Pick # 1 - For the Theatre Lover with a Passport
Yes, you might be saying to
yourself "Shut your mouth; it's not even Halloween yet!" -
but hear me out. Before the first weekend in October - and even before
the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book has been released - this once in a lifetime
chance will have passed.
2010 marks the 25th anniversary of
the longest running stage musical of all time: Les Miserables. And to mark
this auspicious occasion, a new touring production of Les Miserables
has been launched at The Barbican Theatre in London for a limited run.
This is the very theatre where Les Mis - as it's lovingly referred to among theatre goers -
had its world premier in 1985. It will run simultaneously with the
ongoing West End production at the
more intimate Queen's Theatre
But what makes this a "once
in a lifetime" landmark event is that a third production will take
place at London's O2 Arena, a complex that since opening in 2007 has
hosted concerts from Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Tina Turner, Elton
John - and will host an array of Olympic events in 2012. For this
production of Les Miserables in Concert: The 25th Anniversary, more than 300
performers from across the world will take the stage for what is bound
to be an epic, star studded event. Former cast members from the
past 25 years will join newcomers for the event - including Tony Award
winners Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon) as "Fantine" and Alfie Boe (Baz Luhrman's La Bahome) as
"Jean Valjean."
Oliver Award winner Jenny Galloway
(Mamma Mia!)
takes on the role of "Madame Thénardier," which she
performed at the Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in
1995. Ramin Karimloo, who starred as Christine's father in the movie
adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit The
Phantom of the Opera and is currently
starring as "The Phantom" in Webber's sequel The Phantom of the Opera
called Love Never Dies, takes on the role of "Enjolras."
But in what is perhaps a
bold and daring move, pop superstar Nick Jonas (yes, THAT Nick Jonas of
the Jonas Brothers) will star as "Marius" - a role he
performed earlier this year to surprisingly fantastic reviews at The
Queens Theatre.
Tickets are now on sale for
each of the productions, or you can opt for what is being called the
"Total Mizery" package. For £385 per person (about $490
US dollars), you secure a premium seat for the O2 Concert on October
3rd (which alone would run around $315 US) and top-price seats for
performances at The Barbican and The Queens Theatre on October 2nd.
But you had better hurry.
To make this holiday the most wonderfully miserable as you can,
you need to act fast - tickets are just about sold out.
As for flights, they are
currently running around $1,000 per person from Austin to London.
But try looking at flights from Houston or Dallas, as they tend
to run a couple hundred less.
For more information and tickets
visit www.LesMis.com, or
for the "Total Mizery" package, call 0844 482 5171.
Oh, and bring me back a
program - or at the very least a picture.
Nick Manix is a professional writer and journalist
who splits his time between Central Texas and New Orleans.
(Image courtesy Broadway World)
