The most recent version of Les Miserables is the Arena Spectacular showing at the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi. This larger-than-life concert production brings Victor Hugo’s epic tale to the stage in a breathtaking new way.
Les Misérables, one of the most beloved and longest-running musicals in the world, is an adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic 1862 novel. With music by Claude-Michel Schönberg and lyrics by Alain Boublil (English adaptation by Herbert Kretzmer), the musical first captured my heart decades ago.
Having spent my teenage years belting out the songs accompanied by my prized 3 stack DVD player, in 2024, Cameron Mackintosh introduced a bold new version. The Arena Spectacular, a global tour celebrating 40 years of Les Miserables is staged at grand-scale venues. It features a full symphonic orchestra, massive LED screens and a rotating cast of international stars. A vast upgrade from my DVD player, prized as it was.
Despite being able to sing along word for word, I still need a quick synopsis refresh before the show.
Les Miserables, Act I, Part I – Escape
After spending 19 years in prison, five for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving nephew and the rest for repeated escape attempts, Jean Valjean, Prisoner 24601, finally earns his parole. When he steps out of the galleys, he’s a broken man, hardened by suffering and rejection. Branded a dangerous criminal by the yellow ticket he must carry, Valjean quickly learns that society will not forgive him. He is turned away at every door – beaten, mocked and left to sleep in the cold.
Soon a single act of mercy changes everything.
The Bishop of Digne offers him shelter and food. Valjean steals the Bishop’s silver, but when the police catch him, the Bishop shocks everyone by claiming he gave Valjean the silver as a gift and even hands him two more silver candlesticks. “You must use this precious silver to become an honest man,” he tells Valjean. Overwhelmed by this selfless gesture, Valjean’s soul is awakened. In a heart-wrenching solo (“What Have I Done?”), he wrestles with the man he has become and chooses to begin anew. He tears up his parole papers and vows to live a life of redemption.
Les Miserables, Act I, Part I – Redemption
Years pass and Valjean now lives under the alias Monsieur Madeleine. He has become a successful factory owner and the beloved mayor of a small town. But his past catches up with him in the form of Inspector Javert, a rigid and law-obsessed police officer who becomes suspicious of the mayor’s true identity.
Meanwhile, a young woman named Fantine, once employed at Valjean’s factory, is cast out when the factory foreman discovers she has an illegitimate child. Desperate to provide for her daughter Cosette, who lives with cruel innkeepers, the Thénardiers, Fantine descends into poverty. She sells her hair, her locket and finally, her body. In “I Dreamed a Dream,” Fantine delivers one of the most devastating solos in musical theatre: a cry of despair for a life lost to injustice and poverty.
When she is arrested for defending herself against an abusive client, Valjean intervenes and promises to care for her and find Cosette. On her deathbed, she entrusts him with her daughter’s future, believing she has finally found someone who will do right by her child.
Soon after, Valjean learns that an innocent man has been mistaken for him and is about to be condemned. In a powerful act of integrity, he reveals his true identity in court (“Who Am I?”), despite knowing it will destroy his life once again.
He rushes to Montfermeil, where the Thénardiers mistreat young Cosette and force her into servitude while extorting money from Fantine under the pretense of providing care. Valjean rescues her (“Castle on a Cloud”) and they flee together, starting a new life in Paris, always looking over their shoulders.
Les Miserables, Act II, Part I – The Barricades
A decade later, Paris is on the edge of revolution. The streets are alive with unrest. Students, led by the passionate and idealistic Enjolras, are preparing to rise against the monarchy. Among them is Marius Pontmercy, a young nobleman turned revolutionary. One day, while walking through a Paris square, he sees Cosette, now a beautiful young woman, and is instantly smitten. Their connection is instantaneous, soulful and transformative. But not everyone shares in their joy.
Éponine, the Thénardiers’ daughter, now a streetwise and hardened young woman, is secretly in love with Marius. She helps him find Cosette despite her heartbreak, singing the poignant “On My Own” a tear-inducing confession of unrequited love and silent devotion.
Meanwhile, Javert reappears, still obsessively hunting Valjean. As revolution brews, the students build a barricade in the streets, ready to die for their cause. Marius joins them, not only for justice but also to protect Cosette and prove himself worthy of love.
Valjean, discovering Marius’ intentions and Cosette’s love for him, makes a silent vow to protect the young man. He joins the barricade, not as a fighter, but as a father. There, he confronts Javert who has been captured by the revolutionaries. In a stunning moment of moral complexity, Valjean spares Javert’s life and sets him free, leaving the inspector shaken to his core.
The battle rages. The soldiers kill the students one by one, including the fearless Enjolras and the brave Gavroche, a young street urchin with a lion’s heart. When Marius falls wounded and unconscious, Valjean carries him through the sewers of Paris to safety, collapsing under the weight of the young man and the burden of his own memories.
Javert intercepts them but he cannot bring himself to arrest Valjean, a man he now sees as honorable. Stripped of the certainty that defined his life, Javert takes his own life, singing the haunting “Stars”.
Les Miserables, Act II, Part II – Beyond the Barricades
Marius survives, unaware of the sacrifice Valjean has made. Cosette and Marius are reunited, and soon married. On their wedding day, the Thénardiers attempt to blackmail Marius, claiming Valjean is a criminal. Instead, they inadvertently reveal the truth of his heroism. Marius and Cosette rush to find Valjean, who is alone and dying in a convent, having withdrawn so that Cosette can be free from his past.
In the musical’s final, heart-rending scene, Valjean shares the truth with Cosette and blesses her marriage. As his spirit leaves his body, the ghosts of Fantine and Éponine, two women who also loved, suffered and found redemption in their own ways, welcome him into peace.
The musical closes with a powerful reprise of “Do You Hear the People Sing?”. It’s no longer just a call to arms, but a universal hymn to hope, justice, love and the resilience of the human spirit.
Area Spectacular
The Les Miserables Arena Spectacular reimagines the musical for a new generation, presenting it with cinematic flair and jaw-dropping scale. The LED screens above the stage display immersive visuals of 19th century France. From the grim streets to the flaming barricades, it extends the impact of the stage.
The staging uses a layered facade that all at once represents a jail, a factory and the barricades. The 3D projections create a dynamic and fluid experience that enhances the emotional impact of the story. And the full symphonic orchestra playing live on stage elevates the musical score with rich and immersive sound.
Tonight’s performance features international stars Killian Donnelly as Valjean, Bradley Jaden as Javert and Beatrice Penny-Touré as Cosette.
Good To Know
Whether you’re a lifelong fan or seeing it for the first time, the Les Miserables Arena Spectacular breathes new life into this timeless story. With soaring music, unforgettable characters and a revolutionary staging style, it’s more than a performance – it’s a full-body experience of love, justice, sacrifice and redemption.
It’s still the same powerful story we know and love, just on a scale that feels as grand as the emotions at its core.
Les Miserables: The Arena Spectacular plays at Etihad Arena, Yas Island 8-20 April 2025, featuring a cast and orchestra of over 65 people as part of their World Tour.
Would I Return?
Yes.