Unusual Rigging has delivered a complex rigging solution for Les Misérables: The Arena Concert Spectacular at the Royal Albert Hall, adapting the iconic production to work seamlessly within the venue’s existing house rig while maintaining the integrity of the original show design.
Having supported the original Les Misérables world tour previously, Unusual Rigging has remained closely involved with the production, bringing extensive knowledge of the show’s technical requirements to this latest iteration.
The project was shaped by a number of logistical and structural constraints, with the show required to be rigged around the Hall’s standard house infrastructure due to scheduling conflicts. To achieve this, Unusual Rigging designed a solution that required over 180 metres of spreader truss, enabling the production to span fixed rigging points across the venue while preserving the original creative intent.
In preparation for installation, the Royal Albert Hall’s technical team undertook pre-rigging, working night shifts over several weeks to reposition and install hoists at the required points within the roof structure.
Unusual Rigging worked closely with structural engineers Conisbee and the Hall’s in-house technical team, providing detailed technical information and calculations to ensure the installation was delivered safely and efficiently during load-in.
Rigging works were led on site by Dave Curtis, who coordinated closely with the touring rigging team led by Roger Smissen, with the installation completed over two shifts.
Dave Curtis, Senior Production Rigger and Head of Automation at Unusual Rigging, said: “Working within the Royal Albert Hall always brings a unique set of challenges, particularly when integrating a large-scale touring production with a fixed house rig. The key was coordinating closely with the venue and touring teams to make sure every point aligned with the design intent, while maintaining absolute confidence in the system.”
In total, the final rig utilised more than 140 of the Royal Albert Hall’s rigging points, with a further 71 touring points suspended below, collectively forming the complete show infrastructure.
The completed installation is believed to represent the greatest mass ever suspended from the Royal Albert Hall’s roof, with an approximate static load of 80 tonnes, highlighting both the scale and technical complexity of the production.
