Kennedy Center Brings “Les Mis” Home

“Les Mis” returns to The Kennedy Center — where it made its American debut nearly 40 years ago.

“Les Misérables” is one of the most popular musicals in the world and has The Kennedy Center to thank for some of its overwhelming success.

Before heading to Broadway, the show had its U.S. debut at the Washington, D.C., venue in 1986. From there, one year after premiering in London’s West End, it began its incredible theatrical run in New York, where it played until 2003, making it the second-longest running musical at the time.

Now, the Kennedy Center is bringing home Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical. The limited engagement will run April 11-29.

Set in 19th century France, “Les Misérables” is an epic and moving story that includes a memorable score of classics such as “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “One Day More” and “Master of the House.”

The show stars Nick Cartell and Preston Truman Boyd as fugitive Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert, respectively.

For Boyd, a Broadway veteran of such shows as “Kiss Me, Kate,” “The Play That Goes Wrong” and “Sunset Boulevard,” playing Javert on tour has been a dream.

“Javert is a role that I have been growing into over the years and the timing was just right,” he says. “I really enjoy the gravitas that I embody in playing him on stage. Playing a character who, when they enter the stage, kind of takes the air out of the room, is a fun challenge to take on as an actor. And to be a pivotal part of a story about redemption and the survival of the human spirit — I’m the obstacle standing in the way of that, so it’s a nice dynamic to play.”

As a youngster, Boyd and his sister watched the filmed 10th anniversary production on VHS so much that the tape broke, and they would perform the entire show in their living room for friends and family. In high school, he played Jean Valjean, and fell in love the show even more. Then while in college, he played Grantaire at The Muny in St. Louis.

The tour has everything theatregoers love about the show, though there are some slight differences from the original Broadway production.

“A lot of people when they think of ‘Les Mis,’ they think of a turntable, but in our production, there is no turntable, and the direction by Laurence Connor is so beautiful,” he said. “This is a whole new world that we live in with projection, specifically, and it’s more of a cinematic experience. The designer uses a lot of Victor Hugo’s paintings as projections, so you’re not only seeing the story that he wrote but also the images he saw while writing the book.”

Also among the barricades in the touring cast are Matt Crowle as Thénardier, Christina Rose Hall as Madame Thénardier, Haley Dortch as Fantine, Devin Archer as Enjolras, Christine Heesun Hwang as Éponine, Gregory Lee Rodriguez as Marius and Addie Morales as Cosette.

“I think this is such an important time to see this show,” Boyd says. “Coming out of the lockdown and getting back into ‘normal life,’ there are still so many obstacles mentally and economically that people are overcoming. Being able to relate to a lot of these characters who are also living in hard times and watch them overcome different hardships — unjust or just as they may be — people can come to this show and be inspired to overcome whatever is happening in their lives.”

“Les Misérables” runs at The Kennedy Center April 11–29. Tickets start at $69 and can be purchased here.

The Kennedy Center: 2700 F St. NW, DC; kennedy-center.org // @kennedycenter

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Keith Loria

A theatre buff and huge music fan, Keith Loria is a D.C.-based award-winning journalist who has been writing about the arts for more than 20 years. He started his career with the Associated Press and has written for Soap Opera Digest, Playbill and Music Review. He looks forward to 2021 and the theaters reopening! He’s the proud father of two daughters, who often accompany him on his theater outings. Visit his website at keithloria.contently.com.