Artist Spotlight: Meet John Riddle of ‘Les Misérables’

As part of the 106th Muny season, we’re excited to debut a feature we’re calling Artist Spotlight. For each of our seven productions, we’ll highlight one Muny star for you to get to know a little better. Before and during the run of each show, we’re sharing photos, videos, interviews and other exclusive content to better build the connection between our audience and the performers who grace our stage.

Already a favorite among Muny audiences is John Riddle, who stars as Jean Valjean in the thrilling return of Les Misérables. He was last seen by St. Louis audiences in the 2023 Muny premiere of Chess as Anatoly Sergievsky, for which he received a St. Louis Theater Circle Award.

“I did Chess last year, and that was a pretty big sing,” John says. “This is different. It’s a bigger role, and it’s beloved, and people know the songs.”

This is John’s first production of Les Misérables. His other previous Muny shows include Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Titanic, Show Boat and Legally Blonde.

John says he loves spending a portion of his summer at The Muny.

“Everybody in every single department is truly at the top of their game,” he says. “It’s like a bunch of theatre nerds who are all really good at their jobs and who really care about making the show good. So it makes everybody else’s job easier.”

On Broadway, John has appeared in The Visit, Frozen and as Raoul in the final company of The Phantom of the Opera.

We can’t wait for you to experience Les Misérables in person when our 106th season opens June 17! Until then, here’s a peek behind the scenes.

Go into the Muny rehearsal studio with John as he sings a selection from “Bring Him Home.” Les Misérables Music Director/Conductor James Moore accompanies on piano.

Riddle spoke last week with Broadway World about Les Misérables, how he got his start at The Muny and his success on Broadway. Read the article.