Alain Boublil
Writing
Biography
Alain Boublil (born 5 March 1941) is a French musical theatre lyricist and librettist, best known for his collaborations with the composer Claude-Michel Schönberg for musicals on Broadway and London's West End. These include La Révolution Française (1973), Les Misérables (1980), Miss Saigon (1989), Martin Guerre (1996), The Pirate Queen (2006), and Marguerite (2008). Boublil was born in Tunisia, to a Sephardic Jewish family. Boublil's first musical, La Révolution Française, was the first-ever staged French rock opera. It was conceived by Boublil in 1973 after he watched the premiere of Jesus Christ Superstar in New York. The composer was Claude-Michel Schönberg, with whom Boublil has since collaborated on a number of successful projects, including Les Misérables and Miss Saigon. Les Misérables first opened in Paris in 1980. On 8 October 1985, an English-language production of Les Misérables produced by Cameron Mackintosh and directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird premiered in London at The Royal Shakespeare Company's Barbican Theatre. The show transferred to the West End's Palace Theatre on 4 December 1985. It is the longest-running musical in West End history. Productions based on the Nunn/Mackintosh staging of Les Misérables have been staged all over the world, including a second French production which opened in Paris in 1991. Worldwide, Les Misérables has been seen by over 50 million people, with a total box office gross of over $1.8 billion. Miss Saigon opened in London on 20 September 1989 where it played for 10 consecutive successful years at the Drury Lane Theatre. It spawned two US touring companies, a Toronto production and has been seen by more than 13.2 million people in North America for a gross of $612 million. With Javier Arroyuelo and Rafael Lopez Sanchez, Boublil worked on the French translation of The Rocky Horror Show for its French premiere in 1975. Alain and Daniel Boublil created Abbacadabra, a French children's musical based on songs from the pop group ABBA, for French television in 1983. Martin Guerre reached the West End in 1996 and won the 1997 Olivier Award for Best Musical. Productions on tour in the UK and the US, and Europe followed, but the show failed to repeat the success of its two predecessors. Boublil has also written the play Le Journal d'Adam et Eve, based on two short stories by Mark Twain. It premiered in Paris in 1994 at Le Petit Montparnasse. He has worked on the stage adaptation of Jacques Demy's Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, together with composer Michel Legrand, that opened at Le Palais des Congrès in 2003. Boublil and Schönberg's The Pirate Queen—a musical about the 16th century Irish pirate, chieftain and adventuress Grace O'Malley—debuted at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre in fall 2006. It then moved to Broadway, where it closed in 2007. The musical starred Stephanie J. Block as Grace, and Hadley Fraser as Tiernan. ... Source: Article "Alain Boublil" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Known For
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.
Great Performances
No description available.
Sacrée soirée
A talk show presented by Michel Drucker
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Le Grand Échiquier is a French variety television program created and presented by Jacques Chancel. It aired at 8:30 pm on the first channel of the ORTF from January 12, 1972 to July 12, 1972, then on the second color channel of the ORTF from September 1972 to December 1974, and finally on Antenne 2 from January 1975 to December 21, 1989. The program returned to France 2 on December 20, 2018 and is hosted by Anne-Sophie Lapix.
Le Grand Échiquier
No description available.
Victoires de la musique
An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France. Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
Les Misérables
This concert, recorded to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the landmark musical Les Miserables, gathers the casts of the show's 2010 original production at the Queen's Theatre, the 1985 original production by the London company, and the 2010 production at the Barbican together for one performance. Together with talents like Michael Ball, Hadley Fraser, and John Owen-Jones, the performers present the play's musical numbers in a semi-theatrical style, fully costumed and with all the emotion of the musical's heyday.
Les Misérables: 25th Anniversary in Concert
A three-part series exploring how the British musical became a driving force behind musical theatre around the world — a tale of shows, daring, rivalries, talent and fortunes are set in just a single square mile.
The Story of Musicals
Seen by over 120 million people worldwide, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals. Coinciding with its 35th triumphant year in London’s West End, Cameron Mackintosh produced a spectacular sold-out staged concert version at the Gielgud Theatre featuring an all-star cast including Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Matt Lucas, and John Owen Jones. Featuring a cast and orchestra of over 65 and including the songs "I Dreamed A Dream," "Bring Him Home," "One Day More," and "On My Own," this sensational staged concert is not to be missed.
Les Misérables: The Staged Concert
The epic love story tells the tragic tale of young Vietnamese bar girl Kim, orphaned by war, who falls in love with American GI Chris — but their lives are torn apart by the fall of Saigon.
Miss Saigon: 25th Anniversary Performance
The top stars from the original London and Broadway productions join together with a 150-voice chorus and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London's venerated Royal Albert Hall for a truly magical gala performance of Les Misérables. You'll watch and listen time and again to the magnificent Tony Award-winning score as sung by stars forever linked to these roles.
Les Misérables: 10th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert Hall
Archival footage provides a glimpse into the life of Cameron Mackintosh; the storied producer famous for Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Cats and many more.
Cameron Mackintosh - The First 50 Years
Les Miserables is the world's best-loved musical. It has been seen by 57 million people and in 2010 celebrated its 25th anniversary with its two largest ever productions at London's O2 Arena. Matt Lucas, a lifelong fan of 'Les Mis', was invited to fulfil his dream of performing in these shows alongside more than 300 stalwarts from previous productions. This documentary tells the story of a musical that many thought would fail, but which became a worldwide phenomenon with unforgettable songs like I Dreamed A Dream. We follow Matt as he prepares for the performance of a lifetime, we hear from those involved with the show's creation, including Cameron Mackintosh and Michael Ball, and of course we enjoy wonderful moments from the show itself.
Les Mis at 25: Matt Lucas Dreams the Dream
Last seen in the West End 15 years ago, Miss Saigon has become one of the most successful musicals in history, seen by 40 million people worldwide. From the process of casting 40 actors from 18 different countries, to the reinvention of the staging, including the famous helicopter scene, The Heat is Back On takes us on a journey through rehearsals right up to the star-studded opening night. Featuring interviews with legendary producer Cameron Mackintosh, authors Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and many of the award-winning cast and creative team.
The Heat Is Back On: The Remaking of Miss Saigon
A musical documentary about the life and work of composer Charles Fox, known for pop hits such as 'Killing Me Softly with His Song', 'I Got a Name', 'Ready to Take a Chance Again', and iconic television show themes for Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat and Wonder Woman.
Killing Me Softly with His Songs
A fun journey through the classics of musical theater.
Mashup
The prodigious genesis of a monument of world literature, too often reduced to its popular success, also recounts the tormented conversion of its author, Victor Hugo, to the ideal of social progress.
Les Misérables et Victor Hugo : au nom du peuple
A behind-the-scenes look at the putting on of the successful West End stage musical, including footage of the cast rehearsing and the triumphant first night.
The Heat Is On: The Making of Miss Saigon
When a seemingly routine pizza delivery escalates into a tense game of cat-and-mouse, we soon realize that perhaps there's more to this story than first meets the eye. Giuseppe Verdi provides the soundtrack to this quintessential New York tale.
Pizza Verdi
A comedy musical based on the 1967 movie! Delphine and Solange are twins living in Rochefort. They are both looking for love without realizing their ideal partners are very close.