Boe succeeds Ramin Karimloo, who received a Tony Award nomination for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in the re-imagined Broadway revival; he played his final performance in the show Aug. 30.

"You're definitely not a Valjean," said Boe's agent. Read more in Boe's Q&A with Playbill.com as he readied for the role.

On the role, he added, "I like to think I bring an understanding of justice. Valjean hates injustice. He can't stand bullies and he can't stand people being victimized. I really connect with that, and I try to bring that across — the protection and defense of those who can't defend themselves."

Boe steps in at a tough time for the production. Cast member Kyle Jean-Baptiste, the youngest and first African-American performer to play Jean Valjean on a Broadway stage, died tragically Aug. 29 after falling from a Brooklyn fire escape.

Read more about Jean-Baptiste's farewell, held yesterday in Central Park, where almost 200 people gathered around the Bethesda Fountain to lay flowers, sing and honor his life. The cast also features Tony nominee Gavin Lee (Mary Poppins) as Thenardier, Erika Henningsen as Fantine, Rachel Izen as Madame Thenardier, Brennyn Lark as Eponine, Chris McCarrell as Marius, Wallace Smith as Enjolras, Earl Carpenter as Javert and Samantha Hill as Cosette.

Cameron Mackintosh's new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's Les Misérables opened on Broadway March 23, 2014, at The Imperial Theatre.

Les Miz is written by Boublil and Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, original adaption by Trevor Nunn and John Caird and additional material by James Fenton. The original orchestrations are by John Cameron with new orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke, Stephen Metcalfe and Stephen Brooker.

The new production is directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, with set and image design by Matt Kinley inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, costumes by Andreane Neofitou and Christine Rowland, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter and projections realized by Fifty-Nine Productions. Musical staging is by Michael Ashcroft and Geoffrey Garratt. Musical supervision is by Stephen Brooker, and musical direction is by James Lowe.

Visit LesMiz.com/Broadway.