Best homely characters?

Pierre from Great Comet, in a way.

Fosca from Passion

Rose in Dogfight

Mama, DOGFIGHT is about a bunch of guys headed to fight in Vietnam who stage a competition for who can bring the ugliest girl to dinner. So the leading lady isn't deformed, but neither can she be a classic beauty. The score is by the DEH guys and is arguably superior to their current hit.

Until another production comes by, check out the excellent source film (same title), starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor. I haven't seen the show, but I can't overstate how much I was moved by the film.

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Back on topic, I totally agree with you about the OP's list. Who says Eliza's father is homely? Ditto Mama Rose. I think the OP is confusing "middle-aged" with "homely".

Updated On: 8/3/17 at 11:35 PM

Effie is also supposed to be sort of homely compared to Deena in Dreamgirls.

Charley is supposed to be the homely foil to Franklin Shephard Jr. too right?

Pierre is actually given an attractiveness upgrade in his musical and most adaptations- Tolstoy describes him as old beyond his years, perpetually bloated and gouty, at times so obese he has trouble moving and struggles to ride a horse. After his experiences as a POW, he loses a ton of weight and becomes less socially awkward, at which point people start to find him more attractive.

Emmett from Legally Blonde was always meant to be an average, goofy looking kind of guy.

Mary is plain.

Richard III fits the broad definition of a Broadway role!

You only use musicals as examples. Is that intentional, because I am sure we could find a lot in plays.

First of all, I think of homely as plain, maybe even slightly 'wrong' looking. Tracy Turnblad is not homely, she is fat. Carlotta is not homely -- I have seen some beautiful, but fat, Carlotta's. In the movie, Minnie Driver was neither, and I thought she was the best thing about the money...she played an over the top diva android a great job.

Re Emmett, I don't know if you are evaluating Christian Borle's looks (homely cute?) or referencing something in the script; but, in the movie, he was played by Luke Wilson, who was pretty handsome -- if in an unusual way -- at the time. Haven't seen him lately, but I doubt he became homely, although he could have put on weight.

I don't think Mama Rose is described as being homely. If so, tell it to Angela Lansbury and Bernadette Peters. (Let's face it, Patti Lupone is homely and, while not homely, Tyne Daly played her as so tight and pinched, she might as well have been homely, ergo not including them).

I never saw any evidence that Mrs. Lovett was homely; maybe a garish dresser and dirty, not homely.

Although I am not sure of the point of this post, I might add:

-- Adrian and Rocky

-- Fanny Brice

-- Lead in i Love My Wife. Lenny Baker WAS homely, but I remember the role as playing up the homeliness.

-- I seem to recall Laura Wingfield described as homely, but that may just be based on the people I have seen play her

-- The Heiress...I can't remember the character's name

-- Alma in Summer and Smoke

-- Josie in Moon for the Misbegotten (or was she just large...I can't remember now)

-- Cyrano in whatever version (homely or ugly?)

-- Can't remember the name of the female lead in The Rainmaker / 110 in the Shade

-- etc.

adam.peterson44 said: "Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera is generally played as plain, with Christine as stunning. That of course adds irony when considering that the phantom is basically shunning/harassing/trying to get rid of Carlotta because he prefers Christine's appearance, although he later complains to Christine about the fact that people have been rejecting him for his appearance all his life."

Funny, in all the times I've seen Phantom (and that's a lot), I've never perceived Carlotta as "plain". In fact, the current Broadway Carlotta, Michele McConnell, is actually quite pretty. Of course, the character is a bit older than Christine, typically has an "opera diva" frame rather than Christine's almost waif-ish figure, and has an obnoxious personality, but she isn't physically unattractive.

I feel like homely is the wrong word to use. The OP seems to just mean anyone who isn't conventionally attractive but that's too broad a brush because personal taste starts to factor in. It's easier to stick to characters who are specifically written to be plain or even ugly.

I agree, Rose in Dogfight is a great one. Catherine in The Heiress is a good example too.

Bloody Mary in South Pacific. Violet in Violet has her scar. Jane Eyre, more so in the book, is written as homely. In the context of Wicked, Elphaba is green... but all the actresses who have played her have been conventionally attractive. Ella in The Apple Tree is written as plain and arguably so is Dawn in Waitress. Helen in Flower Drum Song though she's usually not cast that way. Arguably Val in A Chorus Line.