When Les Misérables first opened at the Barbican on 8 October 1985, critics were far from convinced.
The Observer dismissed it with the headline “Victor Hugo on the Garbage Dump,” while The Sunday Telegraph called it “a lurid Victorian melodrama.” Yet four decades later, the show that nobody thought would last is not only still running, but has become a cornerstone of London theatre history — the world’s longest-running musical and a story whose themes of love, sacrifice and resilience continue to resonate.
