On 8 October the show marks its 40th anniversary with a sold-out charity gala at the Sondheim. Nearly 100 performers will take part, joined by alumni including Patti LuPone, Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, Samantha Barks, Matt Lucas and Frances Ruffelle. Tickets vanished in just 45 minutes, a sign of the devotion the show inspires. Impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh called the anniversary “an extraordinary feeling,” adding: “Having staged milestone performances at the Royal Albert Hall and the O2 Arena, I wanted to bring this celebration home to where the British version first began at the Barbican in 1985.” All proceeds from the gala will go to The Felix Project and UKHarvest, two charities tackling hunger in Britain.
Les Miserables at 40: from flop to phenomenon, why the West End’s longest-running musical endures
