Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables, comes to IU Auditorium direct from an acclaimed two-and-a-half-year return to Broadway.  This timeless musical about love, courage and hope was the first to play IU Auditorium for a full-week run in 1989 and now, in 2020, Les Miz is sure to please a new generation of audiences for another full week in Bloomington.

With its glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, this breathtaking new production has left both audiences and critics awestruck, cheering “Les Miz is born again!” (NY1). Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice, and redemption, a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Featuring the beloved songs “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “One Day More,” and many more, this epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history.

FREE Pre-Show Talks Prior to Friday and Saturday Evening Performances
 

What: Friday Pre-Show Talk
Where: Woodburn Hall 120
When: February 7, 7–7:45 p.m.

Over the last 230 years, France has had at least three major revolutions, four monarchies, five republics, and three empires. Contrary to common perception, Les Misérables is set not during the famous French Revolution of the 1790s, but decades later. How can having revolutions become an almost ordinary part of political life, and what role do works of art have in them?

Join Rebecca L. Spang, a Professor of History and Director of the Center for Eighteenth-Century Studies at IU, to answer that question.
 

What: Saturday Pre-Show Talk
Where: Woodburn Hall 120
When: February 8, 7:05–7:45 p.m.

Join IU French Professor Nicolas Valazza as he explores how revolutions are represented in literature. Specifically, he will speak on the historical context of Victor Hugo's novel about the June rebellion, which will provide valuable insight into the musical adaption of Les Misérables.