Q&A with Jonathan Holloway - Director of Les Misérables
1) How did you first get into theatre? Was there a particular moment or production that sparked your passion for storytelling on stage?
I was being lined up for a ‘regular job’ by my parents and the teachers at the South London Comprehensive I went to. Then I fell in with Head of Music Roger Haines (who became AD of Manchester Library Theatre) and Andy McKay who was in a band called Roxy Music – and it became clear that was to be my world. Lots of adulation, late nights in the West End and waking up with no idea how I’d got home. I was a very young actor at the Edinburgh Fringe, then Number 1 Sound on a huge West End Musical, and that was it. No 9:00-5:00 pour moi!
2) Your adaptation of Les Misérables was first produced in 1997 at the Edinburgh Festival and has since been performed globally. What inspired you to create this adaptation, and how has it evolved over the years?
What’s right is true. What isn’t true is wrong. I’ve never seen the musical – and have only heard snatches from it. I took to smoking Gitanes and marching about with a Sartre novel in my pocket, and it was all Dumas, Hugo and Moliere. And I’ve never looked back. My Dad was a Card Carrying Communist, my middle name is Paine (after Tom Paine and the Declaration of the Rights of Man) and I was forty years late for the Spanish Civil War, so Les Miserables was an easy choice.
3) Your adaptation returns to the gritty reality presented in Victor Hugo’s original novel, depicting harsh aspects of survival and justice. What motivated this approach, and how do you prepare audiences for this darker portrayal?
It’s a good story. Full of people at the rough end of society’s stick. Audiences always respond well to a good yarn. It’s in their nature. There is a human impulse towards co-operation and happiness.
4) The upcoming production features an actor-musician ensemble. How does incorporating live music performed by the cast enhance the storytelling of Les Misérables?
Political theatre from Brecht’s Caucasian Chalk Circle to Theatre Workshop’s Oh What A Lovely War has always had live music. Music lightens the message and invites the audience in. The people like a good tune.
5) Les Misérables delves into themes of love, injustice, and atonement. In what ways do you find these themes resonate with contemporary audiences?
We live in an age of lies and liars. Everyone knows it. People deserve better. “Let’s give the users and abusers a good kick up the Jaxii.” It was the same for Victor Hugo. Three million people attended his funeral in person.
6) This production marks your directorial debut with OVO. What drew you to collaborate with us, particularly for the Roman Theatre Open Air Festival?
Flattery. My theatre company – Red Shift – teched, dressed and opened loads of shows at The Maltings in St Albans before going out on national and international tours, and OVO’s director Adam Nichols said how much he’d liked them, and it was in the stars.
7) Beyond this production, are there other classic works you aspire to adapt or direct in the future?
I’m writing a new version of Herman Melville’s Bartleby. It’s an elusive yarn that makes me cry, and I don’t know why. Still, Tolstoy is on the shelf in the bedroom. Dylan is sitting just above the TV. Frank Wedekind is by the bed. Orwell is on the shelves in the spare room. We need to keep good company.
8) You’ve had a rich and varied career in theatre – spanning founding Red Shift Theatre Company, writing extensively for the BBC, and directing internationally – What were some of the biggest lessons you learned along the way? How does this production of Les Misérables fit into your broader artistic journey?
Everyone is the same. Everybody can tell the difference between right and wrong. Everyone deserves the best. Everyone needs to be loved, informed and trusted with the truth. I’m 69, and might drop dead tomorrow. I need to know I’ve done the right thing.
9) What advice would you give to someone starting out in theatre, particularly those aspiring to be a director or playwright?
Don’t wait for someone to give you permission. Just get on and do it. Book the hall, then you’ve got to do the show.
You can see Jonathan’s production of Les Misérables at the Roman Theatre Open Air Festival from 6th June 2025.
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