Shows with ONE male and female lead plus lots of supporting female roles.

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 1:31pm

Hello beautiful people!
Can you tell me what shows can or do include ONE prominent male character, possibly a smaller male character plus multiple female characters, lead or supporting. Also the show must include quite a lot of strong dance.
I know Chicago is the obvious first choice but I was wondering if there was anymore?

[somethingbypuccini 2]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 1:34pm

I would say Nine is a more obvious choice than Chicago.

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 2:02pm

Chicago is definitely better known in the UK than Nine. Personally, I love Nine - the film, not so much.
It's a great suggestion though, thank you very much for it :)

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 2:05pm

No, No, Nanette? Cabaret?

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 2:08pm

I've never heard of Nanette, what's it about?
CABARET! PERFECT - I love you right now, ghostlight2! <3

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 2:30pm

Aw, thanks!

No No Nanette is a 70s show set in the 20s (I think). It doesn't have a strong male lead, but the lawyer Billy Early has three song and dance numbers. There are many female characters (including Nanette, of course), and it's a dance heavy chorus show.

Might be too old-fashioned and light for you, but it's a fun show and seems to fit your bill. It's practically a polar opposite of Cabaret/Chicago.

Here's a clip from the Encores version a few years back. It should give you a pretty good idea.


No No Nanette Encores

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 2:37pm

Thanks SOOO much for you help.
The point to this post is, in my drama school we get put together with a bunch of other performers, given a budget and told to put together a show. It's all luck of the draw when it comes to the cast. We managed to get three triple threats, me and two girls in our group plus LOADS of female dancers so our show obviously has to suit the cast we have.
I'll research No No Nanette, we'll definitely get extra points for not going for obvious shows like Cabaret or Chicago

[darquegk]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 2:45pm

The 1999 Little Me, which you can license through Tams-Witmark, and the hybridized Australian and Charles Busch productions, which you kind of have to assemble on your own, have one titanic female lead in Belle Poitrine, an enormous male role in Male Comic Lead (plays between seven and ten roles), then lots of supporting female roles as a number of characters. You will need at least one other man to be Supporting Comic Lead, playing at least as many characters as Male Comic Lead does.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 2:48pm

No, No, Nanette opened in 1925. It's not a '70s show. The revival opened in 1971.

Wiki Link

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 2:49pm

WHY HAVE I NEVER EXPERIENCED NO NO NANETTE BEFORE!?
THE TAPPING, UHHH <3
I'll look up Little Me :) The girl we have for our lead is a powerhouse, her belts make me have to change my underwear!
Thanks for your help :)

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 3:39pm

"No, No, Nanette opened in 1925. It's not a '70s show. The revival opened in 1971. "

Yeah, in the back of my heat melted brain, I knew that, best 12. The heat literally caused my computer to crash three times while I made that post. I meant to check the time frame, but wanted to post before it crashed again. I really appreciate the correction (I've even read Dunn's "The Making of No No Nanette).

If you have a belter, Plannietkin08, Mrs Early has Where Has My Hubby Gone Blues, Too Many Rings Around Rosie, and a duet with her hubby, You Can Dance With Any Girl at All, which is also a dance number.

Also from Encores, Beth Leavel stops the show with
"Where Has My Hubby Gone Blues"

[Overkill]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 3:42pm

If you're looking for something a little more specific: They're Playing Our Song has one male lead, one female lead - then three men and three women, who serve as the voices/greek chorus for the leads. Great show!

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 4:19pm

I'm surprised you're not speaking in tongues in that heat, ghostlight2!

We should start a thread about cold, winter musicals, just to keep everyone's mind off of it.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 4:42pm

And me without air conditioning, too, best12! I'm a child of the South, but this past week has been biblical in terms of heat. They keep promising a storm to break the heat, but so far, no joy.

Speaking of joy, I sent this privately to Plannietink08 so as to not overload the thread with NNN, but it's just so fun I'm going to post it here, too. I so wish the Encores version transferred to Broadway, as unrealistic as that hope was.

Beth Leavel and Michael Berresse singing and dancing
You Can Dance With Any Girl At All

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 10:21pm

I don't believe STOP THE WORLD, I WANT TO GET OFF is considered a "heavy dance" show, but because it's rather presentational it can probably handle as much dance as you want to add.

But IIRC it has a male lead and the rest of the cast is female.

NO, NO, NANNETTE is pretty evenly mixed between the genders, as each character has her counterpart. In addition to Bobby Van, it starred Jack Gilford. And there's a full, male singing-and-dancing chorus to match the female singing-and-dancing chorus.

[Jon]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 10:36pm

Stop the World also has two smaller male roles - the Ringmaster, and the little boy (first appears as young Littlechap, later as Littlechap's son). Both are non-singing roles. The chorus is all women.

[NYC4Life]

Posted: 7/21/13 at 3:46pm

Cabaret wouldn't really work because you have Cliff and the Emcee

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 7/21/13 at 3:51pm

Bobby, Victor and a few others as well, but the emcee is the only one who has to be close to a triple threat. I don't think ANY show will completely fit OP's bill, but Cabaret comes pretty close.

[darquegk]

Posted: 7/21/13 at 3:56pm

Cabaret has Emcee, Cliff, Ernst Ludwig (occasionally doubled by Emcee), and Herr Schultz. Plus Bobby and Victor and a number of walk-on male roles.

[PTOPhan]

Posted: 7/21/13 at 4:51pm

Although there is a key subplot with a singing male, "The King and I" has one male lead, one female lead, and lots of women. Frankly, though, I think "Chicago" is your best bet of all of these, with its two female leads and a bunch of dancing.

Also, if you're doing only excerpts, rather than a whole show, you may be able to pick scenes from other musicals that meet your requirements.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/21/13 at 8:55pm

Stop the World also has two smaller male roles - the Ringmaster, and the little boy (first appears as young Littlechap, later as Littlechap's son). Both are non-singing roles. The chorus is all women.

Thanks, Jon. I should have checked IBDB. I haven't seen the show since the Sammy Davis, Jr., revival in the early 1980s.

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 7/22/13 at 3:06am

"if you're doing only excerpts, rather than a whole show"

We have to put on a full licensed show. Hence the difficulty of choosing a show to fit the performers we have.

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 7/22/13 at 11:18am

casting wise:
I think 'Nine' is your best fit.
'By Jeeves' and 'Little Me' may work too.

But, those shows don't "quite a lot of strong dance"

Two that have more dance with a single male lead: "The Boy From Oz" and "The Will Rogers Follies"

[Jon]

Posted: 7/22/13 at 11:24am

By Jeeves has seven principal men and three women.

[darquegk]

Posted: 7/22/13 at 11:37am

Little Me '98 has a lot of dance numbers.