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Roles that would be great in Drag

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#1

Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 10:55am

I mean we already have a tonne of roles on broadway specifically to be played in drag (Mary Sunshine, Edna Turnblad) - I don't actually mean them. What I am asking is have you ever scene a performance and thought X legitimately female character would work even better if she was played by a man in drag?

For me:

Lady Bracknell - "The Importance of Being Ernest"

Emma Goldman - "Ragtime" (I don't know why, especially since the vocal range required would completely rule out any man anyway, but I can just in my minds eye see it)
#2

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 10:55am

Penelope Pennywise - Urinetown
Margaret White - Carrie (ACTUALLY make it campy)
There's always room for pathos - and jazz hands.
#4

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:09am

Mrs. Meers
"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
#5

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:10am

Personally, I'm waiting with baited breath for the Billy Porter as Effie White production of Dreamgirls. Or the Billy Porter as the Witch version of Into the Woods? Or the....wait, Billy Porter can play anything he wants, as far as I'm concerned.
There's always room for pathos - and jazz hands.
#6

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:10am

I don't know that they were "better" in drag, but in London, there have been major West End revivals of ANNIE, and HELLO DOLLY featuring "name" drag performers as Miss Hannigan and Dolly respectfully.
#7

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:11am

Big Mama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Blanche Streetcar

Oh, Hell, any female role by Tennessee Williams
#8

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:19am

A friend of mine, who is a director, wants to do Mame with an all Male cast more than anything in the world.
There's always room for pathos - and jazz hands.
#9

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:24am

Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera
Fosca in Passion
Mama Rose in Gypsy
Mme. Morrible in Wicked
"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.
#10

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:26am

In NYC, there was an all male version of Nunsense.

Charles Busch played in a version of "The Maids"

Also, Lea Delaria played Marryin' Sam in Encores "Lil Abner"
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

Updated On: 5/26/05 at 11:26 AM

#11

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:30am

And on the "they definitely DON'T work better in drag" side...

In Dallas, s theatre cast a male as Reno Sweeney in ANYTHING GOES while another attempted an all male WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF. Both productions were shut down for licensing violation.

Updated On: 5/26/05 at 11:30 AM

#12

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:34am

Chad in All Shook Up
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable." --Carrie Fisher
#13

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:36am

The Maids is acctually written to be performed by 3 men or at least Genet wanted it to be performed that way.
I got rid of my teeth at a young age because... I'm straight. Teeth are for gay people. That's why fairies come and get them
#15

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:42am

we've established that eddie/dr.scott worked out semi-decently
"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
#19

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 1:19pm

I had my own 1 Wo-Man caberet act in Hollywood and played almost every females role in just about evry show at one point or another.

Norma Desmond
Momma Rose
Gypsy
All 3 strippers (at one point or another)
Mrs. Lovette
Adilade (sp? Guy's and Dolls)
Auroura (KOTSW)
Mother (Ragtime)
Ginger (Ruthless)
Maria (WSS)
Anna Owens (King and I)
Madame Buterfly
Roxy (Chicago)
Momma Morton (Chicago)

Not to mention countless Disney characters
Airel
Pochahontas
Belle
Maleificent
Cruella DeVille
The girls from Hercules

Etc Etc Etc
"TheatreDiva90016 - another good reason to frequent these boards less."<<>> “I hesitate to give this line of discussion the validation it so desperately craves by perpetuating it, but the light from logic is getting further and further away with your every successive post.” <<>> -whatever2
#20

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 1:27pm

Michael Bennett,

Here is a fact for you, that you may or may not know. The charcatre of Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes is named Reno because Cole Porter wanted it to be androgynous...so that the character could be played by either a male or a female.
"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.
#21

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 1:56pm

Victoria in Victor/Victoria -- wouldn't that be FUNNY to put one more twist in there??? Pull the wig off at the end of the number . . . and then pull ANOTHER wig off!!!!!
". . . POP . . ."
#22

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 2:03pm

Ive actually been in a production of Mattress with a male Aggravain and it was fabulous.

Also did Gypsy with a male Mazeppa.

I do think it would be FAB to see a man as Hannigan in Annie.
Yes that's me. No, it's not a Rent homage.
#23

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 2:06pm

Billy Porter actually auditioned for the revival of Into the Woods and he's been known to perform "Last Midnight" at cabarets sometimes.
Eeeeeeyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaannnnnddddd aaaaaaaiiiiiiiiyyyyyyaaaaaammmmmmmm teeeeeeeelllllliiiiiinnngg yyyyooooooouuuuuuuwwwaaaahh...
#24

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 2:22pm

Lady Bracknell in Importance of Being Ernest has ben played by men on numerous occasions. Edward Hibbert (Gil Chesterton on "Frasier") did a one-man show based on the Lady Bracknell character.

I've seen Miss Lynch in GREASE done in drag.

There was a peroduction of MAME in Las Vegas in which mame, Vera and Gooch were all played by female impersonators.

There was a production fo GYPSY in Chicago with a transexual as Rose - dopes that count?
#25

re: Roles that would be great in Drag

Posted: 5/26/05 at 2:34pm

Hanna: I totally agree with you, it would be so fun to see Victoria Grant played by a male. Okay, maybe a little bit confusing for the audience, but then again Victor/Victoria IS a little confusing.

A man pretending to be a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman! Our plausible diversion!
"Curse you, Lady Glyde!"

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