Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg will travel to Australia together in September for the first time in 25 years for the Australian premiere of the concert spectacular Do You Hear The People Sing? which celebrates their iconic musicals including Les Misérables and Miss Saigon.
Presented at Hamer Hall – Arts Centre Melbourne from 27 – 28 September, and in the transformed Sydney Opera House Concert Hall from 30 September – 2 October, it will feature a 24 piece orchestra, 12 person choir and the world’s greatest musical theatre stars performing hit songs from the duo’s record-breaking musicals including Les Misérables, Miss Saigon and their shows Martin Guerre, The Pirate Queen and La Révolution Française.
Do You Hear The People Sing? is the only concert ever to be authorised by Boublil and Schönberg and is the definitive showcase of their work. It will include I Dreamed A Dream, Do You Hear The People Sing?, On My Own, One Day More, The American Dream, Bui Doi, Woman and Bring Him Home, brought to life by leading international stars from the Boublil & Schönberg universe:
Michael Ball OBE (UK): Britain’s leading musical theatre star who, among his many credits, played Marius in the original London production of Les Misérables, and reprised the role for the 10th anniversary concert. More recently, he starred as Javert in the acclaimed staged concert in the West End.
John Owen-Jones (UK): the star of the London, Broadway and international productions of Les Misérables, as well as his record-breaking run in The Phantom of the Opera in London.
Rachel Tucker (UK): recently starred in Come From Away on Broadway. She starred in the London premiere of Boublil & Schönberg’s The Pirate Queen in 2020 and is renowned for her performance as Elphaba in Wicked in London and on Broadway.
Bobby Fox (Aus): the popular star of the Australian production of Jersey Boys.
David Harris (Aus): who has performed leading roles in Miss Saigon, Wicked and Legally Blonde, and is currently starring in the US tour of Moulin Rouge.
Sooha Kim (Korea): Korean star of Aida, Rent and Hadestown, who starred as Kim in the UK and Japanese tours of Miss Saigon.
Suzie Mathers (Aus): star of international productions of Wicked and Mamma Mia!.
Marie Zamora (France): the French star of Kiss Me Kate and Barnum, and starred as Cosette in the Paris production of Les Misérables.
Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg will also take part in an exclusive “In Conversation” event in each city, at the Sofitel Melbourne (Sunday 25 September) – hosted by Mark Humphries, and in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall (Saturday 1 October) – hosted by Julia Zemiro.
“It is an enormous pleasure for us, in collaboration with Enda Markey, to bring the concert we conceived to Australia following the warmth of its reception in the USA and in Asia,” said Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg.
“It is especially thrilling for us to see the concert play in two of Australia’s most iconic venues – Hamer Hall and Sydney Opera House’s newly refurbished Concert Hall.”
“This new version, especially created for Australian audiences, traces the history of our 50-year collaboration, showcasing a wide selection of well-known songs from our shows as well as a journey of discovery through how some of the songs were written, rewritten or reinvented,” they said.
Do You Hear The People Sing? has been developed over a decade by Boublil and Schönberg in collaboration with producer Enda Markey for its Australasian tour. It has previously been staged in China, Taiwan (starring Michael Ball and David Harris), the Philippines and across the USA including at Carnegie Hall (starring Marie Zamora).
Newly imagined for its Australian tour, it reinvigorates Boublil and Schönberg’s timeless music as a multi-layered concert spectacular helmed by Guy Simpson (Conductor) and Andrew Pole (Director).
In addition to all the best-known songs, the concert features music from Boublil and Schönberg’s complete oeuvre; Martin Guerre, The Pirate Queen and their very first musical together, La Révolution Française.
Tickets for Do You Hear The People Sing? are on sale in Sydney from Friday 6 May (pre-sales from today) and in Melbourne from Wednesday 11 May (pre-sales from next Monday 9 May). For more information and tickets, visit: www.thepeoplesing.com for details.
Image: Michael Ball OBE, John Owen-Jones, Rachel Tucker, Bobby Fox, David Harris, Sooha Kim, Suzie Mathers and Marie Zamora to star in Do You Hear The People Sing? (supplied)