French masterpiece announced for New Zealand shores amidst Bastille Day commemorations

Following Bastille Day the Auckland Music Theatre has announced Le Miserables will be coming to The Civic in November of 2019. Photo / Supplied

It's one of the longest running musicals in the world, but Kiwi audiences can expect a reimagining for the modern era.

The Auckland Music Theatre is bringing Les Misérables - the world's most popular musical - back to the city.

The production next year will coincide with the 100th anniversary of Auckland Music Theatre, with spokeswoman Sandra Roberts promising "glorious new staging and reimagined scenery".

"Our proud and distinguished heritage sees us bringing quality theatre to Auckland – be it pushing creative boundaries and bringing fringe productions to intimate theatres, or delivering global smash hits, such as this exciting production of Les Misérables," she said.

Director Grant Meese told the Weekend Herald from New York that audiences here would get a fresh take on the 33-year-old show. "We have modern technology and effects. We have adapted the music quite a lot to suit a modern audience."

The show had been tightened up from its original 3 hours to 2 hours 40 minutes but still covered all the key moments with a sense of its historical grandeur. The return of the world-popular stage show was announced as the French mark Bastille Day today - a commemoration of the French Revolution.

It's the anniversary of the 1789 storming of the Bastille castle, which was seen as a symbol of the French monarch's abuse of power.

Les Misérables will come to The Civic stage in November next year.