Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
#0Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 10:31pm
I'm drawing a blank.
You know how there are the lead female roles such as(just to name a few) Roxie in Chicago, Charity in Sweet Charity, Ruth in Wonderful Town, Sally in Cabaret. These roles don't call for the best singer with a great range - but they were created by great actresses with amazing stage personality.
I was wondering are there lead roles like this for males?
Can you guys name some for me?
jonartdesigns
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/04
#1re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 10:32pm
nathan detroit, guys and dolls
benjamin franklin, 1776
"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel
#2re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 10:34pm
Would Sweeney Todd count?
Billy Flynn and almost any other role Jerry Orbach created.
Fiyero, Boq, and the Wizard in Wicked.
Charlemaigne and Lewis in Pippin
"Do you know what pledge time is, Andrew"? said the PBS Executive.
"Yes", Lloyd Webber replied. "My 50th birthday special must be one program that gets done a lot."
"No", mused the man from PBS heedlessy. "Not so much. Our Stephen Sondheim Carnegie Hall concert. That's a big one."
Spoons, forks and knives seemed suddenly to suspend their motion in horror, all around the table.
Plum
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/4/04
#3re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 10:34pm
Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady.
Sweeney? Are you kidding?
Updated On: 5/19/05 at 10:34 PM
jonartdesigns
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/04
#4re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 10:37pmall the one's justice mentioned fall under the "depends on who's singing it" category, i.e. brent barrett does more with billy flynn than orbach does
"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel
GovernorSlaton
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/14/04
#5re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 10:39pm
Sweeney requires a fantastic singer/actor.
Ben and Buddy from Follies; The Reciter from Pacific Overtures.
Updated On: 5/19/05 at 10:39 PM
Joshua488
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/29/04
#6re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 10:40pmPseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
ConvinceMe2
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/7/05
#7re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 10:40pm
J. Pierpont Finch - 'Succeed'
Thomas Jefferson - 1776
Albert - Bye Bye Birdie
ConvinceMe2 is dead. Long live BrendanStryker!
#8re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 10:41pmedna in hairspray lol if that counts
jonartdesigns
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/04
#9re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 10:43pmfinch requires more of a range than one would think
"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel
#10re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 10:51pm
Tevye in Fiddler
"Do you know what pledge time is, Andrew"? said the PBS Executive.
"Yes", Lloyd Webber replied. "My 50th birthday special must be one program that gets done a lot."
"No", mused the man from PBS heedlessy. "Not so much. Our Stephen Sondheim Carnegie Hall concert. That's a big one."
Spoons, forks and knives seemed suddenly to suspend their motion in horror, all around the table.
BroadwayGirl107
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/26/03
#11re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 10:54pmLawrence Jameson - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
#12re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 11:01pm
Wow BroadwayGirl, I couldn't disagree more. I hate it that people regard subtle, natural, classy and great acting as easy. It's Lithgow's job to make it look easy...so he would be glad that you liked him 
.
jonartdesigns
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/04
#13re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 11:04pmi was thinking the same thing shuq, also the part can easily cater to a bigger range (stokes played it in workshops and one could venture that at least some of the songs were written with him in mind)
"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel
#14re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/19/05 at 11:22pmMr. Applegate- Damn Yankees
BSoBW2: I punched Sondheim in the face after I saw Wicked and said, "Why couldn't you write like that!?"
jarred03
Leading Actor Joined: 10/17/04
#15re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/20/05 at 2:21am
This really depends on what you consider range, because most people think of range as just being able to belt, and if that's the case then their are tons of roles where the males don't belt out high notes. However, alot of these roles do have range as in switching from a low note to a high note, but it's done in subtle parts of the song so nobody really pays attention.
I would say that Billy Flynn, The Emcee, Nathan Detroit, and a slew of others could easily be played without a huge range. As, I have seen a number of actors pull this off. Actually, I saw somebody play The Emcee and he oversang the songs and it kinda wrecked the character.
apdarcey
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/10/04
#16re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/20/05 at 2:22amhow about the epitome of a speak-singing role. no range needed. harold hill.
Sant
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/12/04
#17re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/20/05 at 6:12amHenry Higgins in MY FAIR LADY.
#18re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/20/05 at 6:24amCliff in Cabaret. You could have a cardboard box play the role, and it still would lack any range.
"Do you know what pledge time is, Andrew"? said the PBS Executive.
"Yes", Lloyd Webber replied. "My 50th birthday special must be one program that gets done a lot."
"No", mused the man from PBS heedlessy. "Not so much. Our Stephen Sondheim Carnegie Hall concert. That's a big one."
Spoons, forks and knives seemed suddenly to suspend their motion in horror, all around the table.
Jon
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
#19re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/20/05 at 6:24am
What about these?
Bob Baker in WONDERFUL TOWN
Nick Arnstein in FUNNY GIRL
Herbie in GYPSY
Bill in APPLAUSE
The male lead (?)in WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Horace in HELLO DOLLY
What do they have i common? They are the male leads in show where the female is the STAR - therefore, the male lead shouldn't outshine her. Therefore, the men are given less impressive music to sing.
#20re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/20/05 at 6:52amGreat point Jon!
~And let us try, before we die, to make some sense of life~
mikewood
Broadway Star Joined: 4/7/05
#21re: Male lead roles in the Theater that don't call for a great range?
Posted: 5/20/05 at 9:17amI saw a fantastic community theater production of Cabaret last year, and they did have a cardboard cut out play Cliff...God he was awful... just saw the same guy play John in a wonderful version of Jesus Christ Superstar, and he was awful again.
BLAH BLAH BLAH
TheOneAndOnly
Stand-by Joined: 8/17/04
#22Fiyero goes fairly high...
Posted: 5/20/05 at 2:08pmA decent Fiyero will go up to a full voiced A in "As Long As You're Mine", and higher in a falsetto...that A is certainly not a note that someone with "not much range" would hit on a regular basis..
BwayLeadman
Broadway Star Joined: 9/29/04
#24Fiyero goes fairly high...
Posted: 5/20/05 at 2:22pmnathan lane and Matthew Broderick roles, like The Producers
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