“We all put a little bit of ourselves into telling the story.”

Just before the premiere of this work, in November 2011, Geronimo Rauch met the all-powerful British producer. cameron mackintoshIt was during a concert held at London’s O2 on 3 October 2010 to commemorate the musical’s 25th anniversary. Mackintosh attended the premiere in Madrid and a year later was called to star in London’s West End.

Rausch had been in charge of the British production for a year, but had shelved the character…until a few months ago, when Mackintosh called Rausch again 12 years later, inviting him to come on board as Rausch. jean valjean “Les Misérables” will go on an international tour to commemorate the XL anniversary. He will be participating in Japan in August, traveling to Shanghai a few days ago and staying there until December 28th, followed by Manila (Philippines) from January 20th to March 1st, 2026, and Singapore from March 24th to May 10th, 2026.

According to the artist, this is a mega-concert in a large venue with more than 65 performers, and according to the producer, more than 1 million people have already seen it during the year-long tour. “it is new format for me – Rauch says – But technically it’s great. We sing in headphones and we have a sound mixing technician who makes it sound like we’re singing in the shower.

“It’s incredible how it changes you depending on the situation and helps you achieve your best version and make your work shine even more. The admiration for sound engineers continues. The other day I received a pirated video recorded by an amateur and I started crying after watching it. We we live deep within ourselves We were working and all of a sudden I heard that sound and I thought it was terrifying what this musical would produce. “I was so excited to see myself again from a different place that I wasn’t used to seeing.”

new language

The artist says that performing “Les Misérables” on stage is completely different from performing it in concert. “We always have our eyes on the public, but it’s hard until you understand that this is a new language. As actors, we need to make eye contact with each other, and that doesn’t happen here. Cameron Mackintosh says the only way these concerts will be successful is if all of us involved in them have done production before. It makes sense, because we know what happens on stage And they can better reflect the emotions of the characters than someone who has never done the work before.

Geronimo Rauch is happy. And it shows. He revealed that the musical’s score was pending. “In January 2020, they called me to ask if I was interested because they were planning a tour for Les Misérables. Then the pandemic arrived and I never heard of it again. But it left a nagging feeling in my head that I had to open that door again. And it was opened by a human hand. Alfonso Casado A Seville-born musician who began his career as music director for a production in Madrid 30 years ago, and in recent years has worked for Cameron Mackintosh’s production company.

“I went to London to do a concert with Alfonso in March of this year, and Mackintosh called me for an audition. Actually, it was a so-called ‘working session,’ a working session. “When I came out, Cameron was already waiting to see when I could join the tour.”

«My Jean Valjean is now there is more wisdom. It also includes more weighty, artistic and physical – Argentinian jokes. When I did it in Madrid he was 32 or 33 years old and not yet a father, so he has more experience (Rauf has a son Gael who will accompany him on part of the tour). In 2010, my Achilles heel was “Bring Him Home” (the character’s star song, a prayer, which he sings in the second part). That was fine, but after the premiere, my niece got sick – and luckily she’s well now – so I started praying seriously, and I kind of understood what it means to be willing to give your life for someone when you know that someone in your family that you love so much is sick. Two years later, my son Gaël was born and I was playing Valjean in London, where I felt I could give my life for him. I connect with that emotion better now, but it doesn’t weigh on me.

– As humans grow older, they become more aware that life is not infinite and that the end is near. This does not happen in our youth, when we believe that we are immortal. Does this change your approach to the character of Jean Valjean in any way?

-What fascinates me about Jean Valjean is his search for salvation and peace, but he never achieves it…except when he dies at the end. When he senses Fantine and Éponine coming looking for him, he realizes that the gates of heaven are open. Throughout his life, he carried the burden of being a fugitive, believing that Javert would contact him. He had no idea that he had committed suicide. Everyone wants to die peacefully, knowing that they did the right thing.

–Approximately 20 years pass from the beginning of the musical to Valjean’s death. How is this process experienced over the course of three hours?

-Fortunately, we are very well managed. We put a lot of effort into the character’s speed. Valjean is losing speed. Walking becomes more difficult as the scene progresses, thus expressing the character’s aging to some extent. At concerts, I don’t wear wigs like I do at shows, and I can’t dye my hair white. So it’s a matter of attitude. From the energy displayed by the fugitive, who has broken with his past, to the mayor of Montreux ten years later, a less animalistic, more elegant and serious attitude, until the man is physically defeated and on the verge of death. I try to physically distinguish these three stages.

– Have you found anything yet that you didn’t find in it?

-Jean Valjean drives me crazy. I have a favorite scene right now. We’ve seen that before, but it’s the scene where Javert is released from the barricade. It has something to do with the fact that the other day I was learning a story about my military idol grandfather (who was once demoted and appointed a minister a few years later), who passed away when I was 13 years old. To be able to forgive and declare that all you have done is fulfill your duty… In that scene where Javert declines as he sees Valjean’s humanity and the engine of his life begins to crumble, I remember the story of my grandfather and get goosebumps. In a way, we all put a little bit of ourselves into telling the story. I’m fascinated by the character’s journey, and I’m equally fascinated by the musical score. I think it’s a great challenge to be able to look up to her and live up to her…and work for this team, this company. It’s very nice, it’s a gift, I consider it a gift. Life told me this. Here I am giving you this experience again. Because I never said goodbye to Valjean. He is a very memorable character, not only for us who play him, but also for the audience. We recognize that Les Misérables is a musical where the audience enters in one direction and leaves in another.

Geronimo Rauch also attended the 40th anniversary gala in London, which was attended by important performers from the musical world and said, “There was a sense of family that I had never felt before.” However, Colm Wilkinson, who played Jean Valjean in the original film, did not. The Argentine had the chance to meet him in 2010 and felt honored to sing alongside his idol. “I’m a Freddie Mercury and Colm Wilkinson singer. It’s very simple. Freddie Mercury made me want to sing. And when I was 16 and saw the 10th anniversary concert of Les Misérables, where Colm Wilkinson played the main character again, I said to myself, ‘This is my path.’ And when he was four years old, he was doing that job in Buenos Aires. So when I met him, I thanked him personally and told him that he was my inspiration.

-Why do you think this musical is special?

-It has to do with books first. The music is also true to the story, packed with “mega hits” like “I Dream a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Bring Him Home,” “Stars”…and its realism. When you go to see a musical like “Wicked,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” or “The Lion King,” you see fantasy. When you go see “Wicked,” you see fantasy. You’re going to see The Lion King. Everything will invite you to a fantasy world someday. But Les Misérables is a mirror, and at some point the viewer becomes identified with one of the characters. From the stage, you can see people crying and getting emotional. The best and worst parts of humanity are there.