“A blockbuster on steroids – the atmosphere is somewhere between a rock concert and a football match” The Times said of Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular, which is coming to the ICC Theatre Sydney.

Les Misérables is crashing into an arena near you like a storming Bastille, as the London production enters its 40th record-breaking year. By the time it arrives at the ICC Theatre Sydney on 30 April 2025, it will be over 10 years since Boublil and Schönberg’s masterpiece was last seen in Australia if you don’t count rewatches of the Hugh Jackman / Russell Crowe film version – and since no one ever seems to have seen that twice, we won’t.

We’re talking an arena-sized musical, with over 65 international stars, a killer live orchestra, and all the revolutionary vibes you could ever want from a French tragedy-turned-musical, this production’s about to make serious noise. Mick Potter’s sound design is gonna hit you in the gut like Jean Valjean after a week of prison workouts.

The Avengers of Musical Theatre

At the forefront of this star-studded extravaganza are Alfie Boe and Killian Donnelly, tag-teaming the role of Jean Valjean. Alfie, of course, is the Jean Valjean—the guy that turned the character into his signature role back in the 25th Anniversary Concert at London’s O2 Arena. People didn’t just applaud; they lost their minds. Since then, Alfie’s been synonymous with the role, smashing it on Broadway, West End.

Then there’s Killian Donnelly, a man who’s done everything: from starring in Kinky Boots to earning kudos as the Phantom of the Opera. He was also in movie version of Les Mis.

Michael Ball is playing Javert, the same actor who debuted as Marius back in 1985 (how’s that for a throwback?), now gets to be the bad guy. If you’ve ever wanted to see a man chase down another man for 20 years because of stolen bread, it’s Michael Ball’s your guy. He’s been in everything from Sweeney Todd to playing at Windsor Castle for the Queen.

Australia gets to flex its musical muscle too. Marina Prior, Australia’s sweetheart, returns to play the delightfully vile Madame Thénardier after playing Cosette in Les Mis back in the 1980s.

Sharing the stage with her is the legend Matt Lucas—yes, the Matt Lucas from Little Britain, The Great British Bake Off, and generally being funny in everything he touches. He’s back as the scumbag Thénardier.

Rachelle Ann Go (Fantine) and Jac Yarrow (Marius) are also here to break your heart with some powerhouse vocals. If you haven’t seen Rachelle in Miss Saigon or Hamilton, then you’re missing out.

A mini revolution

Cameron Mackintosh had a dream was to make the French Revolution feel like a rock concert 18 years ago, and now, after surviving a literal global pandemic, his dream’s going live. And if history is anything to go by, the Aussies are ready. Flashback to 1989 when Les Mis held a concert in Sydney’s Domain—135,000 people showed up. In a time before smartphones. That’s dedication.

Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular will be in Australia for five weeks only, so you only have a short time to hear the people sing. Ticket presales start at 1pm local time on Tuesday, November 19 2024.