Les Miserables at Academy of Music

More than 40 years ago, history was being made when Alain Boubil, Jean-Marc Natel, and Claude-Michel Schönberg prepared the very first stage screenplay for Les Misérables (initially in French). Stemming from Victor Hugo’s original novel of the matching title, Les Misérables was modified into a musical performed as a fully sung-through show, which was an enormous achievement in that time period.

Following a very short run in Paris, France, there was obviously a growing demand to make an English show, and once Cameron Macikintosh discovered the soundtrack, he was so inspired and announced he was going to write an English version hand in hand with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Herbert Kretzmer, who composed the new song numbers. The English version of Les Mis only premiered with a two-month duration at the Barbican Centre, but due to its financial success and larger audience with the English version, the show quickly transferred to West End’s Palace Theatre in just two months, London theatre's premier venue, and was performed for 19 years. Les Mis then relocated once again to another location, the Queen’s Theatre (which after some time was refurbished and renamed to The Sondheim Theatre in 2019), and continues to run up until today. Counting all its tours since its first showing in 1980, Les Mis is actually the longest-running musical so far in this generation.

With 37 years in London on its own and not even counting its tours in foreign locations, including its well-received Broadway seasons, it is undeniable that Les Mis endures and is impressive in the perspective of the play's audiences. The storyline and the epic musical score, which revolves around redemption, sacrifice, and unrequited love, always brings each viewer to tears because of the revealed heart behind the mask of each character and act presented. Les Misérables has become so famous that it has been converted to motion pictures repeatedly and gained loyal fanbases even on a separate platform.

This approaching September’s season of Les Misérables brings it to Pennsylvania, where the show will be performed on Friday 6th September 2024, in Academy Of Music, Philadelphia. For an auditory experience like this, theatergoers can agree that Academy Of Music is the unrivaled option due to its audio construction and acoustic range, in addition to a magnificent stage to hold the show. For seat reservations or queries, seats are available by using the links that can be clicked on the top of this page.