Les Misérables returns to the Liverpool Empire Theatre, January 2022

Photo by:- Helen Maybanks.

CAMMERON Mackintosh is delighted to announce full touring dates for the UK and Ireland tour of his acclaimed production of the Boublil and Schönberg's "Les Misérables."  The musical will open at Glasgow Theatre Royal, on 24 November 2021, where it will run until 1 January 2022, before playing Liverpool Empire over 5 January to 22 January 2022.  It will then move onto the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre Dublin, over 8 February to 26 February 2022, then The Mayflower, Southampton, from 8 March to 26 March 2022, then its back to the North West as it heads to The Lowry, Salford, over 29 March to 23 April 2022.  The show will then go onto:- Milton Keynes Theatre, over 26 April to 21 May 2022, Theatre Royal Plymouth over 24 May to 11 June 2022, Hull New Theatre from 15 June to 9 July 2022, Bristol Hippodrome over 12 July to 6 August 2022, Birmingham Hippodrome over 9 August to 27 August 2022, Norwich Theatre Royal from 31 August to 24 September 2022, Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, 30 September to 29 October 2022, Sunderland Empire over 1 November to 19 November 2022, Leeds Grand Theatre, over 24 November to 10 December 2022 and ending at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, with performances from(13 December 2022 until 14 January 2023.

Photo by:- Matthew Murphy.

As previously announced, the cast will include Dean Chisnall as:- 'Jean Valjean,' Nic Greenshields as:- 'Javert' and Katie Hall as:- 'Fantine' with full casting to be announced soon.

Since Cameron Mackintosh 1st conceived this new production of:- "Les Misérables" in 2009 to celebrate the show's 25th anniversary it has taken the world by storm. Originally touring the UK throughout 2009/10, concluding with a season at the Barbican, it has also played across the globe including Broadway where the Huffington Post proclaimed this new production:- "Sizzles for the 21st Century" and the New York Times called it:- "Thrilling, Spectacular and Unforgettable." This production opened triumphantly in the West End at the Sondheim Theatre in January 2020 to critical acclaim, and it will reopen there in September 2021 following a limited run of The Staged Concert. It will also open in Tokyo in May 2021 and will commence another tour of North America in Autumn 2022. It has firmly been embraced by modern audiences everywhere as a Les Mis for the 21st century. The tour of this production has sold out in record breaking time in each venue it has played since opening in 2018.

Photo by:- Matthew Murphy.

This production inspired the hugely successful movie version starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Eddie Redmayne. This brilliant new staging has scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, and has to date already been seen in:- North America, Brazil, Mexico, Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Spain, France, Manila, Singapore, Dubai and Broadway.

Boublil and Schönberg's magnificent score of "Les Misérables" includes the songs:- "I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," "Stars," "Bring Him Home," "Do You Hear the People Sing?," "1 Day More," "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," "Master Of The House" and many more. Seen by over 120 million people worldwide in 52 countries and in 22 languages, "Les Misérables" is undisputedly one of the world's most popular musicals.

Photo by:- Michael Le Poer Trench.

Cameron Mackintosh's production of "Les Misérables" is written by Alain Boublil and Claude Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean Marc Natel, additional material by James Fenton and original adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. The original:- "Les Misérables" orchestrations are by John Cameron with new orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke, Stephen Metcalfe and Stephen Brooker. The 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 Christine Rowland, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter, musical staging by Michael Ashcroft and Geoffrey Garratt, projections by 59 Productions and music supervision by Stephen Brooker and Graham Hurman.

Tickets for the Liverpool Empire showing are now on sale now.
 

Historic 1912 picture house seeks operator for silver screen romance

THE deadline is fast approaching for interested parties to submit expressions of interest to operate the regenerated Prescot Picture Palace site. Submissions of interest to bring the original 1912 Town Centre Cinema site back to its former glory close on 30th April 2021. In a process being run by The Big Picture Cinema Consultants, on behalf of Knowsley Council, enthusiastic owner/operators are being actively sought for the unique original Cinema site to see the heritage asset returned to its former splendour.

As part of a major investment programme into the Town, the Cinema site is the single largest project within the Prescot High Street Heritage Action Zone. Its original features including:- a landmark façade and barrel ceilinged auditorium survive intact, even down to 120 of the original Cinema seats still in situ.

Under the funded restoration scheme, the balcony that was partly demolished in the 1980s could be reinstated, providing additional seating capaCity. The Cinema currently stands at 1022sqm, with a 160 seat capacity, but additional scope exists for the site to be improved and enlarged to increase the existing auditorium seating capacity, add Food and Beverage and other service offerings, and even additional screens and facilities in an extension to the existing building.

The vision for Prescot, shared by Knowsley Council and Historic England via the High Street Heritage Action Zone, is to use the Town's heritage as a resource to enrich people's lives. It will support the local economy and help the Town adapt from a traditional retail based Town Centre to 1 with a more diverse offer that includes varied and dynamic culture and leisure experiences. The leisure sector is now established as the largest sector in terms of unit numbers in Prescot Town Centre, with twelve new independent bars and eateries opening in the Town since 2018, ahead of the grand opening of The Shakespeare North Playhouse next year.

Using conservation accredited architects, the Council will sensitively and sustainably restore and adapt the building for use as a 21st Century Cinema. The Cinema site forms a cornerstone of the Council's planned cultural and leisure Town Centre offer, complementing The Shakespeare North Playhouse, scheduled to open in 2022, and adding further diversity to the Town's cultural and leisure offer.

John Sullivan, Director, The Big Picture, comments:- "We've already received numerous expressions of interest for this unique gem of a site, which offers such a historic opportunity to honour the legacy of the building while bringing it right into the 21st Century. Whilst previous experience of running a Cinema is beneficial for applicants, the most important consideration is their vision to bring this part of the country's Cinema history back to life, and to create a sustainable business that will serve the Prescot community and beyond for generations to come. Cinemas can play a vital role in enhancing Towns' leisure and entertainment infrastructure, and for Prescot to host a true Picture Palace once more gives local residents the experience of immersing themselves in the latest Cinema releases, while also honouring the Town's history and heritage."

Dale Milburn, Executive Director (Regeneration and Economic Development) adds:- "The opportunity to re-open in the area's oldest Cinema building doesn't come around very often, and we're very proud to have secured this site for the benefit of future generations and current Prescot residents. The opportunity to bring the Picture Palace back as an integral part of Prescot's vibrant cultural and leisure environment is a tremendous one. It plays an important role in the Council's continued investments in the Town, and will offer local residents a unique gem of a venue which also recognises and respects the Town's cultural history."

For more details or to submit expressions of interest in the Prescot Picture Palace project, please contact:- The-BigPicture.com or email:- John.Sullivan@The-BigPicture.com.