Looking for a Musical...

[DickonDefysGravity]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 11:21am

I am looking for a musical that has a Male Star Vehicle and really does not depend on a Female to carry the show...
Any ideas?

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 11:35am

How to Succeed

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 11:37am

The Music Man
The Boy From Oz
Naked Boys Singing

[lildogs]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 11:53am

FORUM
LITTLE ME

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 1:37pm

LITTLE ME was a vehicle for Sid Ceasar, but it also needs a strong female co-star.

It depends on what you mean by a "female to carry the show". A lot of the suggestions thus far have a strong romantic storyline -- H2S has the secretary, MM has the librarian, and these characters have plot point songs. Are you looking for something without a love interest subplot?

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 1:38pm

1776

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 1:48pm

Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Godspell
La Cage Aux Folles
Company
Fiorello
Shenandoah

Updated On: 3/1/07 at 01:48 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 1:49pm

1776. It's a male ensemble piece, but only 2 women, no female chorus.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 4:08pm

Um, Company relies a lot on women, and Godspell is a mixed ensemble...

[Julian2]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 4:11pm

Pacific Overtures.

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 4:16pm

George M!

[WOSQ]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 4:26pm

What Makes Sammy Run? (1964) which was a vehicle for Steve Lawrence.

Its a shabby show, but it is a male star vehicle. Yes, there is a leading lady, but she's not the lead. He carries the show. It belongs to no one else. The script was published by Random House in hardcover and you could probably find a cheap copy on Abebooks.com.

Musical theatre seems to tilt toward strong female characters; hence strong female vehicles. The shows aren't called Mame, Dolly, Funny Girl for nix. For every John Raitt or Alfred Drake, there are probably four women of similar stature.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 5:38pm

"Um, Company relies a lot on women, and Godspell is a mixed ensemble..."

The question wasn't whether there were women. The question was a show that doesn't depend on a female to carry the show. Neither Company nor Godspell requires a female to carry the show.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 5:43pm

Sweet Smell of Success.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 5:55pm

WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN is an excellent choice: great score, great star turn for an actor.

[Piercemn]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 7:57pm

My first thought was How to Succeed as well, but there's also Stop the World-I Want to Get Off, The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd, and maybe Where's Charley?

[DickonDefysGravity]

Posted: 3/2/07 at 3:34pm

Interesting ideas.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 3/2/07 at 3:50pm

May be cliche, but what about Jesus Christ Superstar? Aside from the Mary Magdelen solos the dependence on women is pretty much zilch.

The Scarlet Pimpernel has a very legitimate male starring role and is carried by the actor, but I don't know how crucial a good Marguerite would be. That might be important.

Updated On: 3/2/07 at 03:50 PM

[JumpJumpJumpSoHigh]

Posted: 3/2/07 at 8:15pm

These shows all feature women prominently, but could still be considered "star vehicles" for the men:

Nine
Jekyll & Hyde
Bat Boy
The Full Monty
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

What do you need these for? Just curious.

~JJJ

[DickonDefysGravity]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 2:19pm

Just researching shows for next year's University season.

Is the revival of 'Little Me' any good?

[Piercemn]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 3:10pm

Little Me is a marvelous musical, but you need a really talented guy to carry it. Remember, it was written for Sid Caesar, and the last revival in NYC starred Martin Short. When it was produced prior to that in NYC, the roles were split betwen two actors.

The leading man plays seven roles. It requires a lot of versatility, but the script by Neil Simon, is hilarious.

I saw a good ensemble musical last night, Zombie Prom. It has a central male lead, although the role of the Principal really carried the show. I'm sure there are others out there.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 3:48pm

How about Fiddler? I guess depending on how much of female parts you want to give out--obviously the daughters have some songs, but the show is definitely on Tevye's shoulders.

For one that I think features females to an even lesser extent--The Full Monty. I think the biggest female part is the old piano lady.