Everyone's all het up about the world reaching the year 2000, but the big number on Broadway, May 4, is 5000. On Tuesday night, Les Miserables plays its 5,000th performance, having begun March 12, 1987.

The producers plan a special on-stage ceremony following the show's May 5 matinee. Production spokespersons at the Publicity Office couldn't give details but did say the presentation would be "a unique, brief opportunity to witness an exciting moment in Les Miz's history." (The ceremony will not be open to the general public, just the matinee audience and the media.) Cameron Mackintosh is out of town and not expected to make the ceremony.

On March 12, the Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg musical celebrated its twelfth anniversary. Since its opening, the show has been seen by more than 7 million people in New York.

Courtesy of the Publicity Office, which reps the show, here are a few other interesting facts about the longevity of the musical hit: * As of March 1999, the Broadway production had grossed more than $345 million.
* 332 actors have performed in the Broadway company.
* 1,517 people have worked on the show in various capacities.
* 210 people are currently employed in direct association with the show.
* As of April 1999, just over 400 shows have opened on Broadway since Les Miserables opened.
* Nearly 400 shows have closed on Broadway since Les Miserables opened.
* The on-stage turntable has made more than 159,744 revolutions.

The cast is currently headed by Fred Inkley (Jean Valjean) and Alice Ripley (Fantine). Also in the cast are Philip Hernandez (Javert), Nick Wyman (Thenardier), Fuschia Walker (Madame Thenardier), Peter Lockyer (Marius), Megan Lawrence (Eponine), Tobi Foster (Cosette) and Stephen R. Buntrock (Enjolras).

Ripley's credits include Side Show, King David and Sunset Boulevard.

Tickets ($15-$75) for regular performances of Les Miserables at the Imperial Theatre can be ordered by calling (212) 239-6200.