Any LGBT Characters?

I'm looking for some musicals with LGBT characters this season, and the only ones I found were Falsettos, and Come From Away (I think). I know some of the revivals and new ones don't have any, but maybe I missed something?

• Anastasia
• Amélie
• Bandstand
• Cats
• A Bronx Tale
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Dear Evan Hansen
• Come From Away
• Holiday Inn
• Hello Dolly!
• Groundhog Day
• Falsettos
• Miss Saigon
• In Transit
• Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
• Sunday in the Park with George
• War Paint
• Sunset Blvd.

War Paint

"Rubbing nipples with delight" I'd say dear Evan Hansen has some gay character, although it's not known for sure.

Groundhog Day has a very minor gay character.

Why just musicals? Indecent prominently features lesbian characters and the action centers around a work that has a lesbian kiss.

Thanks for the help!

It seems like the majority of the shows I listed don't have any gay characters, and a couple of the ones that do are only minor characters. That's...pretty disheartening.

Um... FALSETTOS?!? That's one of the primary themes of the show.



And why is this disheartening? You should protest!!

But why are you specifically looking for musicals? Yes, its a shame there are no major LGBT stories being told in musicals. But as others have pointed out several plays have LGBT characters are their forefront, most notably Significant Other and Indecent.

But why are you specifically looking for musicals? Yes, its a shame there are no major LGBT stories being told in musicals. But as others have pointed out several plays have LGBT characters are their forefront, most notably Significant Other and Indecent.

I've already seen a few plays (including SO and Indecent), now I wanna get into some musicals. And yes, it's really disappointing how there's such a lack of LGBT stories/characters in musicals this season, and nobody is even talking about it. Things should be getting better by now.

I have to disagree that theatre, especially musicals are progressive. Even when gay characters appear in musicals they are usually a massive stereotype often to get a cheap laugh. I dont think ive ever seen a relatable gay character in a musical.

To be honest the lack of lgbt characters doesnt bother me much as its not something that i think about everytime i see a show, i mainly go to the theatre to be entertained or be told a good story and dont really analyse every detail. Unless the subject matter of the piece is specifically about sexuality then i dont need a character to be gay to potentially be able to relate to them. Personally though id rather have no lgbt characters than a stereotype used for a cheap laugh

Also: a number of the musicals you initially asked about are either decades old or adaptations of works that are decades old.

And one is about cats. Like, actual cats.

This is a genuine question asked from a straight guy's privilege, but in shows where sexuality and romance isn't a major topic for many characters, do you assume that those characters are straight? Does whether they are principal, featured, minor, or ensemble make a difference? Do they automatically go in the straight column unless otherwise expressly indicated?

While those questions don't truly address OP's concern about representation, I just wonder if it is fair to criticize certain shows that don't directly or indirectly address a character's sexuality at all. I think most of us would agree that there needs to be a better representation of all types of people in the stories told, especially in the theatre that tends to lead the way on these fronts, but I just wonder if the "numbers" are being skewed a little by assumptions.

Again acknowledging my privilege, if it's not a traditional "boy meets girl (or any other combination), they fall in love" story, I kind of think of the characters as asexual.

Also, I would imagine that if the conversation was expanded to include Off-Broadway, or only new musicals, or only original musicals, (which obviously all change the discussion more than a little bit), we would find a somewhat different slate of representation.

Updated On: 4/29/17 at 01:50 PM

I completely agree that most shows have a romance in the center, heck, forget shows, the majority of everything in art and pop culture has a romantic relationship in the center.

I guess what I didn't say very well was, does that mean that all of the other characters in the show are straight as well? Like, even if a show is about a central heterosexual romance, if the sexuality of other characters isn't addressed at all, how much do we fault the writers/directors for not specifying or even indicating that certain characters are LGBTQ? Obviously in the handful of shows (usually plays) that don't involve romance at all, it's a more interesting question, but I wonder if we shouldn't assume someone's sexuality in real-life, how far does that extend into the arts? Does the responsibility to showcase and represent marginalized peoples supersede the normal hesitation to assume?

I don't have an answer, this thread just got me thinking.