Broadway

Following a tryout run at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Les Mis made its Broadway premiere at the Broadway Theatre. It was a feverishly anticipated opening: advance tickets sales were more than $4 million.

Wilkinson and Ruffelle reprised their leading roles, and Broadway newcomers to the company included Terrence Mann as Javert, Judy Kuhn as Cosette, Randy Graff as Fantine, David Bryant as Marius, Michael Maguire as Enjolras, Leo Burmester as Thénardier, and Jennifer Butt as Madame Thénardier.

Les Mis won eight Tony Awards (from a total of 12 nominations), including Best Musical, awards for its book, score and direction, and acting awards for Maguire and Ruffelle.

The show ran at the Broadway Theatre until 1990 and then moved to the Imperial Theatre, where it ran until 2003.

1987: Les Misérables opens in Australia

Les Mis continued its global expansion with its first Australian production at the Theatre Royal in Sydney. Normie Rowe starred as Valjean, alongside Philip Quast as Javert, Debbie Byrne as Fantine, Marina Prior as Cosette, Simon Burke as Marius, and Anthony Warlow as Enjolras. The show ran for four years.

1989: Les Misérables premieres in Canada

The show has proved hugely popular with Canadian audiences too. It first opened at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, led by Michael Burgess, Thomas Goerz and Louise Pitre, and then toured other cities across the country.

Les Mis returned to Canada in 2013 with Ramin Karimloo as Jean Valjean, leading a new run at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto.

1992: Les Misérables begins its first UK tour

Quast reprised the role of Javert for the first ever UK and Ireland tour of Les Mis, which began at Manchester’s Palace Theatre. He was joined by Jeff Leyton, Ria Jones, Meredith Braun, Mike Sterling, Tony Timberlake, Louise Plowright, Sarah Ryan, and Daniel Coll.

The show played at several venues in England, as well as the Point Theatre in Dublin and the Playhouse Theatre in Edinburgh.

1995: Les Misérables celebrates 10 years

Les Mis marked its 10th anniversary with an all-star concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, supported by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The “dream cast” featured 17 Jean Valjeans from around the world (including originator Wilkinson), plus Ball as Marius, Ruthie Henshall as Fantine, Lea Salonga as Éponine (she later did the show on Broadway, and also played Fantine), Armstrong as Thénardier, Jenny Galloway as Madame Thénardier, Judy Kuhn as Cosette, Maguire as Enjolras.

1997: Les Misérables goes on a second UK tour

The first tour was such a hit that Les Mis quickly went on the road again. This time Plymouth was the starting point, and the cast included Stig Rossen, Michael McCarthy, Julia Worsley, Gemma Sandy, Norman Bowman, Cameron Blakely, Cathy Breeze, Rebecca Vere, and Mark O’Malley.

2004: Les Misérables moves to the Sondheim Theatre

Following almost 20 years running at the Palace Theatre, Les Mis moved to its current West End home: the Queen’s Theatre, now known as the Sondheim Theatre (the venue changed its name to honour the late composer Stephen Sondheim in 2019).

2009: Les Misérables marks its 25th anniversary

The show commemorated this huge milestone with a UK tour, beginning at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. The tour featured new direction and design, with scenery inspired by Victor Hugo’s paintings, and refreshed orchestrations. The tour included a stop at the show’s original home, the Barbican.

John Owen-Jones starred as Valjean, and the cast also featured Earl Carpenter, Gareth Gates, Madalena Alberto, Rosalind James, Jon Robyns, Katie Hall, Ashley Artus, and Lynne Wilmot.

Les Mis also staged a mighty 25th-anniversary concert at the O2 in London, with a company of 300 including several schools. Alfie Boe played Jean Valjean, alongside Norm Lewis, Salonga, Nick Jonas, Hall, Galloway, Karimloo, Samantha Barks, Matt Lucas, Rob Madge, and Hadley Fraser.

2012: The Les Misérables movie hits cinemas

Les Mis was turned into an award-winning movie, directed by Tom Hooper and starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Aaron Tveit, and Samantha Barks.

Original Les Mis cast members had cameo roles, including Wilkinson and Ruffelle, as did other recognisable theatre actors like Fraser, Michael Jibson, Bertie Carvel, Gina Beck, Killian Donnelly, Fra Fee, Brammer, Hannah Waddingham, Kate Fleetwood, Daniel Evans, and Kerry Ellis.

The film was critically acclaimed and was nominated for eight Academy Awards. Hathaway won Best Supporting Actress, and the film also won Oscars for make-up and hairstyling, and for sound mixing.

2014: Les Misérables returns to Broadway

The production that began in Toronto in 2013 transferred to New York the following year, playing at the Imperial Theatre. Karimloo reprised his lead role, alongside Will Swenson, Caissie Levy, Nikki M. James, Andy Mientus, and Samantha Hill.

The successful run was nominated for three Tony Awards: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Sound Design, and best leading actor for Karimloo.

2014: Les Misérables begins an international tour

The show returned to Australia for a new tour, led by Simon Gleeson, Hayden Tee, Patrice Tipoki and Trevor Ashley, beginning at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne, and visiting Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.

Following the Australian revival, Les Mis continued its international journey with stops in Manila, Philippines, Singapore, and Dubai. New cast members included Earl Carpenter as Javert, Cameron Blakely as Thénardier, Rachelle Ann Go as Fantine, Peter Polycarpou as Thénardier, Jodie Prenger as Madame Thénardier, Carrie Hope Fletcher as Éponine, and Alistair Brammer as Enjolras.

2018: Les Misérables tours the UK

Les Mis embarked on another major UK and Ireland tour, this time led by Donnelly as Jean Valjean, alongside Nic Greenshields, Hall, Bronwen Hanson, Tegan Bannister, Harry Apps, Martin Ball, Sophie-Louise Dann, and Will Richardson.

2019: Les Misérables stages an all-star concert

While the Sondheim Theatre was undergoing refurbishment work, Les Mis moved to the nearby Gielgud Theatre for a 16-week run of an all-star concert. Ball played a different role, Javert, alongside Boe, Fletcher, Lucas, Katy Secombe, Owen-Jones, Rob Houchen, Bradley Jaden, Shan Ako, and Lily Kerhoas.

Following the Covid shutdown, the concert returned in 2021, with new cast members including Lucie Jones and Jamie Muscato.

2019: Les Misérables introduces new staging

The West End production reopened with the staging elements popularised in the UK tour, including direction by James Powell and Laurence Connor, set and image design by Matt Kinley, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter, and costumes by Andreane Neofitou and Christine Rowlands.

The new London cast included Robyns, Jaden, Fletcher, Ako, Kerhoas, Harry Apps, Gerard Carey, Josefina Gabrielle, and Ashley Gilmour.

2024: Les Misérables embarks on an arena tour

Last year, Les Mis launched its Arena Spectacular World Tour. Beginning in Belfast, the epic tour features returning talent in the lead roles, with Boe and Donnelly sharing Valjean, and Ball and Jaden sharing Javert. The cast, which has guest stars at some tour stops, also includes Hall, Gavin Lee, Bonnie Langford, Linzi Hateley, Jac Yarrow, Beatrice Penny-Touré, and Nathania Ong.

2025: Les Misérables celebrates 40 years

This autumn sees Les Mis all-stars return to the West End to join exciting new talent and help the show celebrate its 40th anniversary. Donnelly plays Jean Valjean, and the cast also features Jaden as Javert, Hall as Fantine, Yarrow as Marius, Ako as Éponine, Penny-Touré as Cosette, Jordan Shaw as Enjolras, Adam Gillen as Thénardier and Marina Prior as Madame Thénardier, plus Ian McIntosh playing Valjean at certain performances.

The anniversary company will play an eight-week run at the Sondheim Theatre, marking four decades of this enduring favourite.

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Main photo credit: Les Misérables (Photo by Johan Persson)