Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert#The seventeen Valjeans

{{Distinguish|Les Misérables: The Staged Concert|Les Misérables in Concert: The 25th Anniversary}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Les Miśerables - The Dream Cast in Concert

| image =

| caption =

| director = Gavin Taylor
Paul Kafno

| writer = Alain Boublil
Herbert Kretzmer
Claude-Michel Schönberg

| starring = Colm Wilkinson
Philip Quast
Michael Ball
Judy Kuhn
Lea Salonga
Ruthie Henshall
Michael Maguire
Alun Armstrong
Jenny Galloway
Anthony Crivello

| music = Claude-Michel Schönberg

| editing = Nigel Cattle

| studio = Cameron Mackintosh Limited
HD Thames

| distributor = Video Collection International

| released = {{Film date|1995|11|20|df=y}}

| runtime = 148 minutes

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| budget =

}}

Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert (1995), also titled Les Misérables in Concert, is a concert version of the 1980 musical Les Misérables, which was based on Victor Hugo's 1862 novel, produced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the West End production. It was filmed in October 1995 at the Royal Albert Hall and was shortly afterwards released on VHS in the United Kingdom in November by Video Collection International. The concert was released on DVD, VHS and LD in North America by Columbia TriStar Home Video in 1998, and re-released on DVD in North America in 2008. The latest DVD presents the concert in its original 16x9 ratio.

Although filmed with HD cameras, a Blu-ray edition has not been released yet. The 10th Anniversary cast stars Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, Philip Quast as Inspector Javert, Michael Ball as Marius Pontmercy, Lea Salonga as Éponine, Judy Kuhn as Cosette, Ruthie Henshall as Fantine, Michael Maguire as Enjolras, Anthony Crivello as Grantaire, Alun Armstrong as Thénardier, Jenny Galloway as Madame Thénardier, Adam Searles as Gavroche, Hannah Chick as Young Cosette, and several others, and was directed by John Caird. The performers were chosen from the London, Broadway and Australian productions of the show and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by David Charles Abell. It also aired on PBS as part of the Great Performances series.

Production

The 10th anniversary concert of Les Misérables is known as the "Dream Cast in Concert" because Mackintosh hand-selected the cast. Colm Wilkinson reprised his role as Valjean after starring in the original West End and Broadway productions. Philip Quast was cast as Inspector Javert after the producers of the show witnessed his performance in a musical production in his hometown in Australia. Wilkinson and Quast are widely recognized as the "Dream Casting" of the idolized roles of Valjean and Javert.{{cite news|last=Litson|first=Jo|title=The Qualities of Quast|newspaper=The Weekend Australia|date=1989-04-30}} Lea Salonga is the only non-Caucasian performer in the main cast. Her participation has been credited by many stage musical enthusiasts of breaking down racial barriers for future castings of the live show.

This presentation uses a "modernised" and more heavily orchestrated score than that of the original musical. It follows the traditional "musicals-in-concert" format with the cast lined up against a set of microphones with the orchestra and chorus behind them. The entire company wear costumes and use only necessary props (such as Javert's baton, Thénardier's notebook, etc.). Apart from minor movement on the concert stage, the performers do not participate in major action scenes. Where necessary, the video switches to action from the stage production.

A few action-based scenes from the musical are not included in the concert – such as the street brawl broken up by Javert, Gavroche's death, and the confrontation between Marius and Thénardier at the wedding feast. Some musical numbers, such as "At the End of the Day", "Lovely Ladies", "The Runaway Cart", "In My Life", and "Turning" were also shortened.

Notable events

During the performance of "Castle on a Cloud", as Hannah Chick sang the line "Crying at all is not allowed", a loud pop was heard – the popping of a balloon, one of many stored in the ceiling for release at the end of the show. It visibly startled her (as seen by her sudden flinch), but she recovered immediately and continued the song with no delay in the delivery.

The five international, English-speaking Valjeans featured in the encore song, also played the convicts in the opening number "Look Down".

Encore

The programme ends with an encore in which seventeen international actors who portray Jean Valjean in their respective countries join Wilkinson on stage to each sing a few bars of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" in their native languages. They are then joined by the entire cast and choir to sing the last verse of "One Day More", receiving a standing ovation. Red, white, and blue balloons, as well as confetti, fall from the ceiling; sparklers erupt on stage as the show finishes.

Cast

=Main performers=

class="wikitable"

!Actor

!Role

!Previous performance

Colm Wilkinson

| Jean Valjean

| Original London Cast
Original Broadway Cast

Philip Quast

| Javert

| Original Australian Cast
Complete Symphonic Recording

Ruthie Henshall

| Fantine

| Replacement London Cast

Michael Ball

| Marius Pontmercy

| Original London Cast
Complete Symphonic Recording

Judy Kuhn

| Cosette

| Original Broadway Cast

Lea Salonga

| Éponine

| Replacement Broadway Cast

Michael Maguire

| Enjolras

| Original Broadway Cast

Alun Armstrong

| Monsieur Thénardier

| Original London Cast

Jenny Galloway

| Madame Thénardier

| Replacement London Cast

Anthony Crivello

| Grantaire

| Original Broadway Cast

Adam Searles

| Gavroche

| Replacement London Cast

Hannah Chick

| Young Cosette

| new

Paul Monaghan

| The Bishop of Digne

| new

Jérôme Pradon

| Courfeyrac

| Replacement London Cast

Peter Polycarpou

| Jean Prouvaire

| Original London Cast

Matthew Cammelle

| Feuilly

| Replacement London Cast

Darryl Knock

| Joly

| Replacement London Cast

David Bardsley

| Combeferre

| Replacement London Cast

Gareth Snook

| Bamatabois

| Replacement London Cast

Michael McCarthy

| Factory Foreman

| Replacement London Cast

Jackie Marks

| Factory Girl

| Original London Cast

Beverly Klein

| Crone

| Original London Cast

=The seventeen Valjeans=

The following are the seventeen Valjeans who participated in the second encore (in order):

class="wikitable"
Country ! Actor
{{GBR}} \| Phil Cavill
{{FRA}} \| Robert Marien
{{GER}} \| Jerzy Jeszke
{{JPN}} \| Takeshi Kaga
{{HUN}} \| Gyula Vikidál
{{SWE}} \| Tommy Körberg
{{POL}} \| Krzysztof Stasierowski
{{NED}} \| Henk Poort
{{CAN}} \| Michael Burgess
{{AUT}} \| Reinhard Brussmann
{{AUS}} \| Rob Guest
{{NOR}} \| Øystein Wiik
{{CZE}} \| Jan Ježek
{{DEN}} \| Kurt Ravn
{{IRL}} \| Jeff Leyton
{{ISL}} \| Egill Ólafsson
{{USA}} \| Craig Schulman

class="wikitable"

Country

! Actor

| Phil Cavill

| Krzysztof Stasierowski

| Reinhard Brussmann

| Jan Ježek

| Kurt Ravn

| Jeff Leyton

| Egill Ólafsson

| Craig Schulman

The five English speaking Valjeans (Cavill, Burgess, Guest, Leyton and Schulman) appear as the five principal convicts in "Look Down" at the beginning of Act 1.Les Misérables in Concert CD liner notes

DVD release

The DVD was released by Columbia TriStar Home Video on 17 November 1998. This Region 1 fullscreen DVD is now out of print. It has a run time of 159 minutes.

A two-disc widescreen collector's edition was released by BBC Video in Region 1 territories on 19 February 2008. Viewers have reported that a segment of "Little People" is inexplicably removed. This release also does not contain the speeches. The second disc contains Les Misérables: Stage by Stage, a documentary from 1989.

Recent versions of the DVD include the missing segment of Little People.{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00110K62U |title=Les Miserables: The 10th Anniversary Dream Cast in Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall: Colm Wilkinson, Michael Ball, Lea Salonga, Judy Kuhn, Michael Maguire, Alun Armstrong, Ruthie Henshall, Philip Quast: Movies & TV |date=19 February 2008 |publisher=Amazon.com |access-date=2012-03-02}}

A remastered special edition DVD of the concert was released on November 20, 2012.{{cite web|url=http://broadwayworld.com/article/BBC-to-Release-Special-Edition-DVD-of-LES-MISERABLES-10th-Anniversary-Concert-1120-20121108 |title=BBC to Release Special Edition DVD of LES MISERABLES 10th Anniversary Concert, 11/20 |publisher=broadwayworld.com |access-date=2012-11-09}}