Sunday Special: Joined at the Hip - Broadway's Best Musical Duos!
By: BWW Special Coverage Nov. 23, 2014
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With SIDE SHOW's reimagined revival currently running on Broadway, we couldn't resist rounding up some of the Great White Way's best duos from throughout history.
Whether they're literally sisters, like the leading ladies of SIDE SHOW and GYPSY, or wish they were, like WICKED's witches and WEST SIDE STORY's Maria and Anita; whether they're one half of an unrequited love story, like Mrs. Lovett, The Phantom and RENT's Joanne; or they're part of a dynamic duo trying to make it -- see THE PRODUCERS and THE BOOK OF MORMON -- or even worst enemies teaming up against the world, like Velma and Roxie in CHICAGO, they represent some of Broadway's most complex and beloved characters.
Scroll down for our picks, and be sure to tell us your favorite (and any we missed) below!
Daisy and Violet Hilton - Side Show
Side Show is inspired by the remarkable true story of the Hilton twins, Daisy and Violet, who were legends in their time and the highest paid performers on the vaudeville circuit. Side Show is their heartwarming search for first love and acceptance amidst the spectacle of fame and scrutiny under the spotlight, brought to life by the sisters.
Memorable Musical Numbers: 'I Will Never Leave You,' 'Who Will Love Me As I Am?'
Elphaba and Glinda - WICKED
Wicked is the untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.
Memorable Musical Numbers: 'Popular,' 'Defying Gravity,' 'For Good'
Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom - THE PRODUCERS
The Producers follows a seasoned but down-on-his-luck producer and his accountant-turned-Broadway-impresario in their scheme to get rich by overselling interests in a flop. Little do they know their new musical about Hitler's conquests will turn into an overnight success, nor that they'll find a best friend in the process.
Memorable Musical Numbers: 'We Can Do It', 'Where Did We Go Right'
Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett - SWEENEY TODD
In Sweeney Todd, Benjamin Barker returns to London after 15 years abroad in prison to take revenge on the judge who banished him. Under the alias Sweeney Todd, Barker opens a barber shop and vows to punish the rich and corrupt by killing his customers. Mrs. Lovett, owner of a shop on Fleet Street, agrees to cook his victims' flesh into her meat pies but longs for the day he will abandon his quest and retire with her by the sea.
Memorable Musical Numbers: 'My Friends', 'A Little Priest', 'By the Sea'
The Phantom and Christine Daae - THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of the hideously deformed Phantom who lurks beneath the stage of the Paris Opera, exercising a reign of terror over its occupants. The phantom falls in love with the young Soprano devoting himself to creating a new star for the Opera by nurturing her extraordinary talents and employing all the skills at his disposal.
Memorable Musical Numbers: 'The Phantom of the Opera,' 'All I Ask of You'
Roxie and Velma - CHICAGO
Chicago puts a spotlight two 1920s Chicago murderesses -- Velma Kelly, a performer who murders her husband and sister after finding them in bed together, and Roxie Hart, who frames her husband for the murder of her lover. The musical takes a wry look at the corruption of the justice system and the idea of the "celebrity criminal," showing that in the end, even the worst enemies can set aside their differences in the pursuit of fame.
Memorable Musical Numbers: 'My Own Best Friend', 'Nowadays'
Rose and Louise - GYPSY
Featuring some of the biggest songs in Broadway history and the ultimate stage mother, Gypsy, inspired by the memoir of Gypsy Rose Lee, is hailed as one of the greatest musicals of all time, detailing one mother's efforts to raise her daughers and in life and on stage. The production is famous for shining a harsh spot on the life of show business, and the rise of one of the greatest burlesque stars of the twentieth century.
Memorable Musical Numbers: 'Together, Wherever We Go'
Anita and Maria WEST SIDE STORY
West Side Story follows star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria struggling against cultural barriers and intolerance of New York City, and considered to be one of the greatest love stories and pieces of theater yet. Aside from Tony, Maria's relationship with friend Anita has risen to the top of musical theatre character studies, and though they equally confide in each other, the dichotomy of the pair resounds throughout the show as Maria and Tony's love evolves.
Memorable Musical Numbers: 'A Boy Like That'
Elder Price and Elder Cunningham - THE BOOK OF MORMON
The Book of Mormon follows two missionaries -- the pompous go-getter Elder Kevin Price and hopeless, nerdy sidekick Elder Arnold Cunningham -- who are sent to a remote village in Uganda. They soon discover their message isn't accessible to the locals suffering from war, famine and AIDS, and it's up to Elder Cunningham to save the day.
Memorable Musical Numbers: 'You and Me (But Mostly Me)', 'I Am Here for You'
Maureen and Joanne - RENT
Rent, loosely based on Puccini's opera La Bohème, centers on a group of poor young artists struggling to make it in NYC's East Village under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. Maureen, who left main character Mark for a woman, is a bisexual performance artist. At the start of the musical, she is dating Joanne, a no-nonsense lesbian lawyer who struggles to cope with Maureen's promiscuous nature.
Memorable Musical Numbers: 'Take Me or Leave Me'
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