‘Les Misérables’ musical captured hearts across the world, but not in France – Technologist

If there’s one thing no one disputes about Sir Cameron Mackintosh, it’s his instinct. From Cats (1981) to Mary Poppins (2004), via The Phantom of the Opera (1986) and Miss Saigon (1989), the man whom the New York Times referred to as “the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world” back in 1990, has made the most iconic musicals of the last 40 years stratospherically successful. The 77-year-old Brit has established himself as the leader of the English school of musicals: His shows were first honed in the West End, London’s theater district, before becoming “cash machines” on Broadway and then in the rest of the world. This licensing system has made him one of the richest men in England, with a fortune estimated in 2024 at £1.25 billion by the Sunday Times.

Mackintosh invited Le Monde to his London offices on Shaftesbury Avenue, a building adjacent to the Sondheim Theatre, which he owns along with seven other theaters in the city. The building’s facade is covered with a huge, sweeping poster depicting the character of Cosette, a reproduction of a 19^th century engraving by French painter Emile-Antoine Bayard. It’s here that Les Misérables, the English-language version of the show created in 1980 by Frenchmen Alain Boublil (lyrics) and Claude-Michel Schönberg (music), plays to full houses every evening. Inspired by Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, this epic tableau of Paris in the first third of the 19^th century has been running in London for almost 40 years, an absolute record for the longevity of a musical.

“This show has had an incredible life, no show in the world has ever accomplished that,” said Mackintosh, seated in the middle of a somewhat fake set, all mirrors and gilt. His big kid’s face lights up when he talks about his “baby” and its success: staged in 53 countries and 22 languages, seen by over 130 million people worldwide, “Les Mis,” the nickname given to the show, has won 100 awards including eight Tonys (theatre awards for Broadway productions). Its 2012 film adaptation was also crowned with three Oscars and became a box-office hit worldwide.

As we’ve already said, Mackintosh is rarely wrong about public taste. Yet his intuition has never helped to establish Les Misérables in France. After the success of Robert Hossein’s first staging in 1980, the musical – now making its return in French at the Théâtre du Châtelet, from November 20, 2024 to January 2, 2025 – has been shunned by its country of birth. It’s a surprising paradox for a work that embodies French culture everywhere else, as evidenced by director Thomas Jolly’s choice to perform an excerpt – “À la Volonté du Peuple” (“Do You Hear the People Sing?”) – at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in July. “France is a wonderful country, but it’s strange the way you operate,” sighed Mackintosh, staring into space, as if seized by a sudden melancholy. “It’s a bit sad, in a way: Alain and Claude-Michel are famous the world over for writing one of the greatest musicals of all time, but remain unknown in their own country.”

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