Sweeney commits horrendous crimes which makes him a "villain" --yes he is the protagonist and anti-hero of the show-- but that does not mean he is not a villain at heart. I mean, if you did a concert of musical theatres top bad guys..there is no way you could leave out Sweeney! If this was a concert of songs sung by the antagonists of musicals..then yes Sweeney would not qualify.
I see where you are coming from though and you do make a valid point :)
"You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don't know about you, but I'd like to make today worth remembering." --Harold Hill from The Music Man
"Carson has combined his passion for helping children with his love for one of Cincinnati's favorite past times - cornhole - to create a unique and exciting event perfect for a corporate outing, entertaining clients or family fun."
Jack Cassidy as Max Menken in "It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman", but that's probably too obscure. He had several good songs, one of which sounds pretty villainous.
I second Calvin's Carlotta/"This Place is Mine" vote. Who couldn't love this lyric: "Every small detail to supervise/Every pretty face to scru...u..u..u...u-/-tinize."
If you're going to assign the role of villain in Sweeney Todd it would pretty much have to be the judge.
But to answer the original question, there aren't a lot of out-and-villains. Not the way there are in opera (How fast can your merry little band learn Italian, French, and German?).
Maybe, if you push it, Gaston and Scar.
After that, you're pretty much just looking at blocking characters. Like Ralf (but as far as "villainous" pieces go - Sixteen Going on Seventeen? Really?).
Fate is just an excuse used by men who have no destiny.
Gaston anyone? But my first response was Mordred...
I know he's not actually evil but his actions constitute villainous activity: Kodaly in She Loves Me with the whole affair thing etc...and he's quite manipulative of Ilona etc...but I guess not really a true villain....
Yes I was also just about to say that the Judge is the villain in Sweeney.
I would deffinetly include Mrs. Meers song in Millie, as well as "Another Pyramid" from Aida, and "Sensitivity" from Once Upon a Matress. Let us know how it turns out!
"The hallmark of aristocracy is responsibility. Oh brother, that got me, that did me in!"
I'm loving these suggestions! There are several I hadn't really thought of, like Mordred and Letitia Primrose. Last year I put together a revue of pieces from the recent comedies (Producers, Urinetown, DRS, etc.). This revue is still 10 months away, so I have all the time in the world to put the pieces together in creative ways (like the Dating Game thing, which may or may not make the cut once I've collected more numbers).
I also thought I might have a "devil montage," with Mr. Applegate, the snake people in Children of Eden, the devil in Witches of Eastwick, etc. Any devils I might have missed?
Remember, this isn't a debate about villain vs. anti-hero, though those are all valid points. I'm looking for great numbers with about those dark and shady characters we love to hate and hate to love. And where those characters come in pairs and groups, that's even better. Thus Sweeney and Lovett singing A Little Priest is a shoo-in number.
Cell Block Tango, for example, is a dynamic showcase for half a dozen girls, as is Pursuit of Excellence, so I'm eager to use those types of songs. But when a character has a great solo, I want those too.
Captain Jas Hook from Peter Pan Miss Hannigan, Rooster, and Lily St. Regis from Annie Gaston in Beauty and the Beast Scar in the Lion King Mrs. Nellie Lovett in Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street The Wolf in Into the Woods Jigger Craigin in Carousel (does he have a song?) Evillene in the Wiz
Read LETTERS TO A YOUNG ARTIST by Anna Deavere Smith!
With the "devil" montage, maybe Potemkin's "Not My Problem" from Celebration would fit in. He's not the devil, but he's kind of a Puck-ish, devilish character.
A lot of good ones have already been mentioned. Here's a couple more suggestions... How about "Whatcha wanna do" by Rick and Shelly from Bat Boy? Or "Comfort and Joy" even? Maybe "Run Away!" from Spamalot.
I imagine we'll plunder some of the Disney catalog. I once burned myself a CD of Disney villains, from Cruella Devil to Ursula to Jafar. Lots of great, big characters there.
It's too bad Bud Frump doesn't have an out-and-out bad guy song. He's probably my favorite.
I don't think anyone's mentioned Mr. Cladwell from Urinetown
"You drank a charm to kill John Proctor's wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!" - Betty Parris to Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible
Well if your going to get into Dinsey, you could dress someone u in a Zoot Suit and do The Oogie Boogie song from Nightmare Before Christmas in Big Band style. That would be very cool to see and still have its own little interperative spin on it.
"The hallmark of aristocracy is responsibility. Oh brother, that got me, that did me in!"
