Originally intended to be a stop-gap idea while a theatre was furbished, Les Mis as a concert rather than a musical play will be returning again this summer.

The concert version, which is basically a shortened musical without the stage sets is being brought back so that the recently refurbished Sondheim Theatre (nee Queen’s Theatre) can reopen with half the normal audience in a socially distanced manner.

While hardly ideal for the theatre, it does mean more space for the audience to spread out your elbows without annoying the person next to you.

The musical itself closed in July 2019 while the Queen’s Theatre was refurbished, and moved to the nearby Gielgud Theatre as a staged concert for a few months.

Then the pandemic closed all the theatres, and a resumption of the staged concerts last December lasted just 10 days before another lockdown dropped the guillotine on that as well.

Now, the concerts will resume, with a run from 20th May until 5th September 2021, after which the theatre will close for three weeks in order to be able to re-mount the full production.

The cast will be headed by Jon Robyns as Jean Valjean, Bradley Jaden as Javert, Lucie Jones as Fantine, Shan Ako as Eponine and Harry Apps as Marius. Gerard Carey and Josefina Gabrielle will play the Thénardiers. During the run, other Jean Valjeans will be playing guest performances alongside Jon Robyns.

Tickets are available from here.