Original Les Miserables cast join 25th anniversary celebrations at the O2

Cast members from the original 1985 production of Les Miserables – including Michael Ball, Alun Armstrong and Colm Wilkinson – reunited for a concert on Sunday marking the 25th anniversary of the musical, which producer Cameron Mackintosh described as one of the “most astonishing” nights of his life.

The event, held at the O2 in London, saw guest artists including Alfie Boe, Matt Lucas, Lea Salonga and Nick Jonas perform a three-hour concert of the show’s music, backed by a chorus of more than 150 singers.

Following this, they were joined on stage by members of the original Barbican cast, as well as performers from the current West End and touring productions of the show, for a finale that also saw students who have performed in school productions of the musical take to the stage.

Addressing the audience at the event, Mackintosh praised the “amazing cast” and added: “Seeing everybody love this material so much and love their fellow performers is something I have never encountered in the theatre and I never will for the rest of my life.”

The producer went on to describe the student performers as “the future” of West End musicals.

Speaking to The Stage after the event, Mackintosh said the night had been one “of the most astonishing nights of my life” and revealed that work has begun on the screenplay for a Les Miserables film, which he said he hoped would be in cinemas within two to three years.

Meanwhile the show’s co-creator Alain Boublil described the choice of guest stars as “amazing”,

Speaking about the success of the show, he admitted he always knew it would not be “completely unsuccessful”.

“I had the feeling it was carrying some kind of weight – some kind of weight in its subject matter, some kind of weight in our work, which I think was very inspired. I felt the world was not going to be indifferent to that,” he told The Stage.