Actor Simon Gleeson takes the prized role of Jean Valjean in the new production of Les Miserables due to open in Melbourne in July. His ruthless pursuer Javert is to be played by Hayden Tee.
The cast was announced in Melbourne on Monday, with Les Miserables composer Claude-Michel Schonberg on hand to welcome them into the sprawling global Cameron Mackintosh stable.
The producer has often said he launched the careers of Australians Marina Prior and Anthony Warlow. The cast of this returning production will no doubt be hoping the same fame comes their way.
Les Miserables principal cast members Hayden Tee, Simon Gleeson and Patrice Tipoki. Photo: Wayne Taylor
Gleeson had the role of Raoul in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Love Never Dies. Sydney's Trevor Ashley, the man behind camp spoof Little Orphan TrAshley, will appear as the villainous Monsieur Thenardier with Lara Mulcahy, from Mamma Mia, as his Madame - written by the tale's original author Victor Hugo as "a marriage of cunning and fury".
Cast as the doomed Fantine, Patrice Tipoki has had lead roles in Wicked and The Lion King. Pinching herself will be 2012 drama school graduate Kerrie Anne Greenland, who will play Eponine, with Emily Langridge - recently in Gypsy - cast as Cosette.
The Melbourne production is the rejigged 25th anniversary Les Mis, with new staging, scenery and orchestrations. Mackintosh had the final say on the cast, and it will be directed by the producer's regular stablemates, James Powell and Laurence Connor.
Mackintosh said earlier this year: ''Melbourne is now sort of the natural home of theatres because it looked after and increased its theatre stock, and that's why more shows open in Melbourne than in Sydney.'' This declaration prompted the NSW Arts Minister, George Souris, to shoot back: ''We were not in the race for Les Mis.'' Melbourne was ''claiming a victory where there is no contest''.
Contest or not, Sydneysiders are expected to flock to Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre to see Les Miserables. But what does Sydney have to compensate? A revival of Julie Taymor's The Lion King is coming to the Capitol Theatre in December. And Dirty Rotten Scoundrels starring Matt Hetherington and Tony Sheldon as conmen opens on October 24 at the Theatre Royal, but after its limited season that theatre will close for renovations to the MLC Centre.
Grease the Musical opens at the Lyric Theatre this week, but all eyes are on the same 2050-seat theatre for the world premiere of Strictly Ballroom the Musical, based on the hit 1992 movie, on March 25.
Creator Baz Luhrmann said from Los Angeles that he has found his leading man, Scott, but not yet found his leading woman, Fran. He hoped to find her during more week-long auditions upon his return to Australia on October 14.
''I'm looking for her all over the world,'' he said. ''We're having auditions for her in New York and LA, I'm seeing some girls from London.'' Luhrmann wants the actors to be Australian. ''But if there was an Irish or English girl who could do an Australian accent, then you might go there.''
Opera Australia meanwhile will be cashing in on the appeal of baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes and actor-singer Lisa McCune, who starred in two seasons of South Pacific. The pair will star in another Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, The King and I, at the Opera House in September. Wicked will also return to the Capitol Theatre in late 2014 to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
Tickets for Les Mis go on sale to the general public on Thursday.
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