"Les Misérables" is returning to Broadway. A new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's musical phenomenon will hit the Great White Way in March 2014, producer Cameron Mackintosh announced Tuesday.
The revival will arrive with a big-screen version of the show still fresh in the minds of many fans. The film adaptation of "Les Misérables" has grossed $378.9 million worldwide and netted eight Academy Award nominations, including a nod for Best Picture.
The latest stage version marks the second time the Tony-winning adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel has been revived since it first opened in 1987 and played for 16 years 6,680 performances.
In an interview with the New York Times, Mackintosh was quite blunt in noting he wished it was merely the first revival, saying that he didn't wait long enough to mount another production after the first show closed.
The play will be mounted at a Shubert theater to be named later.
Although there's no word yet on casting, the production will be co-directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell and will be derived from the 2010 U.S. national tour.
That production certainly has commercial success on its side, having grossed $130 million in 64 cities throughout its run.
The show boasts a score that includes the ubiquitous "I Dreamed a Dream," as well as rousing numbers like "Do You Hear the People Sing?" and "One Day More." It features music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel.
A spokesman for the show said he did not believe that "Suddenly," the Oscar-nominated song the show's composers added to the film version of "Les Misérables," will also appear in this production.
The production will be designed by Matt Kinley, who will draw on the paintings of Victor Hugo. Andreane Neofitou will handle the costumes with assistance from Christine Rowlands, Paule Constable will design the lighting, Mick Potter will oversee the sound and Fifty-Nine Productions will be in charge of projections.
The original orchestrations are by John Cameron with new orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke and additional orchestrations by Stephen Metcalfe and Stephen Brooker.
