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Owen-Jones, Kuhn and Horowitz Jump Onto Les Miz Turntable in NYC
By Kenneth Jones
and Andrew Gans
23 Oct 2007
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Judy Kuhn and John Owen-Jones join the Broadway revival of Les Misérables.
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There will be three new dirt-smudged and/or tear-stained faces in Broadway's Les Misérables starting Oct. 23. Judy Kuhn — Broadway's original Cosette — joins as Fantine, West End star John Owen-Jones is the new Valjean, and Leah Horowitz sings Cosette.
The Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga, who starred in Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's Miss Saigon, exited the production at the end of her contract Oct. 21, passing Fantine's rags on to three-time Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn.
Broadway's recent Jean Valjean, Drew Sarich, is swapping jobs with Owen-Jones and took over the moral lead, Jean Valjean, in the London production, on Oct. 22.
The current Broadway revival of Les Miz opened at the Broadhurst on Nov. 9, 2006. John Caird directed this new Cameron Mackintosh production, adding some changes and refinements to the piece — including freshened orchestrations. Les Miz currently features Robert Hunt as Javert, Gary Beach as Thenardier, Ann Harada as Madame Thenardier, Megan McGinnis as Eponine, Adam Jacobs as Marius and Max von Essen as Enjolras.
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"I am thrilled to be returning to Les Misérables after all these years," Kuhn stated. "The original production was such an exciting and momentous part of the beginning of my career and now to go back to play the mother of the character I played originally, especially now that I am a mother myself will be great fun."
Judy Kuhn was nominated for three Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards for her work on Broadway in the American premieres of Les Miz and Chess and in The Roundabout's hit revival of She Loves Me. She also starred in Rags, and appeared on Broadway in Richard Nelson's play Two Shakespearean Actors (Lincoln Center Theatre), Alan Menken & Tim Rice's King David and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (NYSF).
She most recently appeared in a new adaptation of Chekhov's Three Sisters by Craig Lucas at the Intiman Theatre directed by Bartlett Sher, and co-starred in the world premiere of Michael John LaChiusa's The Highest Yellow at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA. She played Fosca in the critically acclaimed production of Passion at the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration, and created the role of Betty Schaefer in the U.S. premiere of Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Her new solo album "Serious Playground: The Songs of Laura Nyro," was recently released on the Ghostlight Records label.
This marks the Broadway debut of Owen-Jones. He first played Jean Valjean in the U.K. at age 26 — and remains the youngest actor to play the role. In London's The Phantom of the Opera he became the longest running Phantom in West End history with nearly 1,500 consecutive performances. His credits also include Show Boat (Royal Albert Hall); A Little Night Music (National Theatre); The Pirates of Penzance; Much Ado About Nothing (Regent's Park); The Boys from Syracuse; The Merchant of Venice; The Hypochondriac. His first solo recording "Hallelujah," which includes "Bring Him Home" from Les Miz, is available now. Visit www.johnowenjones.com.
Horowitz's Broadway credits includes The Woman in White (u/s Marian), Fiddler on the Roof, La Cage Aux Folles (u/s Anne) and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Off-Broadway and regional credits include Emma at NYMF (Emma) and Les Misérables at the St. Louis Muny (Cosette), among others.
The original production of Les Miz remains the third longest-running show in Broadway history.
For tickets and information, call Telecharge.Com at (212) 239-6200, or visit www.telecharge.com or www.lesmisnewyork.com.
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