His Name is Jean Valjean! John Owen-Jones Begins Performances in Les Miserables on Broadway

John Owen-Jones, the Jean Valjean who will bring the Les Miserables revival home when it closes on September 4, begins performances in the production on March 1. He replaces Alfie Boe in the tuner, which is playing at Broadway's Imperial Theatre.

Owen-Jones, at 26, became the youngest actor ever to play the role of Valjean in the West End production of Les Miz. He is one of a handful of actors to have played the role of Valjean both in the West End and on Broadway (in 2007) and he reprised the role for the 25th Anniversary new production of Les Miz in its UK tour in 2010. Owen-Jones is London's longest-running Phantom with nearly 2,000 performances in the role.

Directed by James Powell and Laurence Connor, the current cast of the reimagined production also includes Hayden Tee as Javert, Alison Luff as Fantine, Gavin Lee as Thenardier, Rachel Izen as Madame Thenardier, Brennyn Lark as Eponine, Chris McCarrell as Marius, Alex Finke as Cosette and Wallace Smith as Enjolras.

Based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo, Les Miserables is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, original French text by Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, an original adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird, and additional material by James Fenton. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1987 and was revived previously in 2006.