Favorite musical villains- Page 2

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/9/13 at 9:13pm

Javert - Les Miz
Mr Hyde - J/H

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 9/9/13 at 9:44pm

You're right, Kad. He's really not. Still he can be menacing and when well done should be as annoying as Adams in an equal and opposite way.

WHOOPS, wait... did I say Rutledge? I think I meant Dickinson:

"Don't forget that most men with nothing would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich than face the reality of being poor.:


Updated On: 9/11/13 at 09:44 PM

[OperaBwayLover]

Posted: 9/9/13 at 10:02pm

No one's listed Roxie Hart or Velma Kelly yet? Two ladies we should absolutely NOT be cheering for because of their ways/misdeeds, yet we do anyway.

[darquegk]

Posted: 9/9/13 at 10:34pm

Only a few on this list are genuine villains as opposed to mere antagonists.

Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, and Frank in Rocky Horror are two of my favorite examples of a pure sociopath in the musical theatre canon. Gaston's brainless appearance as an egotist conceals the fact that there is literally nothing he would not do to get what he wants, regardless of who he needs to hurt. In fact, in "Gaston Reprise" and "Maison Des Lunes," he is shown to take pleasure in hurting people as collateral damage.

Doctor Frank-N-Furter is often misread as the hero of Rocky Horror, a pillar of sexual liberation and queer pride. This, not coincidentally, is how he clearly sees himself. But his castle full of fawning followers is actually a clue to his darker side- over the course of the Rocky Horror Show (and more so in the movie), we see that he is a master manipulator, a rapist, a murderer and a hypnotist strong enough to hold everyone else in the castle in his thrall. When he sings "give yourself over to absolute pleasure," as every character in the movie, now dressed more or less like him, dance around in hypnotic trance, it's not the triumph of liberation but the triumph of the will- Frank's will.

[Playbilly]

Posted: 9/9/13 at 10:42pm

Lea Michele.....oh, you mean characters? My, how very embarrassing.

[PTOPhan]

Posted: 9/9/13 at 10:45pm

I agree with the folks that say there is a difference between an antagonist and a true villain. In fact, I can think of lots of musicals without a villain (e.g, My Fair Lady, The King and I, The Producers, La Cage aux Folles) but, without some kind of antagonist, there is never a successful story, whether that story is a mystery, romance, or sci fi novel, a comedic play, or a musical.

I'm on the fence as to whether Javert is a strong antagonist or a villain, although I lean towards villain. I also wonder how to classify villainous protagonists, such as Henry Hyde, Sweeney Todd, or my personal favorite, the Phantom. Are they villains or are they misguided? Maybe, they're a bit of both.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 9/10/13 at 12:08am

Miss Hannigan - Annie
Mrs. Meers - Thoroughly Modern Millie
Gaston - Beauty and the Beast
Any number of the characters in Matilda
Jigger - Carousel
Kodaly - She Loves Me
The Snake - The Apple Tree
and...
The War - Ms. Saigon
Prejudice - South Pacific


Updated On: 9/10/13 at 12:08 AM

[jdrye222]

Posted: 9/10/13 at 1:13am

Crown is not a villain in PORGY AND BESS... He is an addict just like Bess. Sporting Life is the villain.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 9/10/13 at 11:46am

I think most of us are using "villain" in a broad sense, as befitting musical theater antagonism. With the notable exception of Simon of Legree as performed by the Court of Siam, there are few absolute monsters in musical theater.