NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — “Les Misérables” has been seen by over 130 million people worldwide in 53 countries, 438 cities and in 22 languages, and is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals. Now, New Orleanians can enjoy this beloved musical currently playing at the Saenger Theatre.
Here are some fun facts from the show’s crew that you may not know about the popular musical.
Load–in
- 61 local stagehands over two days are hired in every market to load the production into the theatre.
- The shows take approximately 21 hours to load in and approximately eight hours to load out.
- 35 local stagehands are used for each performance.
- 11 trucks are used to move the production from city to city.
Costumes & Wigs
- The show uses approximately 1,200 costumes and they take up one entire tractor trailer.
- Over 88 wigs travel with Les Misérables
- About 40 wigs are used in the show every night.
- All wigs are made from human hair except eight.
Sound
- The production carries 148 speakers total, so all venue sizes will be covered. (Most standard touring Broadway sound packages have 32 to 50 speakers across the entire audio package.)
- The audio console alone costs $250,000
Orchestra
- There are 14 musicians in the pit who play 23 instruments throughout the three hour-long musical, all let by a conductor on the podium.
“Les Misérables” is now playing at the Saenger Theatre through Feb. 4. Tickets can be purchased on the theatre’s website.
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