MOST SUPERFLUOUS CHARACTERS

My vote goes to Elaine in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE.

She walks on, says a few lines, stands around, pushes Marie offstage.

Oh and Cinderella's Father in INTO THE WOODS.

*mumble*

"The closer to the family, the closer to the wine."

*mumble*

I must admit, I love ERRONEOUS, the purposely superfluous character in A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM.

Velma in West Side Story

"Ooglie-oo," is pretty much all she has to contribute to the show.

---

Madame Morrible?

---

Madam Morribble is actually very important to the plot of Wicked.

Heh, I've got a friend playing Erronius now, so I don't know if I'm allowed to say him.

Mme. Firmin in The Phantom of the Opera. Exactly one word: "Greedy." For this, they decide to make her a character (to the best of my recollection, there wasn't a Mme. Firmin in the book, so this one irritates the crap out of me).

Sphrintze, Bielke, and Shandel in Fiddler on the Roof

Ms. Crachit, and Agnes in Gypsy

Updated On: 4/14/05 at 06:35 PM

Ernie Sabella's character in "Sweet Charity"

---

Velma is Riff's girlfriend - or at least his dancing partner. The has a major function - to show that Riff isn't gay!

LOL Jon.

Actually I think both Cinderella's Father and Tevye's younger daughters are important to character development and theme.

In Into the Woods the weak and ineffective Father of Cinderella supports the whole theme of parents and children. It shows what she has gone through. If he were not in the show no one would even give it a second thought. But the fact that he is there is a great indicator of what Cinderella's life is like.

As for Fiddler. if the line of children stopped with Chava the sense of future of the family would end. With the little daughters leaving with Golda and Tevye to go to America you get the feeling that these little ones are going to challenge their Father even MORE in America and his trials to maintain "Tradition" are just beginning.

These characters do not do much on stage in the acting sense, but in the over all themes of these shows they add a tremendous amount.

---

Updated On: 4/15/05 at 10:07 AM

Mendel's female patient on the couch in FALSETTOLAND.

Of course a lot of these roles are played by understudies to the principals.

Grandfather in RAGTIME.

Mme De La Grande Bouche in BEAUTY & THE BEAST

Babette superfluous? But isn't the feather duster there to prove the candelabra is straight?