Les Miserables: Earl Carpenter makes Broadway debut

West End actor Earl Carpenter makes his Broadway debut tonight in the role of Javert in Cameron Mackintosh's production of Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schönberg's Tony Award-winning musical Les Miserables, reprising the role from his previous West End outing. His intended debut of 12 August 2014 had to be delayed shortly due to visa complications.

Earl Carpenter, who began his West End career playing the role of Courfeyrac in Les Miserables at the Palace Theatre in 1996, recently performed as Javert in the Toronto production of the musical. In 2008 he played Javert at the West End's Queens Theatre and then in the 25th Anniversary UK tour. Carpenter has also appeared in West End productions of 'The Phantom of the Opera' and 'The Witches of Eastwick'.

Les Miserables opened at the Imperial Theatre on 23 March 2014, following previews from 1 March 2014, and is currently taking bookings to 4 January 2015.

The main cast includes Ramin Karimloo (Jean Valjean), Earl Carpenter (Javert until 3 October 2014), Will Swenson (Javert from 5 October 2014), Caissie Levy (Fantine), Nikki M. James (Eponine), Andy Mientus (Marius), Samantha Hill (Cosette), Cliff Saunders (Thenardier), Keala Settle (Mme Thenardier), Kyle Scatliffe (Enjolras), Joshua Colley and Gaten Matarazzo (alternate the role of Gavroche) and Angeli Negron and Mckayla Twiggs (alternate the roles of Little Cosette and Young Eponine).

Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel, Les Miserables is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit. The score 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.

Les Miserables is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, original adaption by Trevor Nunn and John Caird and additional material by James Fenton.

This newly re-imagined 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 and projections by Fifty-Nine Productions. The original Les Miserables orchestrations are by John Cameron with new orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke and additional orchestrations by Stephen Metcalfe and Stephen Brooker.

Les Miserables originally premiered at the Barbican Theatre in a co-production with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1985. It transferred to the Palace Theatre in December of that year and then moved to its current home at the Queen's Theatre in April 2004 where it is still playing to standing room only. In October 2006 Les Miserables took over the title of World's Longest Running Musical followed by two other Cameron Mackintosh productions, Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'The Phantom of the Opera' and 'Cats.'

The Broadway production of Les Miserables originally opened at the Broadway Theatre on 12 March 1987 and transferred to the Imperial Theatre on 17 October 1990 running for 6,680 performances. The musical returned to Broadway on 9 November 2006 where the show played the Broadhurst Theatre until its final performance on 6 January 2008. To date, Les Miserables is the 4th longest-running Broadway production of all time.

The Universal film version of Les Miserables co-produced by Cameron Mackintosh and Working Title Films, and directed by Tom Hooper, has grossed $150 million domestically and nearly $400 million worldwide since its 2012 Christmas Day release. The film received the Golden Globe Award as Best Picture (Musical/Comedy) and received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.

- by Tom Millward