Martin Ball’s role as the villain Thénardier in London’s West End musical Les Misérables requires him to undergo a multitude of transformations in every show. Previous parts in Mamma Mia, Mary Poppins and Wicked have provided lots of practice, but a Les Mis matinée takes it to another level. ‘I put on my first costume at about 2.15pm, and for the initial 20 minutes of the performance I jump into a series of brown hessian outfits,’ he explains. Martin creates Thénardier in the 15 minutes before he takes centre stage, donning his costume and greasepaint mask,
then later the white face and sculpted wig disguise of the Baron de Thénard usher in the final scene. Martin may change, but Les Misérables itself has kept to its winning formula since it opened in 1985, making it the longest-running musical in the world. In its 24-year run it has been seen by 54 million people in 249 cities and in 21 different languages.
Les Misérables musical is on in London’s West End at the Queen’s Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1. www.lesmis.com
Fancy that! Men played women’s roles in British theatre until 1660. The prohibition ended because Charles II
liked watching actresses.