ChronoFive
Play today’s puzzle
Setting the scene
French composers Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil had triumphed in Paris with Les Misérables in 1980; producer Cameron Mackintosh brought an English version by Herbert Kretzmer to London with Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean.
What happened
Les Misérables opened in London on October 8, 1985, at the Barbican before transferring to the Palace Theatre, with rotating barricade sets and One Day More's ensemble climax.
Why it still matters
Schools and community theaters staged it for decades, making Valjean's redemption arc global; the 2012 film starring Hugh Jackman introduced a new generation to the sewer chase and Javert's Stars soliloquy while the stage show neared its fortieth year.
Background
Schools and community theaters staged it for decades.