Welcome to What's the Buzz, Andrea Prince's new weekly column in which you can find out the latest scoop on what theatre fans across North America are talking about in the Playbill On-Line chat room on America Online.

This week in Playbill Chat the buzz seems to focus on the latest news about Les Miserables. For anyone who has not heard, the producers of Les Miserables have decided to replace the entire cast of this long running Broadway show with its touring company. The current Broadway production at the Imperial Theatre will give its last performance Jan. 26, 1997, and that the company now playing in Syracuse, NY will replace the Broadway cast for five weeks starting Jan. 28. A fully re-cast Les Miz will begin previews March 3 and reopen March 12 -- the tenth anniversary of Les Miz on Broadway.

The reaction of the people in our chat room have been a mixed review. Some people are upset by the loss of this cast, however, with a fresh, new cast many believe that it will revive the show and bring it back to its feet again. For example: Becki Johnson writes, "The last time I saw the show there (2 years ago), I was sickened". In regards to the changes being made, "I'm all for it!" But others are not quite as keen on the idea. Javert2 writes, "I don't see where it can make a difference, as the cast is constantly changing anyway. Having this change be the 10th anniversary special is also most disappointing . . ."

What's your thought on the subject? Feel free to join us in the chat room any night of the week to further discuss this subject and others. Use Keyword: Playbill and click on the Playbill Chat button. My screen name is PlaybillOL I hope to see you there!

You may also e-mail me at [email protected]