Ian McKellen makes surprise cameo in Les Misérables tour

Ian McKellen made a surprise appearance in the touring production of Les Misérables last weekend, performing in a cameo role for a show in Newcastle.

The actor joined the cast for a matinee performance of the Boublil and Schonberg musical during its run at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle, where McKellen was visiting while on tour with his own one-man show.

McKellen’s nationwide tour, to celebrate his 80th birthday, brought him to Newcastle at the same time as the Les Misérables tour and saw him take to the stage as part of the company on August 17.

Adorned in an eye patch, McKellen was given a special cameo role, Hugo Victor, for the performance.

Les Misérables cast members tweeted about their experience of performing alongside McKellen, including Killian Donnelly and Will Richardson, who described the performance as “an afternoon I’ll never forget”.

The character “Hugo Victor” shall forever live on @lesmisofficial. Pic with its creator. pic.twitter.com/2o7tSQ1SSp

— Killian Donnelly (@killiandonnelly) August 17, 2019

McKellen is not the first star to make a cameo appearance in the long-running musical. In 2004, Judi Dench joined its ranks for a performance at the show’s West End home, the newly renamed Sondheim Theatre, formerly the Queen’s.

She appeared in the musical while also starring in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s All’s Well That Ends Well and took to the stage in Les Misérables before later appearing in her intended role at the nearby Gielgud Theatre.