Quick-Change Shows/Actors Playing Many Roles

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 5:37pm

Which of these shows have you seen, or performed in? People always have such interesting stories about these.

My favorites are Little Me, particularly the scene in which the Principal Male, in character as Otto Schnitzler, has a conversation with "himself" in a bathroom stall.

I also loved The Threepenny Opera I saw in which the Narrator played multiple smaller roles, a la Reefer Madness... is that standard?

[Tevye_the_Dairyman]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 5:54pm

I've done both "Greater Tuna" and "A Tuna Christmas" in the Arles track. Lots of fun, but I all I really remember was being completely exhausted. Never a free moment for the 2 hours they roll. Every time you walk offstage you're seized by the dressers and wiggle your way into the costumes and then run to the next entrance with milliseconds to spare. If an actor drops lines or jumps or whatnot, backstage explodes into chaos.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 6:39pm

The 39 Steps is kind of an extreme example of actors playing many roles.

[snarkywannabedreamer]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 6:46pm

Toxic Avenger does a good job with this too!

[James885]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 7:08pm

In Little Shop of Horrors, the actor who plays Orin the Dentist also plays several different characters (one of them a woman) during "The Meek Shall Inherit".

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 7:24pm

Another was Around The World In 80 Days

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 7:50pm

givesmevoice, I was about to mention 39 Steps. What they do in that show is truly phenomenal.

[singtopher]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 12:18am

I did a children's theatre production of Seussical (TYA version, or course) with a 9 person cast, I got the distint pleasure of playing both the Cat in the Hat AND Wickersham #2.

I hour show. 15 costume changes.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 12:27am

When I did "Ragtime" I played JP Morgan (<------) and was in the ensemble, sometimes as JP Morgan and sometimes as a random immigrant. I'd say I had at least 5 costume changes.
I played 3 roles (each with a different costume) in "Saturday Night," "City of Angels," and "Gypsy." Playing many roles seems to be my specialty...

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 1:12am

When Little shop is done as written the actor playing Orin plays 12 other roles as well

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 1:12am

The Mystery of Irma Vep

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 2:41am

Lots of quick changes in Bat Boy. The entire opening number for example. I've played Bud/Daisy/Pan... lots of quick changes in that track. From Daisy to Bud in only a few lines of dialogue; from Pan's big number to Daisy in about 30 seconds; being Daisy and Bud at the same time at certain points in Act 2. A lot of work, but also a lot of fun!

~Steven

[boyfromoz2]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 9:55am

My school did Les Mis with a smaller than usual ensemble, and in the first act alone I had 8 changes - convict, farmer, inn guest, beggar, factory worker, sailor, imposter Valjean, inn guest again, student. Some of these were underdressed of course, but others involved very fast full changes of costume.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 10:38am

jonart-
There aren't 12 other roles for Orin. Derelict/Wino (take your pick) at the start of the show, First Visitor, Orin, Skip, Bernestein, Luce, Dead Orin. That's 7, maybe 8 if you have him do the voice of the radio announcer, too.

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 11:17am

Actually...

Opening Narrator (unless you use a "celebrity" like the revival)
Derelict
First Customer
Radio Voice/Weird Wink Wilkinson, as it's better known
Orin
Second Customer
Third Customer
Berenstein
Luce
Skip
Patrick Martin
Dead Orin

Yep, twelve.