WATCH: Killian Donnelly is going on the road as Jean Valjean in Les Mis UK & Ireland tour

Killian Donnelly will make history as the first Irishman to play the role since Colm Wilkinson in the original production. Watch him chat below about bringing the show home to Dublin…

Donnelly is currently playing Jean Valjean in the West End production of Les Misérables and his final performance will be on Saturday 9 June 2018. Prior to his run in the show, he played the role of Charlie Price in Kinky Boots on Broadway, a role he originated at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End in 2015, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award. 

Producer Cameron Mackintosh said:

“When I announced the first UK tour of Les Misérables for ten years, I was really delighted that Killian said to me that he would like to continue playing Jean Valjean. No stranger to the original production, having played both Enjolras and Valjean with enormous success, his passionate take on the role will be even greater in the thrilling staging of my new production which has proved to be a worldwide success all over again. He is the first Irishman to play the role since Colm Wilkinson in the original and I’m delighted that from advance bookings, this new tour looks set to be sold out before we open.”

Further dates for the tour are also announced today. Opening at Curve Leicester for an already sold out season from 3 to 24 November 2018 (press night is 14 November), before playing the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin (5 December 2018 to 12 January 2019), Festival Theatre Edinburgh (22 January to 16 February 2019) and Manchester Palace Theatre (19 February to 30 March 2019), the show will also play Birmingham Hippodrome (2 April to 11 May 2019), Milton Keynes Theatre (14 May to 8 June 2019) and Newcastle Theatre Royal (15 August to 5 October 2019).

Bio

Killian Donnelly’s other theatre credits include: Jackie Day in Donegal, a new play by Frank McGuinness, at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin and Huey in the original London cast of Memphis at the Shaftesbury Theatre for which he was also nominated for an Olivier Award. He created the role of Deco in The Commitments at the Palace Theatre and has also played Tony in Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace Theatre as well as Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

He first joined the company of Les Misérables in 2008, going onto play the role of Enjolras from 2009 to 2011. In 2010, he played the role of Courfeyrac in the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables at The O2 Arena and also played the role of Combeferre in the multi-award-winning film of the show, released in 2012.