Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Involved?

#1

Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Involved?

Posted: 9/23/09 at 5:06pm

Who can think of some examples? (Shows where one of the characters' unrequited love for the other, like Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd, do not count!)

"Ragtime" springs to mind, though...

---

In my pants, she has burst like the music of angels, the light of the sun! --Marius Pantsmercy

#2

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Involved?

Posted: 9/23/09 at 5:10pm

In The Heights. Nina and Usnavi are not romantically linked.

---

"It's about the Benjamins, not the Bernsteins."-CapnHook

#3

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Involved?

Posted: 9/23/09 at 5:11pm

Joseph...Dreamcoat
Billy Elliot
Hairspray
[title of show]

Updated On: 9/23/09 at 05:11 PM

#4

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 5:11pm

Technically the leads in In The Heights are Usnavi and Nina and they are not romantically involved.

In The Drowsy Chaperone The Man In Chair and The Drowsy Chaperone are the leads and aren't either.

#5

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 5:11pm

Billy Elliot...


I think a better question is, are there any musicals without love stories? Billy is the only one that comes to mind.

#6

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 5:13pm

I think Joseph doesn't really qualify as having a love story

#7

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Involved?

Posted: 9/23/09 at 5:14pm

JON AND JEN - In Act 1, they are brother and sister, growing up. In Act 2, the first Jon has died in Viet Nam, and Jen has named her son Jon in his honor.

KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN

ANNIE

OLIVER

MAME - Patrick is the male lead in the show, not Beauregard.

DEAR WORLD - Countess Aurelia has no romantic interest. The lovers are secondary characters.

TOMMY - the female lead is his mother.

CURTAINS - the female love interest is the third largest female role.

70 GIRLS, 70 - the lead, Ida, has no love interest.

Updated On: 9/23/09 at 05:14 PM

#8

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Involved?

Posted: 9/23/09 at 5:15pm

Floyd Collins. Not much romance at all, and none involving the lead male.

Oliver! and Annie and hopefully all shows with young children as leads.

Les Mis for that matter. God only knows who the female lead technically is, but Valjean ain't getting it on with ANY of 'em.

---

Notes from the Earlham Street Gutter

Updated On: 9/23/09 at 05:15 PM

#9

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 5:26pm

Falsettos!

#10

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 5:40pm

If we can include movie musicals, "Royal Wedding." Fred Astaire and Jane Powell play brother and sister.

#11

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 5:43pm

The King And I

#12

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 5:46pm

"The King And I"

I don't think this should count :P. There is clearly something going on..even if it isn't formalised as 'romatically involved', IMO.

---

Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.

#13

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 5:53pm

Some of these might be a little iffy. In no particular order:

Chicago
Secret Garden
A Funny Thing Happened....
A Year with Frog and Toad
any of the Dr. Suess musicals
Cats (does the show even have a lead?)
Evita (if the leads are Eva and Che)
Children of Eden
Cabaret (if one considers the leads to be Sally and the Emcee)
Oliver

---

On the road of life, do not pause for suicidal chipmunks who freeze in your headlights, seeking death by your tires...

#14

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 6:04pm

How are we classifying leads here? Depending on how you look at it, would you really include Hairspray? Link and Tracy are lead characters who are romantically involved, unless you are not really counting Link as a lead character (because according to Tony voters, he'd fall under supporting). But in terms of the amount of time the character is onstage, I'd consider Link a lead character.

---

"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611

Updated On: 9/23/09 at 06:04 PM

#15

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 6:42pm

LOL...Billy has 2 love interests in it...Michael and Debbie.

Updated On: 9/23/09 at 06:42 PM

#16

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 6:55pm

Link is the lead male CHARACTER in Hairspray.

#17

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 7:11pm

Did I miss something? Did The King of Siam boink Anna Leonowens?!!

#18

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 8:42pm

If you go 'way back, Fred Astaire and his sister, Adele, starred in several musicals together, and their characters never were romantically involved, for obvious reasons. The one that immediately comes to mind is LADY BE GOOD. I don't know enough about the original Broadway production of FUNNY FACE, but as it also starred the Astaires I would assume that the romance that appeared in the movie version (between Astaire and Hepburn) was not part of the original show.

---

Maggie-the-schnoodle

#19

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 8:47pm

Corrected, Jon.

---

"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611

#20

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 11:01pm

Anything Goes - Reno and Billy are not romantically involved with eachother.

#21

re: Musicals Where The Male Lead and Female Lead Are Not Romantically Invol

Posted: 9/23/09 at 11:06pm

not for Reno's lack of trying!


oh, and Mame, if we're saying Mame and Patrick are the two leads.

---

When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain. -Kad

Updated On: 9/23/09 at 11:06 PM