I remember a thread from a while back, which I cannot seem to find on this topic so I thought I'd ask: Who are some of your favorite villains in musicals?
I'll start with
The Leading Player - Pippin
Miss Hannigan - Annie
Velma - Hairspray
Mrs. Lovett - Sweeney Todd
Dr Carasco, Man of La Mancha
Broadway Star Joined: 5/28/13
Scar-Lion King
Monsieur Thenardier-Les Miz
Mrs. Lovett-Sweeney Todd
The Trunchbull
Madame Thenardier
Mrs. Wormwood
Ursula
Aurora- Spider Woman
The Witch- ITW
Judas- JCS
LP-Pippin
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/5/04
[I was being a smart aleck, so I deleted my comment.]
Updated On: 9/7/13 at 09:59 PM
I didn't see Judas as so much a villain in JCS as misguided. I think the High Priest was written as more of a villain than Judas or Herod or the Romans, which is why Jewish groups reacted with such horror to the show. I remember my rabbi flipping out over the portrayal of the High Priest as telling Judas, "I don't know why you're filled with remorse." (Of course, the High Priest also said, "What you have done will be the saving of Israel," so there was SOME nuance, but not much).
In any event, Jewish people often respond negatively to JCS in my view because of the High Priest's portrayal as an arch-villain.
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I agree with ullabelt. The Witch in ITW is not really a villain. She is a character that is put into the archetypal villain role, and while that shapes her opinions and perspectives, she doesn't truly act as the villain in the grand scheme of the plot.
Who would you say is the villain of Sunset Boulevard? Norma? Joe?
Others:
Margaret White (Carrie)
Carl (Ghost)
GASTON (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST)
Pulitzer (Newsies)
Frank Abagnale Jr. (Catch Me If You Can)
Bonnie & Clyde
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Monsieur Thenardier- Les Miz
Miss Hannigan- Annie
Mrs. and Mr. Wormwood/Ms. Trunchbull- Matilda
Velma- Hairspray
Scar- The Lion King
Judas- Godspell and JCS
The Wolf- Into The Woods
Stacee Jaxx- Rock Of Ages
Rooster- Annie
King Harod- Jesus Christ Superstar
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On the point of 'villains,' can a case be made for every single one of these mentioned villains as to why they're evil, bad in the first place? Is there any Musical Villain without any redeeming quality?
Officer Lockstock who is not only a villain, but the show's narrator and Caldwell Cladwell who does the hilarious song, Don't Be the Bunny, from Urinetown.
Chauvelin - The Scarlet Pimpernel
I really don't see Margaret White as the villain at all in Carrie. I would say Chris is the villain WAY more than Margaret.
Judd Fry
Harry Beaton
Sweeney Todd
Mrs. Lovett
Judge Turpin
Beadle Bamford
Bill Sykes
Mr. Bumble
The Phantom of the Opera
The Wizard (Wicked)
Madame Morrible
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
Jigger Craigin in Carousel
Rutledge - no, not Rutledge, Dickinson!
Mrs. Meers
Judge Turpin
Zoltan Karpathy
Scarpia
Applegate
Wazir
Cora Hoover Hooper
Kodaly
Crown
Miss Hannigan
Updated On: 9/11/13 at 08:34 PM
Mrs. Meers. She usually walks away with the show.
And is Rutledge a villain? There are antagonists, and then there are villains.
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