What Do You Think Is The MOST DEMANDING Role in Musical Theater?- Page 4

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 12:18pm

Emma in Song and Dance

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 12:18pm

Hi Gothampc,

I agree with you about FUNNY GIRL. Management knew that apart from "People" and "Don't Rain On My Parade," it was essentially a lousy show, so they built entire production around Streisand and made her carry entire show.

From time to time, rumor has it FUNNY GIRL is going to be revived but it never happens.

Who was to be on stage virtually the entire performance, have the incredible range required for vocals, and act comedy, drama, and sentiment, all within 2 1/2 hours, and be compared to Streisand?

No one I can think of! :)

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 12:29pm

Harold Hill! DEFINITELY!!!

Too bad nobody tried to warn Matthew Broderick.

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 12:33pm

I think Norma Desmond in SUNSET BLVD. CAN be a tough part to play, but it depends upon who's playing it.

For example, Patti LuPone had to FULLY UTILIZE her MARVELOUS vocal range for part.

Producers rethought score's "challenges" for Glenn Close's much more LIMITED vocal ability and cut her a LOT of slack in musical numbers.

(Listen to LuPone singing "As If We Never Said Goodbye" and compare to Close "singing" same number.)

[Sant]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 12:38pm

nycdcr: "I just feel that in order to be considered a 'most demanding' a role must requires an actor to use more than one (preferably all three) of their 'threats'."

nycdcr: "I agree that counting only triple threat roles is not the way to determine the 'most demanding' role."

Hmmm... interesting...


nycdcr: "I agree that roles of today are indeed challenging, but do you see Elphaba having to sing, dance, and act while being onstage the entire show?" No I don't (unless you count the dance sections in 'Dancing through life' and 'Wonderful', she dances in both, FYI!), but I DON'T think a role is demanding only if it includes acting, dancing AND singing. And suggesting anything else is in my opinion a bit insulting to great actors who don't have any training in dance area! And to be honest, I'm quite surprised that a professional musical actor as you even hints anything of that kind... But now I guess I must go and get a grip again...

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 12:38pm

gherbert,

I agree with you about Ruth Sherwood in WONDERFUL TOWN. It takes a very UNIQUE talent (not just a star) to put it across, despite MARVELOUS production.

Management of original production learned that in a hurry when they replaced Roz Russell at the end of her one year contract with Carol Channing (in a brunette wig, no less!)

Show quickly folded. Channing toured as Ruth, but WT did NOT hae same success on road as it did in NYC.

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 12:50pm

Magruder,

In ORIGINAL production of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, wasn't there an OLD Frank AND a YOUNG Frank?

[BroadwayBallyBoo]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 12:56pm

Sorry, Phantom and the Count Fosco not only for the makeup Michael had to wear in Phantom and now a fat suit,in The Woman in White but timing is important to get the audience to laugh when there suppose to and timing in singing.

[magruder]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 12:58pm

Yes...first and last scene of the original Merrily had another actor playing Franklin Shepard, aged 43. He no longer exists in the revised Merrily.

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 1:08pm

There is a big difference between best roles and most demanding roles.... while certainly there are great roles like Tracy or Elphaba they just don't hold a candle to roles that are very damanding.... define damanding- im assuming this means that it requires alot of you, phyiscally, emotionally, and talent-wise.

I would considder these to be some of the most demanding roles in theater history(there is not one, but rather a few)

In no specific order:
Peter Allen(boy from oz) this role requires some heavy dancing, acting, and singing. I would agrue that this role would only be more demanding if the show was done right. I think there were some major flaws in the direction of BFO and if corrected it would make the show only better. However, what was required of Hugh Jackman was very demanding and probably one of the best performances given on a contemporary broadway stage in a while.
Hugh was great, but show has a totally different story.

Mama Rose (gypsy) This role requires a lot of the women who have played it. If you look at the role itself and not the productions designed around specific women, you'll see why.

Hedwig (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) This role requires so much of an actor. All the songs (save one) are sung by Hedwig, 65 pages of dialog of heavy material. I could go on and on about this, but it is without a doubt one of the most taxing roles in musical theater

Eva Peron (evita) need i say more?

Phantom (phantom) vocally demanding

Thats all that racks my brain right now.

[FOCI]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 1:12pm

I think it is hard to pick the most EMOTIONALLY demanding role in musical theatre when stuff like oh I don't know "Medea", "Titus Andronicus" and actually even "The Goat" by Edward Albee keeps coming to mind.

I took "The Most Demanding Role in Musical Theatre" to mean more physically demanding ie: vocally, choreagraphically...in which case I would say those roles that require vocal acrobatics-let's face it Elphaba and Tracy are not going to be exhausted every night b/c of all the emotional work, it is the aesthetic stuff that is very demanding in those roles. Actually, I would agree with Peter Allen, any of the triple threat roles and so on and so

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 2:21pm

Hi popcultureboy! :)

I am not sure a one performer show qualifies as a ROLE in a MUSICAL.

One performer shows ARE TAILORED TO THE TALENTS AND BACKGROUND OF THAT performer.

Although this does happen to a lesser extent in musical theater, many stars have had to "reach" and find talents they didn't know they had to play certain roles.

For example, who thought Gwen Verdon could play EUEGENE O'NEILL heroine? (NEW GIRL IN TOWN.)


By the way, role of Anna Christie in NEW GIRL IN TOWN was so demanding that when Verdon missed a show, THREE understudies covered part: 1 for singing; 1 for dancing; and 1 for acting.

Pretty unique, huh?

[Star Eyed]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 3:05pm

I've yet to hear of someone playing the role of Evita well, of course thats not the actresses fault :p

I would say Caroline in Caroline or Change, but I'm sure there are tougher ones

[Duo]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 3:06pm

Peter Allen role in BFO was definitely one of the most demanding roles I've seen. Hugh Jackman was amazing and indefatigable in the part. I had the privilege of seeing him early in the run and also the last show. On stage, his energy level from the opening song to the final notes of "Rio" was awe-inspiring; at the stage door after the show, you could see exhaustion written all over his face. I don't know how he was able to do the role with such consistent brilliance.

[ponine24601]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 3:07pm

Millie in TMM is a pretty demanding role.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 3:26pm

a couple of more modern female ones (don't kill me but i'm fuzzy on some of the older ones):
Velma Kelly
Effie in dreamgirls
millie dillmount

[Chris537]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 3:34pm

Jean Valjean

Les Miserables

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 3:44pm

Hi Jonart,

Just curious. . . :)

Why do you think Velma role in CHICAGO a demanding role and Roxie not?

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 3:55pm

well both are fairly demanding i just feel that velma is more so. Due mainly to All that Jazz, and I can't do it alone...just my 2 cents tho

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 3:59pm

Jonart,

And Velma probably has funniest song in show ("Class.")

Oh why oh why, was it CUT from Movie? :)

Posted: 10/9/04 at 4:20pm

Star-eyed - This is only my two-cents worth, but Patti Lupone did everything I could have asked for times ten in the role of Evita. Stunning work.

[Twilight]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 4:57pm

Well, I think Christine from Phantom would be the most VOCALLY demanding role, for obvious reasons. But I think Mimi from RENT would be really emotionally draining. Someone should have warned Mel B...

[defy_gravity]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 5:03pm

Mama Rose in Gypsy
Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray (dance and singing stuff)
Eva Peron in Evita
Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (esp. because it's played by a guy)

[defy_gravity]

Posted: 10/9/04 at 5:05pm

Twilight...
Oh, yeah, that's true on both counts. I can see Christine being vocally draining... duh. And Mimi would be emotionally tiring, but also physically/vocally in Out Tonight, because of the choreography.

Posted: 10/9/04 at 7:50pm

ah ha! but christine has an alternate that does two shows a week! AND some of the stuff she sings is precorded! but even then its a vocally demanding role!