Les Misérables - The Dream Cast in Concert

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Les Miśerables- The Dream Cast in Concert
Directed by	John Caird
Written by	Alain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer, Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel by Victor Hugo
Starring	Colm Wilkinson, Philip Quast, Alun Armstrong, Judy Kuhn, Michael Ball, Lea Salonga, Ruthie Henshall
Distributed by	Sony Pictures (USA & Canada Broadcast Rights) BBC Video (U.K. Broadcasting Rights)
Release date(s)	November 17, 1998
Running time	159 min.
Language	English

Les Misérables - The Dream Cast in Concert a.k.a. Les Misérables in Concert is a concert version of the musical Les Misérables, produced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the musical. It was filmed in 1995 at the Royal Albert Hall and released on DVD and VHS in 1998. It stars Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, Philip Quast as Inspector Javert, Michael Ball as Marius Pontmercy, Lea Salonga as Éponine, Judy Kuhn as Cosette, Ruthie Henshall as Fantine, and several others, and was directed by John Caird. Actors were chosen from two London productions, a Broadway production and an Australian production to appear in this film.

Contents 1 Production 2 The second encore 3 Cast 3.1 Main performers 3.2 The seventeen Valjeans 4 DVD release 5 Soundtrack 6 External links

[edit] Production

This production uses a "modernised" and more orchestrated Alain Boublil–Claude-Michel Schönberg score than that of the musical. The format of this concert is closer to that of a dramatic cantata rather than a fully staged production; the singers stand at their microphone stands with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and chorus behind them, but they do wear costumes and participate in some movement. During the action scenes, the video switches to action from the stage production.

A few scenes from the musical are not included in the concert, including "The Death of Gavroche" and the confrontation between Marius and Thénardier at the wedding feast.

[edit] The second encore

The end of the programme comes to a dramatic conclusion when seventeen Jean Valjeans take to the stage; to each sing a few bars of Do You Hear The People Sing? in their native languages. When they finished, the seventeen Valjeans and the entire cast sang the last verse of One Day More!, to outstanding applause and standing ovations. Balloons and confetti fall from the ceiling and great sparklers erupt on stage, as the credits begin to roll.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Main performers

Colm Wilkinson	Jean Valjean	Original London/Broadway Cast
Philip Quast	Javert	Original Australian Cast/Complete Symphonic Recording
Ruthie Henshall	Fantine	Replacement London Cast
Jenny Galloway	Madame Thénardier	Replacement London Cast
Alun Armstrong	Thénardier	Original London Cast
Lea Salonga	Éponine	Replacement Broadway Cast
Michael Ball	Marius	Original London Cast/Complete Symphonic Recording
Michael Maguire	Enjolras	Original Broadway Cast
Judy Kuhn	Cosette	Original Broadway Cast
Anthony Crivello	Grantaire	Original Broadway Cast

[edit] The seventeen Valjeans

The following are the seventeen Valjeans participated in the second encore:

Country	Actor
United Kingdom	Phil Cavill
France	Robert Marien
Germany	Jerzy Jeske
Japan	Takeshi Kaga
Hungary	Vikdal Gyula
Sweden	Tommy Körberg
Poland	Krzysztof Stasierowski
Netherlands	Henk Poort
Canada	Michael Burgess
Austria	Reinhard Brussman
Australia	Rob Guest
Norway	Øystein Wiik
Czech Republic	Jan Jezek
Denmark	Kurt Ravn
Ireland	Jeff Leyton
Iceland	Egill Ólafsson
United States	Craig Schulman

[edit] DVD release

The DVD was released by Sony Pictures on November 17, 1998, and it has a run time of 159 minutes. The Region 1 DVD is now out of print. DVDs are available for sale in excess of $119.95 USD on online shopping stores such as Amazon and eBay.

A two-disc collector's edition was released by BBC Video in Region 1 territories on February 19th, 2008, at a retail price of $34.99USD. This release was a "collector's edition" and contained, on the second disc, "Stage by Stage: The Making of Les Miserables" a documentary from 1988. This release did, however, not contain the speeches.

Viewers have reported that a segment of "Little People," sung by Gavroche when he identifies Javert, is inexplicably clipped in the 2008 release, missing a large portion of that segment.

[edit] Soundtrack

[edit] External links

• Les Misérables in Concert at the Internet Movie Database

v • d • e Les Misérables by Victor Hugo Characters Valjean • Fantine • Cosette • Marius • Javert • M. & Mme. Thénardier • Éponine • Gavroche • Patron-Minette • Bishop Myriel • Enjolras Films 1934 • 1935 • 1952 • 1958 • 1982 • 1995 • 1998 • Dream Cast in Concert (1998) • Other adaptations Les Misérables (musical) • Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette • Songs from Les Misérables •