On the 8th October 2006 Les Misérables became THE WORLD'S LONGEST RUNNING MUSICAL, having played over 8,500 performances in London.

This historic milestone was marked by members of the original production - which opened at the Barbican Theatre in October 1985 - who joined the current London cast with a special encore and handover as Les Misérables took over from Cats as the longest running musical in the world. Director Trevor Nunn and original cast member
Colm Wilkinson lead the Queen's Theatre audience in celebrating 21 years of Les Misérables. Cameron Mackintosh joined the audience via video link from New York where the production is being remounted at the Broadhurst Theatre.

Since its celebrated opening in October 1985 this legendary production has been seen by 54 million people worldwide in 249 cities and in 21 different languages. This spectacular adaptation of Victor Hugo's masterpiece continues to thrill audiences, and night after night they are swept away by the power, the passion and the triumph of the human spirit that is Les Misérables. Voted the UK's favourite musical in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll in 2005, Les Misérables took nearly half the total vote at 41%.