Depends if you what the best ever or the best now or the ones young enough to play the role convincingly now. You then have to decide if you want a stand alone vocal or someone who can act it more too.

I would incline to go with the recent London casts who would still look right and sound in the role as they have had their best casts in years in 2007 -10 and then throw in a few past greats to make the link back.

JoJ would be fine as Valjean - David Shannon was good too. swings and roundabouts. Can't sound too young for the end or too old for the beginning.

Earl Carpenter I think is close and can still play the age change. I don't want someone who sounds 60 in the prologue.

Fantine is difficult. Ampil or Ellis or, as go for Lea Salonga, you might as well let Ruthie Henshall reprise. Fantine's age can be varied.

Marius is very difficult. Marius can't sound too old or mature but has to make a vocal impression. Go back and he looks too old, stay current and you may as well have Gareth and the free publicity - more so if its about the singing rather than the acting .

Nancy Sullivan just becomes Eponine - people might expect someone sounding more like Salonga (who clearly doesn't sound like Eponine would) and hitting fewer emotions. Sabrina Aloueche was excellent too and she's just finishing as Scaramouche and still looks young enough too..

Cosette - a multitude of possibles. Gina Beck, Leanne Dobinson, Katie Hall all sound great, all are slightly different and all are young enough still and all 3 are available . Needs to match her Marius.

Enjolras - David Thaxton has pretty much set the new standard over the last 3 years.He has to look and sound like a possible student which rules out lots of them now and not many have been that good.

Thenardiers. The curent pair are very good. If you want Pere Thenardier to sing well lots of them pre- Martin Ball can't and many will now look like Thenardiers dad. Lorraine Bruce acts it brilliantly but she sings it deliberately badly. If you want a great singer to sing it and don't want Madame Thenardier looking like Eponine's gran or too old for her husband, I would go with Jackie Marks who did it in 2008 who acts and sings it well.

Thats my most credible looking and best sounding cast. It doesn't sell tickets though outside the UK so we will be getting a pop star here, a big name there and a few Americans and a comedian somewhere else.

Jodie Prenger for Madame Thernadier!!!! She's perfect for the part, and will be so funny.

More casting...

Jeff Nicholson as Factory Foreman
Hadley Fraser as Grantaire

Leanne Dobinson's in there somewhere too.

Ooh, a Maria as well. Antony Hansen is playing the sailor

(from his twitter

will be appearing in the 25th anniversary of Les Miserables at the O2 in October. Dreams really do come true if you work hard enough! yay. 3:38 PM Sep 5th via web

)


So now we have a Maria, a Joseph, a Nancy (in one of the main parts) .... we just need a Dorothy to round things off ... maybe one of them in the ensemble? But it won't make much sense as none of them have had anything to do with Les Mis

Well half the principals don't have anything to do with Les Mis so it wouldn't be out of place!!