Gemignani, Lewis, Beach, Rubin-Vega and More Set for Les Miz Revival
Principal casting has been announced for the upcoming Broadway revival of Les Miserables. The show will feature Alexander Gemignani as Jean Valjean, Norm Lewis as Javert, Gary Beach as Thenardier, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Fantine, Jenny Galloway as Madame Thenardier, Aaron Lazar as Enjolras, Adam Jacobs as Marius, Lea Michele as Eponine and Ali Ewoldt as Cosette.
Gemignani is currently appearing on Broadway in Sweeney Todd. He received a 2006 Drama Desk nomination for his performance as The Beadle in the acclaimed revival. He won a Theatre World Award for portraying John Hinckley in Assassins. He has also been featured in Avenue Q as Brian, playing the role for a period both off-Broadway and on. His other theatrical credits include The Trapped Family Singers at the 2003 New York Fringe Festival, Sorry, Wrong Number off-Broadway and the world premiere of the musical Marty at Boston's Huntington Theatre.
Lewis has appeared on the Great White Way in Amour, The Wild Party, Side Show, Miss Saigon, The Who's Tommy and Chicago. His off-Broadway credits include Captains Courageous, A New Brain, the Encores! mounting of Golden Boy, Dessa Rose and The Two Gentlemen of Verona in Central Park. Among his notable regional theater credits are the National Black Arts Festival production of Dreamgirls opposite Jennifer Holliday and the Paper Mill Playhouse production of Baby.
Beach played Thenardier in the Los Angeles company of Les Misérables. He received 2001 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in The Producers, which he currently appears in. He also received a Tony Award nominations for his performances in La Cage Aux Folles and Beauty and the Beast. His other Broadway credits include Doonesbury, The Moony Shapiro Songbook, Annie, Something's Afoot, 1776. Among other credits, he notably appeared in Sweet Adeline at Encores! and toured nationally with the James Kirkwood comedy Legends!, starring real-life legends Mary Martin and Carol Channing.
Rubin-Vega first exploded on the theater scene in the original off-Broadway and Broadway cast of Rent as drug-addicted heroine Mimi. For her work in the show, Rubin-Vega won a Theatre World Award and received Tony and Drama Desk award nominations for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. She received her second Tony nomination for her dramatic work in Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics, having also appeared in the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright's Two Sisters and a Piano at the Public Theatre in 2000. Other noteworthy stage appearances include Broadway's The Rocky Horror Show revival, Fucking A at the Public Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Gum at the Women's Project Theatre, Free to Be...You and Me at the Drama Dept., Between Us at Manhattan Theatre Club, Randy Newman's Faust at La Jolla Playhouse and the musical Bernarda Alba at Lincoln Center. On the big screen, Rubin-Vega has appeared in the studio films Wild Things and Flawless and in many indies, including I Like It Like That, Lotto Land, Skeleton Woman and Virgin. She had been announced to appear in the LAByrinth Theater Company production of Jack Goes Boating at the Public next winter and will be given a leave of absence from Les Miz to fulfill that commitment.
Lazar is currently appearing as Fabrizio in The Light in the Piazza. Lazar previously appeared on Broadway in The Phantom of the Opera and Oklahoma!. His other theatrical credits include mountings of The Scarlet Pimpernel, Carousel, Chamberlain, Nerds and the English National Opera's production of On the Town at the London Coliseum. He was also announced to star in the Broadway-bound musical Harmony which was canceled before its tryout began.
Jacobs appeared as Marius on the national tour of Les Miserables. His other theatrical credits include a national tour of Cinderella and Hot Mikado at Marriott Theatre in Illinois.
Michele made hr Broadway debut playing Young Cosette in the original Broadway production of Les Miserables. She also appeared on the Great White Way in Ragtime and Fiddler on the Roof.
Ewoldt performed as Jasmine in Disney's Aladdin at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. She is a graduate of Yale University.
Les Miserables begins performances at the Broadhurst Theatre on October 22 and will officially open there on November 9.
