Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, Les Misérables was originally conceived for the stage by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil. The production reunited many of the creative artists from the Royal Shakespeare Company's adaptation of Charles Dickens' The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.

An epic saga of social injustice, Les Misérables follows the life of Jean Valjean, imprisoned for nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread. After his release, Valjean is hounded relentlessly by the fanatic police inspector Javert for breaking his parole. In the end, Javert's obsession leads the two men to a confrontation in the sewers of Paris, a confronation from which only one of them will walk away.

Les Misérables opened in London in 1985 at the RSC's Barbicon Theatre. A monumental success, the production was moved to New York two years later with the original Valjean, Colm Wilkinson, repeating his critically acclaimed performance. The New York production opened at the Broadway Theatre on March 12, 1987.

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