Leads in ensemble

Is it normal for leading actors/actresses to appear in ensemble? I was seeing Les Miz in London the other day to see Eva Noblezada's Eponine before Miss Saigon hits Broadway, and I was surprised to spot her in the ensemble during Lovely Ladies. I know in Miss Saigon the actress portraying Ellen sometimes plays one of the bar girls or someone accompanying GIs (depending on productions). But compared with Eponine, Ellen isn't as big a role for the show, and I think we can all agree Eponine is one of the leads in Les Miz. So this seems quite oddly interesting. In comparison, I haven't seen any leading actor/actress doing ensemble roles on Broadway and I've seen a lot. Does anyone notice this as well or have any insider information to share?

Don't all of the principals in LES MIS (with the exceptions of Valjean, Javert and [sometimes] Fantine) have roles in the ensemble? 

Nikki M. James was also in the Lovely Ladies number in the last Les Miz revival. Not sure if it's a Les Miz thing since I remembered Sierra Boggess saying that when she was doing Fantine, she reappeared as one of the students during the barricade scene. I think in the case of Les Miz, these lead characters only has like 20% stage time of the whole show, so it would make sense they should fill the stage in other scenes.

^As is Fiyero.  (he spins the bed)

Fiyero did indeed play the wizard in No One Mourns the Wicked initially. I think they swapped it to an ensemble member when Ben Vareen played the wizard.

When I saw the tour years ago I spotted Fiyero, Nessa, and Dilliamond standing on the bridge in One Short Day

 

Edit: Also in Rent, Maureen traditionally appears in the ensemble for the title song.

Updated On: 9/7/16 at 01:54 PM

^Fiyero used to play the mother's lover in the opening, but that changed around the time they implemented the changes to the show circa 2006. In the Broadway production and the second national tour, Fiyero turns the bed, but on the first national tour for some reason he was simply just in the crowd. 

Edit: All the principal performers in Les Mis sans Javert and Valjean appear in the ensemble including Eponine and Cosette in the factory scene as workers (along with Madame Thénardier) and Lovely Ladies, Fantine being apart of the barricade while Marius,Thénardier, and Enjolras appear as various roles before their respective sections of the show. 

Updated On: 9/7/16 at 02:14 PM

There is a pretty good story involving M&Ms of Andrea McArdle when she died on the barricade in Les Mis. I think she retold it for a Obsessed episode if anyone can find it.

Patti LuPone says in her book that she had no plans on being in the ensemble when she was off-stage as Fantine, so she used her role in the Cradle Will Rock as a good excuse but was put in one ensemble role (at the barricade) due to being seen by the director when trying to leave the theater (or something along those lines).