Cast size question

spazzana · Cast size question

What is the smallest number of people the show can be performed with, preserving the beauty of the music and characterizations?

The Pirate King

Ensemble?

Hm.

If you're doing it in a more intimate theatre, around 15-20 would probably work.

Orestes Fasting

For the bare mechanics of making the show work, you'd need at least 21-23 people (and three kids). Nine principals, none of whom can be doubled. At least seven male ensemble members; the standard number is eleven. There's more wiggle room with the female ensemble, especially since the Cosette and Eponine actresses typically take ensemble roles in the first half of the show, but I don't think you could get away with less than 5-7.

But like I said, that's the absolute frakking minimum of people you could have without going into combo.* To do the show justice would require more like 25-30 including principals.

* Going into combo = being so short on cast members that you have to combine ensemble parts and have, for example, Joly singing Prouvaire's lines in addition to his own. It's not a pretty place to be.

SmallTownIngenue

I just did the show with a teeny tiny ensemble and it worked great, we still got a lot of positive comments on the show. The roles of Javert, Fantine, Eponine, Cosette and Gavroche were double cast, and two little girls alternated little Cosette/Eponine. Valjean was double cast, but our Marius dropped out of the show and one of our Valjeans took over. So those five principals played in the ensemble on their off-night, which is what I did, as Fantine. We actually only had five girls that were actually only ensemble members, not double-cast leads. As for men, we had five that were only ensemble (including Grantaire/Bishop). It may sound crazy, but the show still worked. We did have to combine some of the barricade boys, for example, Joly and Lesgles and Prouvaire and Courferac. We originally had a much larger ensemble but many people dropped out before the production began and during early rehearsals.

wicked_boy

I think Les Miz is one show that NEEDS an ensemble.

The barricade scenes would look pathetic without at least 5 blokes running around.

Brunnhilde

Our ensemble is pretty big, the chorus has 46 people. It's sometimes too much for the stage, but it will do. They all know what to do and when. Some of them, of course, play smaller roles like Farmer, numbered Whores, Chain Gang and Turning's women. We have Turning with girls washing clothes. That's because we had problem with the cart. Okay, we don' follow all show rules. No, it's not Regietheater, but nor a clone of the London/Broadway show. (Horribile dictu: Cosette has nice, light-colored clothes...)

spazzana	Cast size question What is the smallest number of people the show can be performed with, preserving the beauty of the music and characterizations?
The Pirate King	Ensemble? Hm. If you're doing it in a more intimate theatre, around 15-20 would probably work.
Orestes Fasting	For the bare mechanics of making the show work, you'd need at least 21-23 people (and three kids). Nine principals, none of whom can be doubled. At least seven male ensemble members; the standard number is eleven. There's more wiggle room with the female ensemble, especially since the Cosette and Eponine actresses typically take ensemble roles in the first half of the show, but I don't think you could get away with less than 5-7. But like I said, that's the absolute frakking minimum of people you could have without going into combo.* To do the show justice would require more like 25-30 including principals. * Going into combo = being so short on cast members that you have to combine ensemble parts and have, for example, Joly singing Prouvaire's lines in addition to his own. It's not a pretty place to be.
SmallTownIngenue	I just did the show with a teeny tiny ensemble and it worked great, we still got a lot of positive comments on the show. The roles of Javert, Fantine, Eponine, Cosette and Gavroche were double cast, and two little girls alternated little Cosette/Eponine. Valjean was double cast, but our Marius dropped out of the show and one of our Valjeans took over. So those five principals played in the ensemble on their off-night, which is what I did, as Fantine. We actually only had five girls that were actually only ensemble members, not double-cast leads. As for men, we had five that were only ensemble (including Grantaire/Bishop). It may sound crazy, but the show still worked. We did have to combine some of the barricade boys, for example, Joly and Lesgles and Prouvaire and Courferac. We originally had a much larger ensemble but many people dropped out before the production began and during early rehearsals.
wicked_boy	I think Les Miz is one show that NEEDS an ensemble. The barricade scenes would look pathetic without at least 5 blokes running around.
Brunnhilde	Our ensemble is pretty big, the chorus has 46 people. It's sometimes too much for the stage, but it will do. They all know what to do and when. Some of them, of course, play smaller roles like Farmer, numbered Whores, Chain Gang and Turning's women. We have Turning with girls washing clothes. That's because we had problem with the cart. Okay, we don' follow all show rules. No, it's not Regietheater, but nor a clone of the London/Broadway show. (Horribile dictu: Cosette has nice, light-colored clothes...)

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Cast size question