Les Misérables is 40! The World’s Longest Running Musical Is Celebrating Its 40th Anniversary With a Special Charity Gala Performance on 8 October at London’s Sondheim Theatre

The world’s longest running musical is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a special charity gala performance on 8 October at London's Sondheim theatre.
A company of nearly 100 performers, including a star-studded line up of guest artists from the first 40 years of Les Mis such as Patti LuPone, Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, Samantha Barks, Matt Lucas, Frances Ruffelle, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Gerónimo Rauch, Jeremy Secomb and Bonnie Langford plus many more will join the Anniversary Celebration Cast in a special finale.

All proceeds from the Gala Performance will go to two UK charities whose work particularly resonates with Victor Hugo’s timeless story about the young Jean Valjean who needed to steal a loaf of bread to feed his family: The Felix Project and UKHarvest, who both work tirelessly to rescue fresh and healthy food and redistribute to those in need in London and around the country.

Cameron Mackintosh said:

“It is an extraordinary feeling to be celebrating our 40th Anniversary of Les Misérables on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue. Having staged several of our other milestone performances in iconic venues like the Royal Albert Hall for our 10th or the o2 Arena for our 25th, I wanted to bring this special celebration home back to its roots, in the theatre, where the British version first started at the Barbican in October 1985.

Unlike any other musical in history, Les Misérables has continuously triumphed in, not one, but two different and equally successful stagings of the musical, a hugely successful Oscar-winning movie, and spectacular staged concerts in both vast arenas and theatres around the world. Victor Hugo’s creation has proved to have no bounds, continuing to reach new corners of the Earth, playing to different races in their own languages, swept along by Boublil and Schönberg’s inspirational musical score. The reaction of the audience, wherever they are on the planet, is always uplifting; just as Victor Hugo hoped it would be when he first published the novel in 1845. Wouldn’t I love to be around for that bi-centennial!

So, for our actual anniversary on October 8th, I am thrilled that our wonderful company will be joined for one night only by some of our most celebrated, ever-growing family of alumni from the last 40 years in a special finale. We are limited by the 1,100-seat capacity of the Sondheim Theatre and the number of guests who have been involved in Les Mis over the past four decades, but we wanted to make at least 500 tickets available to fans.

This country, like many other parts of the world, continue to face the critical issues at the core of Victor Hugo’s story: hunger and poverty. So, everybody involved in Les Misérables wished to donate all the proceeds of what promises to be an extraordinary evening to two charities that continually fight to end hunger in England by redistributing fresh and healthy food to those in need: The Felix Project and UKHarvest.”

For this very special 40th Anniversary Gala performance of Les Misérables, at least 500 tickets (approximately half of the house) will be available to purchase with prices ranging from £25 to £250. A very limited number of £500 Platinum Anniversary tickets, to include pre and post-show hospitality at the theatre as well as a limited-edition print, will also be available to buy. All proceeds from this Anniversary Gala performance will be donated to the British charities The Felix Project and UKHarvest.

The Felix Project is London’s largest food redistribution charity. It rescues in date, good quality surplus food from suppliers in the UK food industry and delivers it for free to local charities, schools, and other community organisations. The charity’s mission is to fight hunger and reduce food waste by providing fresh, nutritious food to those in need. The Felix Project has grown exponentially since its founding, distributing approximately 38 million meals in 2024 alone across its four London depots, and network of over 1,200 community organisations. www.thefelixproject.org

UKHarvest is a leading environmental and social impact charity dedicated to preventing food waste and increasing food security. By enriching and educating our communities, UKHarvest helps nurture those most food insecure, to live well, age well and to help combat social isolation. From food rescue and redistribution operations to education programmes, to award-winning Nourish Hub in London, every initiative UKHarvest offers brings people together for the most meaningful impact.

HM The Queen is the Patron of UKHarvest. https://www.ukharvest.org.uk