...you could do like they did in one college production of the show that I played back in the 1980's. We were in a split orchestra pit with a thrust down the middle, so I never really saw half of the orchestra. However, I got there early one rehearsal evening to set up all of my junk (baritone, bass clarinet, clarinet and tenor, all having to be carried down a spiral staircase), and heard what I though was the bass sax part in the opening rumble scene.
It was the bass sax part being played by a frail young thing on a Bb soprano clarinet. As she had no bass sax (indeed, I saw no sax of any kind anywhere near her), she did the fifth or sixth next best thing and played the notes as written on a soprano clarinet. The resultant sound gave a whole new meaning to "ominous"...