Cameron Mackintosh has announced some casting for his new Broadway production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's Les Miserables.
The Broadway revival will open at the Imperial Theatre on 23rd March (previews from 1st March) starring Ramin Karimloo, who previously starred in the West End production and is currently starring in the Toronto production of Les Miserables, as Jean Valjean.
Will Swenson (Tony Award-nominated star of Broadway's Hair and Priscilla Queen of the Desert) will play Javert, Caissie Levy (West End and Broadway star of Ghost and Hair and Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway, pictured right) will play Fantine and Nikki M. James (Tony Award winner for The Book of Mormon) will play Eponine.
Additional casting, including the roles of Marius, Cosette, Enjolras and the Thenardiers, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Cameron Mackintosh said: "The success of Les Miserables across America and around the world has been beyond my dreams, so I am thrilled to bring the show back to Broadway 27 years after the original production with some of the finest contemporary talents in the American theatre today."
He continued to say: "Ramin Karimloo first played Jean Valjean for me in London over a year ago and earlier this month opened in the same role to tremendous acclaim in his home city Toronto. As Javert, he is matched by the magnetic Will Swenson who was such a sensation as Berger in Hair alongside our Fantine, the charismatic Caissie Levy. And Tony Award-winning Nikki James will undoubtedly break hearts as Eponine fresh from her triumph in The Book of Mormon. The rest of the company is shaping up to be just as exciting and I can't wait for rehearsals to begin."
Meanwhile Les Miserables continues to play to packed houses night after night in the West End at the Queens Theatre.
Cast Bios
Ramin Karimloo (Jean Valjean) is currently starring to great acclaim as Valjean in the Toronto production of Les Miserables, a role he also played in London's West End where he received the Theatregoers' Choice Award for his performance. In London, he also performed as the Phantom in the West End production of The Phantom of the Opera, as well as the show's 25th Anniversary production at the Royal Albert Hall. He was personally selected by Andrew Lloyd Webber to play the Phantom in the London world premiere of the show's sequel, Love Never Dies, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award as Best Actor in a Musical. Ramin has also played Enjolras and Raoul in the West End productions of Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera. He also played Enjolras in the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert at the 02 Arena in London. He has also starred in the UK Touring productions of Miss Saigon and Sunset Boulevard. Ramin has toured extensively performing his own special genre of music, Broadgrass. His solo album Human Heart is available from Sony Records. Ramin is Iranian-born and was raised in Canada.
Will Swenson (Javert) is currently starring in the new musical Little Miss Sunshine at Second Stage Theatre and was most recently was seen in the Manhattan Theatre Club hit Murder Ballad. Broadway/West End: Hair (Drama Desk, Tony nominations). Broadway: Priscilla: Queen of the Desert (Drama League Nomination), 110 in the Shade, Lestat, and Brooklyn: the Musical. Off -Broadway: Rock of Ages, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Adrift in Macao, The Slugbearers of Kayrol Island, and Camelot with the New York Philharmonic. Tours: Miss Saigon, We Will Rock You and Fame! Film and Television: Gods Behaving Badly, The Switch, and the upcoming This is Where I Leave You, "The Good Wife," "Law & Order," "6 Degrees." Will is also a filmmaker. His first film Sons of Provo about a clueless Mormon boy band, which he directed, co-wrote and starred in, won several film festivals.
Caissie Levy (Fantine) most recently starred as Sara in the off-Broadway production of Murder Ballad. Other credits include originating the role of Molly in the Broadway and West End productions of Ghost The Musical, Sheila in the Tony Award-winning Broadway and West End productions of Hair, Elphaba in the Los Angeles and Broadway productions of Wicked, Penny in the Broadway, 1st national tour and Toronto productions of Hairspray, and Maureen in the national tour of Rent. Selected recordings include the original London cast recording of Ghost The Musical, the Grammy nominated Broadway revival cast recording of Hair, and her debut EP, With You, featuring stripped down arrangements of songs from her Broadway shows.
Nikki M. James (Eponine) originated the role of Nabalungi in the Broadway production of The Book of Mormon, for which she received the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Other Broadway credits include All Shook Up and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Additional theater credits include Romeo and Juliet, Caesar and Cleopatra, opposite Christopher Plummer at Stratford Shakespeare Festival, The Wiz at La Jolla Playhouse, Bernarda Alba at Lincoln Center, House of Flowers at Encores! and Walmartopia. Nikki's theater workshops include Lizzie in Baby (Papermill/NJPAC) and Beehive on Broadway. She appeared at New York Theater Workshop in the limited engagement of Fetch Clay, Make Man. She recently performed a one woman cabaret show to a sold out audience at 54 Below. She recently wrapped filming the movie, Lucky Stiff co-starring Jason Alexander. Nikki will also appear in the film The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby starring James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain. Nikki has appeared in a variety of TV shows such as "30 Rock," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Third Watch" and "The Jury."
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