Gender Bender: Roles played by men and women

Fascinating to learn that Whoopi Goldberg took over for Nathan Lane in the role of Pseudolus in the 1996 Broadway revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Any other roles that were originally conceived to be played by one sex and then played by the other sex?



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I've heard of men playing the Witch in Into the Woods. Apparently Billy Porter was approached to play her in the 2002 revival, but the producers wanted Vanessa Williams.

A friend of mine saw the drag queen Ginger Minj as Nellie Lovett in a production of Sweeney Todd in Orlando and was apparently amazing.

I'm waiting for some gender blind casting in Hamilton. Cynthia Erivo would make a great Burr.

Updated On: 9/14/17 at 03:59 PM

In the recent tour of Once, the Bank Manager, played as a man in the Broadway production, was a woman.

"I believe the current off-Broadway production of Sweeney Todd has a woman as Pirelli"

Nothing new there - Donna Lynne Champlin played the role on Broadway back in 2005.

Broadway Bounce, does your question also include drag performances (like Peter Pan originally and usually being played by a woman, or the many women who've played Hamlet or the many men who've played Lady Bracknell)?

Because I took your question as something else entirely.

I thought you were asking only about roles conceived originally for a man playing a man that were later played by a woman as a woman. Or vice versa.

:Like the female version of The Odd Couple, or, as I mentioned before, Mary Tyler Moore playing Claire Harrison in Who's Life Is It Anyway? replacing Tom Conti's Ken Harrison. Or, as you mentioned, Whoopi Goldberg playing Pseudolus as a woman.

Updated On: 9/14/17 at 04:40 PM

raddersons said: "Mrs. Bumbrake in Peter and the Starcatcher was originally played by a woman in workshops, but they switched it to a "drag" type role with a man playing the woman's part at some point in the middle of the workshop."

However, one of the understudies for the role was a woman.

I also believe in the original Hedwig, Ali Sheedy played Hedwig.

To my knowledge, there's been two regional productions of A Chorus Line that switched Cassie to a male(Casey).

Kad said: "raddersons said: "Mrs. Bumbrake in Peter and the Starcatcher was originally played by a woman in workshops, but they switched it to a "drag" type role with a man playing the woman's part at some point in the middle of the workshop."

However, one of the understudies for the role was a woman."

Really? How'd they make that work, considering there were a few jokes related to the fact the character was being played by a man? Like (off the top of my head): "Thank you, kind sir...er...lady." and then that part where Mrs. Bumbrake and Alf are canoodling and the actor playing Bumbrake suddenly drops his feminine voice as very gruffly says, "Listen dude—I have to go get the girl."

Did they just drop those jokes the night the female understudy was on? Or plow through them?

Updated On: 9/17/17 at 07:11 PM

Melpomene and Calliope both had male understudies in Xanadu.

Amelia McClain understudied Trevor in The Play That Goes Wrong.

I can tell you that after seeing Cynthia Erivo's Ham4All video of "Dear Theodosia," I would kill to see her as Aaron Burr.