What Do You Think Is The MOST DEMANDING Role in Musical Theater?

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 10:33pm

I say Momma Rose in GYPSY.

Role sings 80% of the songs--sentimental, comedy, ballads.

Role has enough nuances for a Tennessee Williams play.

Preforming "Rose's Turn" ITSELF is ONE MEAN FEAT!

Not for the faint-hearted, that's for sure.

I would hazard to guess that a local theater group would not put GYPSY on their schedule without knowing who was going to play Rose FIRST.

Posted: 10/8/04 at 10:35pm

elphaba...to do that every night. *shudders*. and tracy would be pretty demanding too, especially for a chubby girl. Updated On: 10/8/04 at 10:35 PM

[cvapb]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 10:38pm

Yea, the role of Tracy Turnblad seems very demanding. I would think you would have to be in really good shape to be dancing around and jumping around like that! Woo, im tired thinking about it.

[nycdncr]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 10:52pm

charity in Sweet Charity

[jo]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 10:55pm

Peter Allen in THE BOY FROM OZ!

You have to be a true triple threat to go through such a rigorous performance. You also have to be prepared to lose a lot of weight and some muscles ( Hugh was practically looking gaunt towards the end of the run), probably suffer a fractured foot from the dancing, sing about 20 songs ( from ballads to powerhouse songs) and emote through a whole gamut of emotions!

Hey, you need to learn how to twirl those maracas, too, while swiveling your hips, going down a treacherous staircase, blowing a whistle, and not forgetting to awe the ladies all the time Updated On: 10/8/04 at 10:55 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 10:57pm

Either "Evita" or Fanny in "Funny Girl"

Updated On: 10/8/04 at 10:57 PM

[Matt_G]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 10:58pm

Eva Peron has to be one of the most difficult roles to play.

[Alix7272]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:01pm

tracy has to jump up and down and dance and sing well at the same time for long periods of time! now that's extremely hard. it's so high energy. peter alan i imagine is that way too, plus he's in every number, but i never got to see it.

[MyNameInLights]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:03pm

I agree with all of those, and add Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney to that list!

[Idina_obsession]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:09pm

id have to agree with three that were mentioned
1. elphaba-to have to be painted green...and sing those BELTING songs 8 times a week while flying in the air has to be pretty demanding.
2. tracy turnblad-she has to have incredible energy and pizazz and keep everyone entained while singing and dancing
3. peter allen-for hugh jackman to have that much funk and craziness all the time and to just be able to do what he did..is insane

those roles seem so difficult...i dont no how they do it

[zoran912]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:10pm

Any of the triple threat roles.

[feinstein9]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:11pm

i think lili and fred from kiss me kate would be incredibly difficult, in addition to the already mentioned fanny and evita. fosca in passion would have to be emotionally draining and vocally challenging, i would think.

[gherbert]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:11pm

I usually never emphatically disagree on these boards, but just post my opinions, but are you SERIOUS???? TRACY TURNBLAD AND ELPHAHA AS THE MOST DEMANDING ROLES IN MUSICAL THEATRE??? What?

Momma Rose has about 1000 more layers and emotions than those. She is onstage 100% of the time and her seven songs are some of the most challenging to get right emotionally and technically.

Charity Hope Valentine is literally on-stage so much in Sweet Charity that Gwen Verdon had to where the same costume for the entire show, the famous black slip so closely associated with the character, because there was NO time to change her costume. The one change she made, into the red dress for "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This" had to be made ON-STAGE! That's demanding.

Mame, practically never off stage, plus maintain an amazingly precise sense of comic timing and age slowly as the show goes on. Plus I don't envy anyone who has to belt out "If He Walked Into My Life" immediately after dancing around in "That's How Young I Feel." That's demanding.

Harold Hill is also a biggy. It is also extremely tricky because this is a con-man who has to be so cunning, so enthusiastic, and so precisely magical that he is able to win over an entire audience who know that he is a crook.

These roles are DEMANDING!!!!!!!!!! I have not seen anything in the last 10 years of musical theatre that even compare.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:12pm

I second (third? forth?) Peter Allen.

And I think vocally, Aida is a very difficult role, but hardly a triple threat. Hugh earned every inch of that Tony.

[Crazy4MattMorrison52]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:14pm

tracy turnblad is probably the best role out there. you get to go crazy as you make your first apperance on the corny collins show and kiss a hot guy every night. well the current link isnt that hot but the current link u/s are SUPER hot.

Updated On: 10/8/04 at 11:14 PM

[MyNameInLights]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:15pm

I agree with Harold Hill too! Hello, 76 Trombones? Trouble?

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:17pm

Idina's great, but Elphaba is definitely not the most demanding role around. A lot of it has to do with weak writing and development for her character, but that's a whole other issue.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:20pm

For a chick: Effie in Dreamgirls or Eva in Evita

For a dude: Che in Evita or Harold in Music Man

[gherbert]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:24pm

I'm sorry, but I cannot stand to hear that Peter Allen and Tray Turnblad are the best roles ever in musical theatre. What about the Golden Age of musicals? Momma Rose, Joanne, Charity, Harold Hill, Buddy Plummer, Mame, Princess Winnifred, Phyllis Stone, Ruth Sherwood, Fiorello LaGuardia, Molly Brown, J. Pierrpont Finch, Pseudolus, Daisy Gamble, the Trio of Female Leads in The Apple Tree.

Not saying that Peter Allen and Tracy Turnblad do not hold their special, modern place in musical history. But there are roles out there that are so marvelous that it is just horrible to cast them aside without mention. Tracy Turnblad is a very demanding role and extremely well-written and Peter Allen is . . . um . . . Hugh Jackman was good???? But anyway, the point is, look throughout the bountiful history of Broadway before just pinpointing something off the top of your head.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:32pm

i'm only weighing in on male roles since i've had no occasion to attempt female ones.
Edna Turnblad (i factor in the fat suit and heels into this one)
Guido Contini*
J.Pierrepont Finch*
Harold Hill
Peter Allen
Max Bialystock
Jekyll and Hyde

*= i've played it

Updated On: 10/8/04 at 11:32 PM

[MyNameInLights]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:34pm

Ahhh, totally forgot about Che in Evita. Amazing.

[broadway86]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:40pm

Harold Hill
Jekyll & Hyde
The Phantom
Peter Allen
Che
Billy Bigelow
Ren McCormick
Harold Hill
Coalhouse Walker Jr.

Mama Rose
Eva Person
Effie
Christine Daae
Fosca
Charity Hope Valentine

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:43pm

Watching STEEL PIER, all I could think was, how the hell does that girl do that eight times a week, twice on Wednesdays and Saturdays? Rita Racine. Extremely physically and emotionally demanding role.

[broadway86]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:58pm

Very true.

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 12:03am

A recent one would be Caroline in Caroline or Change. Hopefully Tonya's vocal chords won't be permanently damaged from playing that exhausting role.