Posted: 6/26/17 at 10:14am
The lead role(s) in The Apple Tree. None of the songs are all that difficult individually, but they ask the singer to go from lyrical to belt and back over and over again.
Posted: 6/26/17 at 10:15am
JBroadway said: "I don't think Anatole is THAT hard in the grand scheme of musical theatre roles. Not saying it's a walk in the park, but I think Evan Hansen is much harder. In terms of current shows, Dewey in SoR is also definitely up there. Really anything Andrew Lloyd Webber, since he doesn't really know how to write for the human voice. "
Anatole requires climbing hundreds of stairs and belting out obscene high notes. I'd like to see Ben Platt hit "FOR PETERSBURG". I don't think emotional intensity should have anything to do with which role is hardest to sing, it's not "which role is hardest to ACT". Unless you were taking the question to mean both singing and acting, in which case you may have some ground.
Points off for the fact that Anatole's a supporting role and doesn't sing as much as most actors listed here, but it's notable that Anatole is pretty much the only supporting role people are mentioning.
Most of my thoughts here are already mentioned. Elphaba's the one that everyone knows as the voice killer, I don't know how some actresses manage to come back to the role again and again.
Also, is Aaron Burr really that hard to sing? Beyond Room Where It Happens, which is straight up punishing, it doesn't strike me as that difficult. Not a walk in the park, but on par with a lot of broadway roles. Certainly not like Ephaba's multiple punishing solos
Posted: 6/26/17 at 10:28am
Most of these responses skew towards the last decade or so. I don't know if that's indicative of the age of the people posting, or just the fact that their fresher in everyone's minds.
While yes, Elphaba, Diana Goodman, and Dewey come to mind, so too does Nellie Lovett, Rose, Eva Peron, and Cunegonde.
I also think we need to differentiate between roles that are difficult to sing and demanding. Elle Woods, for example, is not a terribly hard sing, save for one note, but I would say it's one of the most demanding roles written in the past 20 years because of the fact that the character almost never leaves the stage, sings a lot (though not necessarily difficult songs), and has to dance like crazy.
Posted: 6/26/17 at 10:34am
Low is much harder to sustain unnaturally than high. Listen to David Bowie on Diamond Dogs, then the subsequent live albums on tour, David Live and Cracked Actor. The unnatural vocal range he needed to sustain to sing things like "Sweet Thing" and "Big Brother," which cover almost three octaves each, rapidly deteriorated his voice and contributed to the development of the sepulchral crooning croak his voice became famous for in subsequent years.
Posted: 6/26/17 at 10:36am
JBroadway said: "Really anything Andrew Lloyd Webber, since he doesn't really know how to write for the human voice."
This statement is ridiculous. If he didn't "know how to write for the human voice", there wouldn't be artists like Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Patti LuPone, Betty Buckley, Maria Friedman, Sierra Boggess, Ramin Karimloo, et al., who have realized his music beautifully. Yes, many of the lead roles written by ALW are vocally demanding, and that's the point of this thread. Just because performers with less vocal strength cannot pull off these songs doesn't mean they're not "written for the human voice".
Posted: 6/26/17 at 10:44am
darquegk said: "Low is much harder to sustain unnaturally than high. Listen to David Bowie on Diamond Dogs, then the subsequent live albums on tour, David Live and Cracked Actor. The unnatural vocal range he needed to sustain to sing things like "Sweet Thing" and "Big Brother," which cover almost three octaves each, rapidly deteriorated his voice and contributed to the development of the sepulchral crooning croak his voice became famous for in subsequent years."
The first time I listened to "Sweet Thing", I thought that someone in the band must be doing the vocals ["It's safe in the city, to love in a doorway..."].
Updated On: 6/26/17 at 10:44 AM
Posted: 6/26/17 at 11:19am
What about Aida and Celie?
(I'm not a singer but they both seem demanding to me.)
Posted: 6/26/17 at 11:34am
1) The role of Frankie Vali - Jersey Boys
2) Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde - Jekyll & Hyde
3) Dewey - School Of Rock
Posted: 6/26/17 at 1:36pm
i've always heard that jesus and judas from jesus christ superstar were the most emotionally and vocally difficult roles in the musical theatre canon?? jesus has to have a KILLER range and the range of judas mirrors something you might see for a contralto/alto. both characters have their most difficult emotional moments at the same time as their most difficult musical moments as well so i mean. that's one thing
Updated On: 6/26/17 at 01:36 PM
Posted: 6/26/17 at 4:25pm
I keep seeing roles mentioned that AREN'T on Broadway and that's what the the OP is asking...the ones from shows CURRENTLY running.
Well, we all know by now that Elphaba and Evan are insane, this just goes without saying and I wonder why those two roles don't just start making the standbys the legitimate alternates, like POTO currently does for Christine Evita with Eva on long running Union productions. That being said, sorry but Christine isn't that difficult when you factor in that the very song that would make it difficult to begin with is all pre recorded, and obviously if you're Christine, you're doing the role either 6 or 2 times a week, and usually the alternate is the first to go on in the regular Christine's place if she's out. Many ladies who've done the role have said that as long as one has good training, one should be able to get through 6 shows a week with that stuff since you never get higher than the high C in ToM afterwards because the title song is...pre recorded.
I'll just add the Phantom himself. He may not be on stage all that much, but when he is....it's all high energy all the time, what I've been calling the high wire acts...roles than may not be on stage a whole ton but when they are....it's all go go go and those can sometimes be more draining than roles that are on stage a lot but at least their energy is nicely spread out. Elsa will be this kind role for sure, so I'm glad someone saw fit to cast legit standbys for both roles anyway.
And yes to Dewey...good grief.
Can we add Jenna to this? I still have yet to see it but from the sounds of it, Jenna is pretty hefty on the vocal end. The leads in "Comet" but at least the vocal styles change unlike other roles where it seems to be mostly "all belt, all the time".
I know know MFL is coming but...Eliza? Really? Any good soprano should be able to file her nails by that role vocally.
And no, ALW does not know how to write for the human voice. There's a reason why his two most demanding female roles are required to have alternates. Ok, Christine not so much anymore, but Eva is famous for the vocal damage it's wreaked on the ladies who've done that beast. The is from a general perspective. Yes some made it through easier because everyone's voice is still just a little different. Eva sounded easy for LuPone and thats one thing, but for most ladies, even the truly seasoned "screltresses" have said it was a bitch to get through. Case and point...even the Queen of Elphaba, Queen Willemijn of the Steel Vocal Cords, who by this point has returned to the role the most often, therefore likely has done it the most, has said that this role was insane and finds herself having issues near the end of her runs in this role. And she has one the most consistent voices I've ever heard. There's a quite few writers today that have no thought as to whether their material is singable from a vocal pedagogy point, and ALW is one of them. I thank heaven every day for the singable material of Lynn/Stephen and Alan, Adam, etc.
Posted: 6/27/17 at 1:48am
I love that Dave Malloy wrote Anatole's final notes in "Pierre & Anatole" as a joke, and Lucas Steele still pulled it off. I was in awe of him when I saw the show a few weeks ago. I can't imagine sprinting up and down the stairs while sustaining those insane notes in addition to playing the violin, dancing, doing improv with the audience, etc.
Posted: 6/27/17 at 2:05am
adamgreer said: "I also think we need to differentiate between roles that are difficult to sing and demanding. Elle Woods, for example, is not a terribly hard sing, save for one note, but I would say it's one of the most demanding roles written in the past 20 years because of the fact that the character almost never leaves the stage, sings a lot (though not necessarily difficult songs), and has to dance like crazy."
Yep, one segment that comes to mind is immediately following Elle's "Personal Essay" dance routine she needs to sing the soft "How About Love." On the MTV recording of the show, when the Dean is talking, its clear Laura Bell is working to slow her breathing getting ready to sing the brief ballad.
Posted: 6/27/17 at 11:35am
I am not a singer and don't really know anything about technicality and all that stuff... but based solely on my listening and observing what about Francesca in The Bridges of Madison County? It seems like a behemoth of role to sing but I could be wrong.
Posted: 6/27/17 at 12:01pm
Francesca should be fine for any solidly trained soprano, IMO.
Posted: 6/27/17 at 2:47pm
JBroadway said: "I don't think Anatole is THAT hard in the grand scheme of musical theatre roles. Not saying it's a walk in the park, but I think Evan Hansen is much harder. "
Why do we always end up comparing DEH and TGC for no reason/out of nowhere? Honestly.
I think they're both extremely difficult parts in different ways. Anatole requires immense physical stamina and vocal strain, and Evan Hansen requires immense emotional stamina and vocal strain. It's amazing that Lucas Steele and Ben Platt have gone this long without sustaining any major vocal damage and are able to run up hundreds of flights of stairs a night/have panic attacks and sob like hell eight times a week.
Even so, as others have said, the most intense male role currently on Broadway is almost definitely Dewey from School of Rock. I remember reading interviews where Alex Brightman mentioned that he had to gain weight for the role, then kept losing it (I believe all in all he lost somewhere around 50 pounds?) because the role was so physical, had to take detoxing baths, threw up between scenes, etc.
For female roles, currently, Elphaba of course. I don't think that one really needs an explanation, even if the part isn't excessively physically/emotionally demanding (at least in comparison to the aforementioned parts), she just has to belt solo after solo, and I'm surprised anyone can do it for an extended amount of time.
Also, if I'm being completely honest, I'll never understand why Kim from Miss Saigon needs an alternate, especially in a world where Elphaba, Evan Hansen, Dewey and Anatole don't. It's a difficult part with a lot of singing, yes, but definitely not as hard as any of the other ones listed. If any Boubil/Schönberg character should be given an alt, I'd have given one to Valjean before her.
Finally, because everyone is adding "all time" lists: Valjean from Les Mis, Diana from Next to Normal, Rose from Gypsy, Eva from Evita, and, actually, Natalie from Next to Normal.
EDIT: I know it's not a musical role, but I just remembered Christopher from The Curious Incident. He had an alternate, didn't he? Because the amount of screeching and crying and etc. that part required was insane, as was the physical demand of it.
Updated On: 6/27/17 at 02:47 PM
Posted: 6/27/17 at 5:43pm
Some that immediately come to mind:
-- Mama Rose
-- Jean Valjean
-- Charlie Anderson
-- Mama in Rags
-- Cyrano (the Christopher Plummer version)
-- Tony in The Most Happy Fella
-- Norma Desmond (remember the age the performer should be)
-- Evan Hansen
-- Tell Me on a Sunday (can't remember the character's name)
-- Sweeney Todd
-- Littlechap
-- Effie????
-- Kim in Miss Saigon
-- Diana in NTN
-- Don Quixote
-- Apple Tree lead (I agree with prior post -- those roles are all over the place)
-- Lily Garland and Oscar (forgetting the character's last name)
-- Max Bialystok (for Betrayed alone)
-- Lutiebelle in Purlie
-- I don't see why Aaron Burr would be such a vocally demanding role. I suspect part of the Anatole demands is with performance choices made
Updated On: 6/27/17 at 05:43 PM
Posted: 6/27/17 at 5:45pm
Good call on Natalie in Next to Normal. Jenn Damiano's voice was almost as wrecked as Alice Ripley's by the time they left. Luckily hers seems to have recovered much better than Ripley's has.
Posted: 6/27/17 at 10:39pm
leighmiserables said: "
Also, if I'm being completely honest, I'll never understand why Kim from Miss Saigon needs an alternate, especially in a world where Elphaba, Evan Hansen, Dewey and Anatole don't. It's a difficult part with a lot of singing, yes, but definitely not as hard as any of the other ones listed. If any Boubil/Schönberg character should be given an alt, I'd have given one to Valjean before her.
***
EDIT: I know it's not a musical role, but I just remembered Christopher from The Curious Incident. He had an alternate, didn't he? Because the amount of screeching and crying and etc. that part required was insane, as was the physical demand of it. "
I think Kim had an alternate because Eva Noblezada was 18 when she started - and originally was only going to do 4 performances a week, which went up to 6. It was more youth and lack of experience that put more demands. And there was an alternate for Christopher in Curious Incident who did at least one and sometimes two performances a week.
Posted: 6/28/17 at 1:01am
Lot666 said: "JBroadway said: "Really anything Andrew Lloyd Webber, since he doesn't really know how to write for the human voice."
This statement is ridiculous. If he didn't "know how to write for the human voice", there wouldn't be artists like Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Patti LuPone, Betty Buckley, Maria Friedman, Sierra Boggess, Ramin Karimloo, et al., who have realized his music beautifully. Yes, many of the lead roles written by ALW are vocally demanding, and that's the point of this thread. Just because performers with less vocal strength cannot pull off these songs doesn't mean they're not "written for the human voice".
"
It's a rhetorical device: hyperbole. You're taking it too literally.
Posted: 6/28/17 at 1:20am
Updated On: 6/28/17 at 01:20 AM
Posted: 6/28/17 at 10:40am
froote said: "Good call on Natalie in Next to Normal. Jenn Damiano's voice was almost as wrecked as Alice Ripley's by the time they left. Luckily hers seems to have recovered much better than Ripley's has.
"
As a "Natalie alum" I was actually wondering this myself. I still consider Diana overall much more vocally demanding than Natalie, BUT Natalie seems to LIVE in the place in a female's voice that generally known to be pretty damn uncomfortable, especially with the vowels and transitions used in those places. At least Diana has style changes and doesn't sit and live in that passage place that Natalie does.
Posted: 6/28/17 at 11:27am
Another non singer here, so no knowledge of techniques, but listening to Marisha Wallace at west end live just week as Effie (she is an understudy) surely that role must have some effect on the actresses?
Did Jennifer Holliday ever have any damage?
Funnily enough Marisha did have to work on damage herself from when she was younger, and in a recent interview she said that she has been singing "and I'm telling you" all her life.
Posted: 6/28/17 at 1:43pm
Part of the training and experience of being a professional singer is pacing your energy. You have to hold back some juice. If you're on full-blast 100% of the time you'll dry out and die.
I was playing Che in EVITA and here is my nearly exact thought process during a performance late in the run: "And the money kept rol-lin iiin-- (ohgod my throat just twinged, everyone else has had a cold I better not be getting it) from every side. (Okay, I only have one more show tomorrow, so I gotta save it; later in the chorus I'm singing "Peroooon! Peroooon" and breathing in the middle instead of holding it forever "Peroooooooooooooooooooon!" like usual and no rock-octave screamslide at the end...like that ever works...I know my water is on the prop table when I run off during the dance break. Okay, conductor, hope you're paying attention cause I'm pushing the tempo so these long notes don't last for days...)...Eva's pretty hands reached out--"
I always heard how RENT was notorious for chewing up and spitting out ensemble members. That show is a long sing. I remember auditioning and being directed: "do it again, but this time without the vibrato". Straight tone rock belt all day, even midrange, can be a killer.
Posted: 6/28/17 at 1:49pm
ggersten said: "leighmiserables said: "
Also, if I'm being completely honest, I'll never understand why Kim from Miss Saigon needs an alternate, especially in a world where Elphaba, Evan Hansen, Dewey and Anatole don't.
I read the book Unnaturally Green which is a memoir written by an Elphaba standby. I got the impression that all productions of Wicked are very serious about being able to paint somebody green real fast and switch them on mid-show, and that Elphaba Prime can decide to take shows off when she feels the need (within reason) to remain healthy.
