Hal Leonard hosted Alain Boublil, the lyricist and librettist behind such beloved musicals as “Les Misérables,” “Miss Saigon,” “Martin Guerre” and “The Pirate Queen,” at its Milwaukee WI headquarters on March 6. “Les Misérables,” the world’s longest-running musical, made its debut in 1985. Hal Leonard has represented it in print for nearly as long. And the show is still breaking box office records everywhere in its 30th year, with new productions on Broadway, as well as in Sydney, Tokyo, Holland and Spain.
Boublil met with Hal Leonard’s President, Larry Morton, and the editorial staff and production people who have brought to life more than 120 publications that feature Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s musicals. Hal Leonard publishes everything from easy piano collections; to instrumental play-alongs; to Pro Vocal, orchestral and choral works; and even The Musical World of Boublil and Schönberg, a biography of Boublil and his longtime collaborator.
Boublil commented on the tour, saying, “I enjoyed my first-time visit to Hal Leonard’s headquarters. It’s very impressive to see firsthand the ways in which they are making our music and lyrics available in so many innovative ways for such a wide variety of musicians and fans.”
Morton added, “Alain Boublil is musical theater royalty. We are so proud that he entrusts Hal Leonard to represent his and Claude-Michel’s magnificent works in print. We look forward to many more years of working closely together.”
That evening, with Boublil in attendance, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra performed “Do You Hear The People Sing.” He co-conceived and produces this touring symphonic production, which features songs from Boublil and Schönberg musicals performed by world-class vocalists; that includes his wife, soprano Marie Zamora. Hal Leonard sponsored the Milwaukee performances, which brought audiences to their feet.