Return of renowned musical

An amateur theatre project celebrating the 40th anniversary of the iconic Les Misérables - Let The People Sing! promises to thrill Bristol audiences this August. NATALIE BANYARD talked to local performer Emma Griffiths to find out more

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BOUBLIL & Schönberg's legendary musical Les Misérables continues to break new ground with Let The People Sing!, a UK-wide amateur theatre project celebrating the 40th anniversary of the worldwide phenomenon.

A nationwide initiative from Cameron Mackintosh and Music Theatre International, the project sees 11 community-wide productions of Les Misérables mounted across the UK, with the Bristol performances at the Bristol Hippodrome this month, showcasing the incredible talent we have in the south west.

Bristol's BLOC Productions was delighted to be one of the 11 companies chosen to perform Les Misérables - Let The People Sing! The award-winning local musical theatre club, which regularly stages professional-standard productions at The Bristol Hippodrome, is working on this unique project in collaboration with Bath Operatic and Dramatic Society (BODS), Bristol Amateur Operatic Society (BAOS), Bristol Musical Comedy Club (BMCC) and Weston Operatic Society (WOS).

More than 700 people registered their interest to audition for the production, with the final cast of 142 selected after stiff competition and some tough decisions for the audition panel. With a double casting of the principal cast, the production will run across four matinees and four evening performances from August 13 to 16.

Emma Griffiths, a longtime member of BLOC Productions who has also performed with various other companies across the south west for the last 30 years, will play the fabulous role of the greedy, selfish, and manipulative Madame Thenardiers.

"The music of of Les Misérables has been in the ether for my entire life," Emma tells me, "literally, I was born the same year the show premiered! I grew up singing On My Own and