As Cameron Mackintosh’s epic Miss Saigon arrives in Manchester for an eight week run at the Palace Theatre, we pick out ten things you may not know about one of the largest tour productions around. In fact, it features a cast of 38, orchestra of 15 and a technical team of 32 who bring the show to life 8 times a week. It takes 16 45-foot trailers to move the production from one venue to the next. The show finishes in one venue on the Saturday and opens in the next venue on the Wednesday, just 4 days later. Over 100 people are involved in transferring the show and the team work around the clock to make it possible.
Miss Saigon runs at the Palace Theatre, Manchester from 21 March until 12 May 2018.
The Miss Saigon touring company includes 38 adult cast members, from 10 nationalities including British, Filipino, Thai, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, Singaporian, Swedish, Dutch and Malaysian.
image courtesy Johan Persson
It takes around 22 hours to take the show out of a venue and 3 days to put it in the next venue, working 24 hours a day.
Red Concepcion 'The Engineer' and company - image courtesy Johan Persson
100 production and local crew are involved in putting the show in to a venue
Ashley Gilmour 'Chris' and Company - image courtesy Johan Persson
The wardrobe team do 104 loads of washing per week
Sooha Kim 'Kim' - image courtesy Johan Persson
There are 16 costume changes for each member of the female ensemble throughout the show
Joreen Bautista 'Kim' - image courtesy Johan Persson
The G.I. boy’s flak jackets and helmets are all original and have been used in action
Gerald Santos 'Thuy' and Sooha Kim 'Kim' - image courtesy Johan Persson
There are 5 follow-spots on the show, 3 right at the back of the auditorium and 2 that are just behind the proscenium which the operators have to be in a harnesses to climb up to. The operators are incredibly busy in the show with over 580 different cues to follow the cast around. Some of these cues are so subtle that it’s hard to even know how they’re being lit, not an easy thing to achieve!
image courtesy Cameron Mackintosh
There are 600 props used in the show. Each prop has to be accounted for before each performance. This is carried out by the Assistant Stage Managers using a check sheet.
Sooha Kim 'Kim' stars in Miss Saigon at The Palace Theatre Manchester - image courtesy Johan Persson
There are 15 members of the orchestra - Instruments include 8 Asian flutes, piccolo and Flute.There are 77 different percussion instruments in total. Unusual instruments include skull drums, ankle bells, singing bowls, Thai chap cymbals and kabuki blocks.
Sooha Kim 'Kim' and Gerald Santos 'Thuy' - image courtesy Johan Persson
Ashley Gilmour 'Chris' and Sooha Kim 'Kim' image courtesy Johan Persson
