By the Numbers: La Jolla Playhouse’s ‘Limelight’

What numbers go into the arts? Think gallons of paint in bulk, fluorescent bulbs in a theatre, bottles of wine for a gallery opening — all going into productions or exhibits every day in San Diego.

To kick off a blog feature we’ll call By the Numbers, I asked La Jolla Playhouse staffers for a peek at some quantities from backstage (and back story) of La Jolla Playhouse’s production of Limelight: The Story of Charlie Chaplin, which is running through Oct. 17.

Limelight:

• 22 cast members

• 18 bowler hats and 18 canes are used during every performance

• 126 mustaches Rob McClure (playing Charlie Chaplin) goes through per week

Charlie Chaplin:

• 81 — number of silent films Charlie Chaplin made between 1914 and 1931

• 4 wives — Mildred Harris, Lita Grey, Paulette Goddard and Oona O’Neill (and 11 children with them)

La Jolla Playhouse:

• 30 Tony Awards — 29 for works originating at La Jolla Playhouse and one for outstanding regional theatre

• 54 Playhouse-originated productions that have transferred to Broadway, Off-Broadway and to regional theatres, including the Kennedy Center, Chicago’s Goodman Theatre and the Humana Festival, and to international venues in London, Brussels, Rotterdam and Moscow

Please contact Kelly Bennett directly at kelly.bennett@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.325.0531 and follow her on Twitter: @kellyrbennett.