Les Misérables is heading back to Broadway, more than a decade after the original New York production closed its doors.
Following the success of Tom Hooper's film adaptation, producer Cameron Mackintosh revealed yesterday that he would take the 25th anniversary production of Les Misérables to New York in 2014. Neither dates nor a specific venue has been announced, but Mackintosh said the musical would play at a theatre owned by the Shubert Organisation.
It means a third New York outing for Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel and Claude-Michel Schönberg's musical, which initially launched there in 1987, two years after the RSC's original production transferred to the West End. While the London show is still going strong, Les Misérables lasted 16 years on Broadway, closing in 2003.
However, it returned three years later – a move Mackintosh now admits was ill-conceived – after the production shut only 15 months later. "In hindsight I wish I hadn't done that, because coming back to New York in 2014 would be much more exciting without the last revival," he told the New York Times.
Now, however, Mackintosh is seeking to capitalise on the global success of the Oscar-nominated film, which has taken more than $400m worldwide. "What we're counting on is that people who loved the movie will now really want to see Les Misérables on stage, and people who loved the original musical were swept up by the film and say: 'I can't wait for another chance to see it on-stage again.'"
Even so, Les Misérables has been touring the US since 2010, albeit without a Broadway outing; but Mackintosh noted that sales increased with the release of the film. Its Washington run in December, which coincided with the film's American release, grossed $3.5m, while the West End production has seen an almost 20% increase in its advance, to £6m.
Mackintosh even dangled the possibility of Hugh Jackman reprising his screen performance as Jean Valjean for the stage. "If Hugh said he wanted to do it for a week or two, that'd be fine by me," he told the New York Times. "But that's not why we're doing this. Les Misérables is the star."
