My guest on this episode is Samantha Hill who played Cosette in the 2013 Toronto production and 2014 Broadway revival of Les Miserables. Originally from Winnipeg, Canada, Samantha Hill has called New York home for over 8 years. Following a successful acting career in Canada, Samantha moved to New York to star as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. She then went on to join the original Broadway cast in the revival of Les Mis as Cosette. Since then, Samantha has starred of...

My guest on this episode is Gavin James whose most recent appearance in Les Mis was as the Factory Foreman in the 2019 All Star Staged Concert. Prior to that he was in the West End cast for three years starting in 2008, was part of the 25th Anniversary concert at the O2, and even did vocals for the Les Mis movie! Obviously we had a lot to talk about! I absolutely loved getting to hear Gavin’s perspective as someone who has been part of some the biggest events and milestones in the show’s hist...

I am so excited for you all to hear this episode featuring Arbender Robinson who was an ensemble member and cover Marius in the 2014 Broadway revival of Les Miserables. Arbender has been steadily working on Broadway for the last 17 years including roles in Hairspray, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Hair, Ragtime, Disney’s The Lion King, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Les Miserables, Shuffle Along, In Transit, and Book Of Mormon. He is a Chicago area native and a proud graduate of Vite...

My guest on this episode is Rebecca Lafferty who was cast as a Swing and Eponine cover in the West End production of Les Miserables right after getting her degree in musical theatre from ArtsEd! Swings play one of the most important and difficult roles in any production and Rebecca shared so much incredible information about how the casting, rehearsal, and performance aspects work for the Les Mis swings. As part of the original productions final cast, she also had some great stories about t...

On this episode my guest is stage and screen star Aaron Lazar who played Enjolras in the 2006 Broadway revival of Les Miserables. Aaron is an actor, singer, producer, and entrepreneur. He has starred on Broadway 11 times including his debut in Phantom of the Opera, The Light in the Piazza, and The Last Ship. His illustrious career also includes film, television, and concerts. I was so honored that Aaron took the time to speak with me about his experience in the first revival of Les Mis and mu...

This episode features the multi-talented musical theatre performer and writer Matthew Harvey who played Courfeyrac in Les Miserables in the West End! Since leaving the show, he has starred in several other West End productions including Murder Ballad, Violet, and Jesus Christ Superstar. Most recently, Matthew has moved into writing musicals. His first song cycle, Now or Never premiered at the Barn Theatre on April 1st and is available to stream internationally until May 9th. Watch Now...

Hello fellow theatre geeks! On this episode my guest is Paige Smallwood who kickstarted her post-grad professional career as Eponine in the Les Mis US Tour in 2018. She was with the show for 16 months until transitioning to Hamilton where she is now the principal standby for all three Schuyler sisters. She earned her Masters in Musical Theatre Performance at The Royals Academy of Music in London, England and before that studied acting, singing, dancing and stage design at Temple Univers...

On this episode I’m talking to the lovely Charlotte Kennedy! Charlotte trained in musical theatre at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts before joining the 30th Anniversary cast of Les Miserables in 2015 as an ensemble member. Then In 2016, she went on to take over the role of Cosette. Charlotte had so many amazing Les Mis experiences to share including what it was like having to go on for Gavroche, performing at West End Live, and being part of the original production’s final performance...

On this episode I’m talking to actor and singer Andrew Kober who was part of the cast of the 2014 Broadway Revival of Les Miserables. On Broadway, he has been seen in the Tony-winning 2009 Revival of Hair, as well as Les Miserables, She Loves Me, Sunday in the Park with George, School of Rock, and, most recently, Beautiful. Andrew also performed on London’s West End with Hair, and in the First National Tour of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He is a graduate of the Carnegie ...

On this episode I’m talking to writer, director, and performer, Hugo Chiarella who is currently the Resident Director of the UK and Ireland Tour of Les Misérables. Originally from Australia, he wrote the book and lyrics for the musicals DreamSong and Evie May. As a performer he has appeared as Mendel in Australasian tour of Fiddler on The Roof with Topol, as well as multiple productions of Les Misérables all around the world including the original staging in London's West End. He was also t...

On this episode I’m talking to the fabulous Michelle Dowdy who was last seen on the road as Madame Thenardier in the US Tour of Les Misérables. Right out of high school, Michelle booked the lead role of Tracy in Hairspray on Broadway, playing the role over 400 times over three years. She’s also been seen off Broadway in Night of the Living Dead! the Musical! and The Marvelous Wonderettes. She’s currently in Arizona riding out the pandemic with her partner Jordan Wolfe, making music together, ...

...24601!! Not really, I'm Laura Talbot, Les Misérables super fan and host of the Beyond the Barricade podcast. (But if you immediately sang the title of this trailer in your head, then you're in the right place!) Every episode I'll be joined by a special guest who will share their Les Mis story, their journey in the industry, and everything that goes on behind the scenes of the world's longest running musical. Launching March 30th with new episodes every Tuesday. Be sure to subscribe so ...