Best homely characters?

[poisonivy2]

I was thinking about all the roles in Broadway which are meant for actors who don't look like models. What do you guys think are the best Broadway roles that are meant to be played as somewhat homely?

Off the top of my head:

- Elder Cunningham

- Evan Hansen

- Alfred P. Doolitle

- Tevye

- Tracy Turnblad

- Mama Rose

- Mrs. Lovett

Any others? 

 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Pierre from Great Comet, in a way.

[poisonivy2]

Also, Celie. Can't believe I forgot her.

[hmph]

Fosca from Passion

[TheSassySam]

Jan Donovan in Woman of the Year. 

 

Marilyn Cooper won a Tony and Drama Desk for the role. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqPLNRNLvbA

[Leaf Coneybear]

Rose in Dogfight

[dramamama611]

Wow, how I disagree with your original list.   How is Tevye suppose to be "homely"?

 

There's a whole lotta grey between model beautiful and homely.   I'd say nearly every character listed in this thread (except for Fosca and Celie - and I don't know Dogfight) simply isn't "beautiful".

 

I'm not beautiful, but Im fairly certain, no one would refer to me as the homely one.

[GavestonPS]

Mama, DOGFIGHT is about a bunch of guys headed to fight in Vietnam who stage a competition for who can bring the ugliest girl to dinner. So the leading lady isn't deformed, but neither can she be a classic beauty. The score is by the DEH guys and is arguably superior to their current hit.

Until another production comes by, check out the excellent source film (same title), starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor. I haven't seen the show, but I can't overstate how much I was moved by the film.

***

Back on topic, I totally agree with you about the OP's list. Who says Eliza's father is homely? Ditto Mama Rose. I think the OP is confusing "middle-aged" with "homely".

[Lot666]

Marian Halcombe in The Woman in White was supposed to be a homely girl who lived in the shadow of her pretty half-sister, Laura Fairlie, although I wouldn't have described Maria Friedman as "homely".

[poisonivy2]

Effie is also supposed to be sort of homely compared to Deena in Dreamgirls. 

Charley is supposed to be the homely foil to Franklin Shephard Jr. too right?

[green waver]

Don't forget The Beast. At least until the final transformation.

[darquegk]

Pierre is actually given an attractiveness upgrade in his musical and most adaptations- Tolstoy describes him as old beyond his years, perpetually bloated and gouty, at times so obese he has trouble moving and struggles to ride a horse. After his experiences as a POW, he loses a ton of weight and becomes less socially awkward, at which point people start to find him more attractive.

[JBroadway]

Tony in "The Most Happy Fella" is repeatedly described as "funny-looking"

[BroadwayPrincess3]

Emmett from Legally Blonde was always meant to be an average, goofy looking kind of guy. 

[theatregeek6]

Agnes Gooch from Mame was described as homely

[jbird5]

Mary is plain.

[adam.peterson44]

Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera is generally played as plain, with Christine as stunning.  That of course adds irony when considering that the phantom is basically shunning/harassing/trying to get rid of Carlotta because he prefers Christine's appearance, although he later complains to Christine about the fact that people have been rejecting him for his appearance all his life.  

[kdogg36]

Richard III fits the broad definition of a Broadway role!

[JBroadway]

adam.peterson44 said: "Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera is generally played as plain"

 

No, she's generally played by a fat woman. Being fat and being plain are not the same thing. In fact I think Carlotta, the glamorous Prima Donna, is very far from plain. 

[Jarethan]

You only use musicals as examples.  Is that intentional, because I am sure we could find a lot in plays.

First of all, I think of homely as plain, maybe even slightly 'wrong' looking.  Tracy Turnblad is not homely, she is fat.  Carlotta is not homely -- I have seen some beautiful, but fat, Carlotta's.  In the movie, Minnie Driver was neither, and I thought she was the best thing about the money...she played an over the top diva android a great job.  

Re Emmett, I don't know if you are evaluating Christian Borle's looks (homely cute?) or referencing something in the script; but, in the movie, he was played by Luke Wilson, who was pretty handsome -- if in an unusual way -- at the time.  Haven't seen him lately, but I doubt he became homely, although he could have put on weight.

I don't think Mama Rose is described as being homely.  If so, tell it to Angela Lansbury and Bernadette Peters.  (Let's face it, Patti Lupone is homely and, while not homely, Tyne Daly played her as so tight and pinched, she might as well have been homely, ergo not including them).

I never saw any evidence that Mrs. Lovett was homely; maybe a garish dresser and dirty, not homely.  

Although I am not sure of the point of this post, I might add:

  -- Adrian and Rocky

  -- Fanny Brice

  -- Lead in i Love My Wife.  Lenny Baker WAS homely, but I remember the role as playing up the homeliness.

  -- I seem to recall Laura Wingfield described as homely, but that may just be based on the people I have seen play her

  -- The Heiress...I can't remember the character's name

  -- Alma in Summer and Smoke

  -- Josie in Moon for the Misbegotten (or was she just large...I can't remember now)

  -- Cyrano in whatever version (homely or ugly?)

  -- Can't remember the name of the female lead in The Rainmaker / 110 in the Shade

  -- etc.

 

[poisonivy2]

For plays:

The Heiress - Catherine Sloper is supposed to be homely.

But I focused mostly on musicals because I feel like plays often have more specific typecasting for looks. Like Laura Wingfield is supposed to have a disability. 

Whereas musical theater doesn't have that tradition of absolute verisimilitude so it's harder to find characters who are specifically written to be homely.

In Man of La Mancha, both Don Q and Sancho are supposed to be homely.

[Lot666]

adam.peterson44 said: "Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera is generally played as plain, with Christine as stunning.  That of course adds irony when considering that the phantom is basically shunning/harassing/trying to get rid of Carlotta because he prefers Christine's appearance, although he later complains to Christine about the fact that people have been rejecting him for his appearance all his life."

Funny, in all the times I've seen Phantom (and that's a lot), I've never perceived Carlotta as "plain". In fact, the current Broadway Carlotta, Michele McConnell, is actually quite pretty. Of course, the character is a bit older than Christine, typically has an "opera diva" frame rather than Christine's almost waif-ish figure, and has an obnoxious personality, but she isn't physically unattractive.

[adam.peterson44]

I guess i had Minnie Driver in my mind when i mentioned Carlotta.  She is definitely not fat but is kind of homely.  But maybe others have been cast in a more fat-and-pretty manner.  One definitely gets the impression that the phantom is trying to push Carlotta out to make room for Christine due to his infatuation with the latter, since Carlotta is always, as far as i can remember, played by either someone with a great singing voice or (in the movie) dubbed by someone with a great singing voice.  So the phantom is not pushing her out to make room for Christine due to Christine's singing, but due to his being in love with Christine.

[VintageSnarker]

I feel like homely is the wrong word to use. The OP seems to just mean anyone who isn't conventionally attractive but that's too broad a brush because personal taste starts to factor in. It's easier to stick to characters who are specifically written to be plain or even ugly. 

I agree, Rose in Dogfight is a great one. Catherine in The Heiress is a good example too.

Bloody Mary in South Pacific. Violet in Violet has her scar. Jane Eyre, more so in the book, is written as homely. In the context of Wicked, Elphaba is green... but all the actresses who have played her have been conventionally attractive. Ella in The Apple Tree is written as plain and arguably so is Dawn in Waitress. Helen in Flower Drum Song though she's usually not cast that way. Arguably Val in A Chorus Line.

[Jarethan]

adam.peterson44 said: "I guess i had Minnie Driver in my mind when i mentioned Carlotta.  She is definitely not fat but is kind of homely.  But maybe others have been cast in a more fat-and-pretty manner.  One definitely gets the impression that the phantom is trying to push Carlotta out to make room for Christine due to his infatuation with the latter, since Carlotta is always, as far as i can remember, played by either someone with a great singing voice or (in the movie) dubbed by someone with a great singing voice.  So the phantom is not pushing her out to make room for Christine due to Christine's singing, but due to his being in love with Christine.

 

I know any opinions on looks are personal; that said, I am not going to let a dismissal of Minnie Driver as being homely go unchallenged.  Minnie Driver has played homely -- so has Jessica Chasten, to low acclaim -- that is not the same as being homely.  fIMO she can be extremely attractive.  It sorta depends on the role, the intention, the clothes, the make-up and the raw material.

In the Phantom movie, she was borderline -- admittedly a little unconventionally -- gorgeous...they focused on DIVA in bold face capitals to define her character, not homely, ugly, no body fat, etc.  Great make-up, wig,  emphasis on cleavage and tiny waist; again, the raw material was there all the time.

 

[poisonivy2]

To the poster who was asking about why I came up with this thread I was actually just thinking about Ben Platt and wondering whether his performances as Elder Cunningham and Evan Hansen would have had the same impact had he not been homely.