Casting Announced for Les Miserables at National Theatre in Washington DC

Casting for Cameron Mackintosh's new 25th anniversary production of LES MISERABLES has been announced for the back-by-popular-demand Washington engagement at The National Theatre, beginning December 13 for three weeks only.  The all-new production of LES MISERABLES features glorious new staging and spectacular reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo. 
 
Peter Lockyer portrays the fugitive Jean Valjean.  He is joined by Andrew Varela as Javert, Timothy Gulan as Thenardier, Shawna M. Hamic as Madame Thenardier, Genevieve Leclerc as Fantine, Jason Forbach as Enjolras, Briana Carlson-Goodman as Eponine, Devin Ilaw as Marius, and Lauren Wiley as Cosette.  Erin Cearlock and Abbey Rose Gould alternate in the role of Little Cosette/Young Eponine.  Joshua Colley and Hayden Wall alternate in the role of Gavroche.

The ensemble includes Richard Todd Adams, Richard Barth, Hannah Isabel Bautista, Natalie Beck, John Brink, Erin Clemons, Ian Patrick Gibb, Ben Gunderson, Nathaniel Hackmann, Siri Howard, Brittney Johnson, Beth Kirkpatrick, Cornelia Luna, Jordan Nichols, Weston Wells Olson, Jason Ostrowski, Rachel Rincione, Heather Jane Rolff, Alan Shaw, Joseph Spieldenner, Eric Van Tielen, Natalie Weiss, Jessica Keenan Wynn, James Zannelli, and Lee Zarrett.

In the 26 years since LES MISERABLES debuted in Washington, the legendary musical has become one of the most staggeringly successful shows of all-time worldwide, but Washington and LES MISERABLES have always shared a special and enduring bond through four decades. Since 1986, LES MISERABLES has played Washington an incredible nine times (the 10th will be this December) - three times at the Kennedy Center; five times at the National, and once at Signature Theatre for a total of 78 weeks and more than 624 performances.  Over 84,000 people have seen LES MISERABLES in Washington for a box office gross of $53,226,585.

Washington has played host to LES MISERABLES during the administrations of five Presidents (Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama).  The 1988 national tour of LES MISERABLES performed Happy Birthday for First Lady Nancy Reagan's birthday on stage at the Kennedy Center.  Washington siblings Eden and Sam Riegel, who were cast as Cosette and Gavroche at an open call for the 1988 Kennedy Center engagement of LES MISERABLES at ages 8 and 11, are now 31 and 36.  Sam went on to become a successful voice teacher and Eden an Emmy® Award winning star of "All My Children."  Overall, 302 actors have performed in LES MISERABLES in Washington through the years.

Producer Cameron Mackintosh's all new production of LES MISERABLES that returns to The National Theatre this December features glorious new staging and spectacular re-imagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo.   The New York Times calls this new production of LES MISERABLES "an unquestionably spectacular production from start to finish."  The London Times hails the new show "a five star hit, astonishingly powerful and as good as the original."  The Star-Ledger says "a dynamically re-imagined hit.  This LES MISERABLES has improved with age" and NY1-TV proclaims "this new production actually exceeds the original.  The storytelling is clearer, the perspective grittier and the motivations more honest.  Musical theatre fans can rejoice: LES MIZ is born again."

Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel, LES MISERABLES is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit.  The magnificent score of Les Miserables includes the classic songs "I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," "Stars," "Bring Him Home," "Do You Hear the People Sing?," "One Day More," "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," "Master Of The House," and many more.

Cameron Mackintosh's new production of Boublil and Schonberg's LES MISERABLES has music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer from the original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, additional material by James Fenton, and original adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird.  The original Les Miserables orchestrations are by John Cameron with new orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke and additional orchestrations by Stephen Metcalfe and Stephen Brooker.  The production is directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, designed by Matt Kinley - inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, with costumes by Andreane Neofitou and additional costumes by Christine Rowlands, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter, musical staging by Michael Ashcroft, and projections by Fifty-Nine Productions.

LES MISERABLES originally opened in London at the Barbican Theatre on October 8, 1985, transferred to the Palace Theatre on December 4, 1985, and moved to its current home at the Queen's Theatre on April 3, 2004, where it continues to play to packed houses.  When LES MISERABLES celebrated its 21st London birthday on October 8, 2006, it became the World's Longest-Running Musical, surpassing the record previously held by Cats in London's West End.

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the legendary musical LES MISERABLES made theatrical history with an international first - three different productions in London at the same time:  the Original Production (still playing to packed houses at the Queen's Theatre), the acclaimed New 25th Anniversary Production at the Barbican (where the show originally premiered), and a celebratory concert at The O2 Arena.  The O2 Concert was presented in more than 500 cinemas throughout the United States on November 17, 2010, and is now available on Blu-ray DVD through Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

The Broadway production of LES MISERABLES originally opened at the Broadway Theatre on March 12, 1987, and transferred to the Imperial Theatre on October 17, 1990, running for 6,680 performances.  There have been four national touring companies of LES MISERABLES that have played more than 200 cities.  Broadway audiences welcomed LES MISERABLES back to New York on November 9, 2006, where the show played the Broadhurst Theatre until its final performance on January 6, 2008.  To date, LES MISERABLES remains the third longest-running Broadway production of all time.

Seen by nearly 60 million people worldwide in 42 countries and in 21 languages, LES MISERABLES is undisputedly one of the world's most popular musicals ever written, with new productions continually opening around the globe, with seven more currently scheduled.  There have been 36 cast recordings of LES MISERABLES, including the multi-platinum London cast recording, the Grammy Award-winning Broadway cast and complete symphonic albums, and the soon to be released live recording of the New 25th Anniversary Production.  The video of the 10th Anniversary Royal Albert Hall Gala Concert has sold millions of copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling musical videos ever in the UK.  There are over 2,500 productions of the Les Miserables School's Edition scheduled or being performed by over 125,000 school children in the UK, US and Australia, making it the most successful musical ever produced in schools.