A Wiltshire school is the first in the country to secure the rights to perform the smash hit show Les Miserables.

All 2,500 tickets for the musical at Dauntsey's School near Devizes have already sold out.

The school in West Lavington secured the rights through one of its old boys who works for the show's producer, Cameron MacKintosh.

More than 100 students are involved in the production, from cast to backstage to sound and lights.

Nearly 80 actors are in the show

Rikki Jackson, Dauntsey's director of drama, said: "It is just the enormity of it all. It is all singing: there is no dialogue, so there is no respite.

"The kids have got to act and sing at the same time."

The show opened on Tuesday and the school's registrar, Andy Whitney, said the production had been a spectacular success.

"It is not very often that a school performance gets a standing ovation on the first night.

"We are absolutely thrilled," he added.

The show runs until Saturday.

20 languages

Les Miserables is one of the best known and loved stage musicals.

It is based on Victor Hugo's classic novel and takes in three turbulent decades of 19th Century French history.

Pupils who joined in September were encouraged to audition

It tells the story of one man, the fugitive Jean Valjean, pitted against the self-righteous Inspector Javert in a lifelong struggle to evade capture.

Worldwide, Les Miserables has been seen by more than 50 million people, with a total box office gross of more than $1.8bn.

To date, there have been 53 productions in 34 countries, in 20 different languages.

In the UK, the London version of the show is in its 17th year.

But in the US, the show which opened on Broadway in 1987 will close in March 2003 after over 6,600 performances.