| Les Miśerables - The Dream Cast in Concert | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Caird |
| Produced by | Cameron Mackintosh |
| Written by | Alain Boublil Herbert Kretzmer Claude-Michel Schönberg |
| Starring | Colm Wilkinson Philip Quast Alun Armstrong Jenny Galloway Judy Kuhn Michael Ball Lea Salonga Ruthie Henshall Anthony Crivello |
| Music by | Alain Boublil Herbert Kretzmer Claude-Michel Schönberg |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures (US/CAN) BBC Video (UK) |
| Release date(s) | November 17, 1998 |
| Running time | 148 minutes |
| Country | United States United Kingdom |
| 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 its 10th anniversary. It was filmed in October 1995 at the Royal Albert Hall and released on DVD, VHS and LD 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 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, Michael Maguire as Enjolras, Alun Armstrong as Thénardier, Jenny Galloway as Madame Thénardier, Adam Searles as Gavroche, Hannah Chick as Young Cosette, and several others, and was directed by John Caird. The performers were chosen from the London, Broadway and Australian productions of the show and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by David Charles Abell.
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This presentation uses a "modernised" and more orchestrated Alain Boublil–Claude-Michel Schönberg 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 and 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, as well as some musical numbers, such "At the End of the Day", "The Runaway Cart" and "Turning", having shortened lyrics.
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?" in their native languages. They are then joined by the entire cast and choir to sing the last verse of "One Day More!", receiving applause and a standing ovation. Balloons and confetti fall from the ceiling and sparklers erupt on stage as the show finishes.
| 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 Pontmercy | Original London cast/Complete Symphonic Recording |
| Michael Maguire | Enjolras | Original Broadway cast |
| Judy Kuhn | Cosette | Original Broadway cast |
| Anthony Crivello | Grantaire | Original Broadway cast |
| Adam Searles | Gavroche | |
| Hannah Chick | Young Cosette | |
| Paul Monaghan | Bishop of Digne |
The following are the seventeen Valjeans who participated in the second encore:
| Country | Actor |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Phil Cavill |
| France | Robert Marien |
| Germany | Jerzy Jeszke |
| Japan | Takeshi Kaga |
| Hungary | Gyula Vikidál |
| Sweden | Tommy Körberg |
| Poland | Krzysztof Stasierowski |
| Netherlands | Henk Poort |
| Canada | Michael Burgess |
| Austria | Reinhard Brussmann |
| Australia | Rob Guest |
| Norway | Øystein Wiik |
| Czech Republic | Jan Ježek |
| Denmark | Kurt Ravn |
| Ireland | Jeff Leyton |
| Iceland | Egill Ólafsson |
| United States | Craig Schulman |
Cavill and Leyton also appeared as two of the five principal convicts in "Work Song" at the beginning of Act 1.[1]
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 collector's edition 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.[2]
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