I’m judging based on a few different things, but most of them boil down to acting, singing and dancing. For instance, Orpheus is mainly there for singing, while Roxie and Velma are mainly there for dancing.
ChildofEarth said: "Persephone (sing like that, act like that, and do those strange dance moves and make it seem natural? Good luck replacing the part)
Burr, obviously.
Karen Smith (this character could fall so flat without the right comedic timing)
Elphaba"
I actually should’ve put Persephone on my original list. Musically I’d say Hades and Orpheus are harder, but she’s still far from a walk in the park. From an acting perspective, she’s definitely more difficult than Orpheus (Like I said, I mainly put him there because of his music. If his actor doesn’t have excellent falsetto than his whole character falls flat) and on a similar level to Hades, as they’re the most complex characters in the show. I firmly believe that Hades is the hardest role in Hadestown though, as he’s a multi layered character (the audience needs to find him both horrifying and sympathetic, which Patrick Page accomplishes beautifully) who has an onslaught of seemingly inhuman notes.
Say what you will about Dear Evan Hansen, but when Ben Platt has to go to physical therapy to keep from picking up the tics and body tension the character has, you have to admit that's a taxing role.
Alex Kulak2 said: "Say what you will aboutDear Evan Hansen, but when Ben Platt has to go to physical therapy to keep from picking up the tics and body tension the character has, you have to admit that's a taxing role."
Ben has had those ticks and tension in EVERY role he's played. That's just Ben "acting"....
Alex Kulak2 said: "Say what you will aboutDear Evan Hansen, but when Ben Platt has to go to physical therapy to keep from picking up the tics and body tension the character has, you have to admit that's a taxing role."
And say what you want about Ben Platt, but having to go to physical therapy for acting mannerisms does not constitute good acting.
Off Broadway but every single character in Yiddish Fiddler because Yiddish isn’t the primary language for any of them
Carole King in Beautiful"
Elsa is still very much a secondary character, but her three big songs are pretty hard to do, and interacting with all the projections and technical effects is quite a challenge. She has to make you believe that a film as big and fantastical as Frozen can work on the stage...
Emmaloucbway said: "The title role in Beetlejuice."
The "ventricular fold phonation" (of whatever it's called) that Alex Brightman uses to make his voice more abrasive must be really hard to pull off eight times a week...
He and Alice Cooper are the only people I’ve ever seen really nail the almost midsentence transition between smooth natural voice and distorted voice without sounding like they’re pushing.
I don't think it's really the role controlling this, for instance. Curly, Judd and ado Annie could be quite easy to play, but are currently being completely mastered and therefore living up to these current performances seems hard if not next to impossible. The vocals in ain't too proud are temptations-worthy, and seemingly difficult or at least extremely specific
It may not be the most obvious answer but Cady in Mean Girls is constant singing, rare offstage time, and carrying the arc of a show. Props to Erika Henningsen. I think she is undervalued.
Atticus Finch also comes to mind just in terms of expectation and again, overall arc and effort required.
Jenna in Waitress has sort of become an iconic role in some ways. Talk about an inspiring female character. The amount of music to sing, plus the emotional place to go to everyday is no joke.
*Bonus.
I know it just recently closed but I had to bring up Eliza and Higgins in My Fair Lady. Two of the hardest and must complex characters ever written.
Sorry if this is an ignorant question, but is there an understudy for Heidi Schreck? I just ask since it’s a mostly one woman show and I can’t find out any information about an understudy for her.
ND_2000 said: "It may not be the most obvious answer but Cady in Mean Girls is constant singing, rare offstage time, and carrying the arc of a show. Props to Erika Henningsen. I think she is undervalued.
Atticus Finch also comes to mind just in terms of expectation and again, overall arc and effort required.
Jenna in Waitress has sort of become an iconic role in some ways. Talk about an inspiringfemale character. The amount of music to sing, plus theemotional place to go to everyday is no joke.
*Bonus.
I know it just recently closed but I had to bring up Eliza and Higgins in My Fair Lady. Two of the hardest and must complex characters ever written."
I agree with all of these. While I don’t think Cady’s music and characterization are particularly difficult, it’s still a big part that has to carry the whole show. Poor Erika Henningsen has to do all the heavy pushing, but since her character isn’t interesting, the rest of the cast gets way more attention.
Atticus Finch as written is already difficult, but it’s his iconic and beloved history that makes the role so hard. People love the character in the book, and Gregory Peck’s performance in the film is universally acclaimed, meaning that anyone who plays him has very big shoes to fill. Jeff Daniels even said that doing the role is a big responsibility, and that “A lot of parts are just parts. This one is an honor.”
Jenna is another one of those roles that needs to carry the whole show, and her journey is a very raw and emotional one. Her arc of regaining control over her life needs to be realistic and empowering. The quality of the show truly depends on the quality of Jenna’s actress.
And yes, Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle are both very hard, and need to be judged based on both their individual performances and their chemistry together. The audience needs to see a genuine connection develop between them that continues to be present even during their several arguments. Whether that connection is platonic or romantic is an important question that both performers should agree on. While neither of them become completely different people by the end, the actors still need to show a real change within them. Eliza’s actress needs to have pure soprano that is capable of being both beautiful and funny, while Higgins’ actor needs to find the heart behind his character’s mean spirited exterior.
Jordan Catalano said: "The actress playing Heidi Schreck In “What the Constitution Means To Me” is onstage for pretty much the whole show. That’s pretty hard. "
I saw Moulin Rouge! yesterday and I think Christian is a pretty difficult role to play. Aaron Tveit was onstage for almost the entire show, and in addition to acting, singing, and dancing, he also served as the narrator. The character goes through a huge range of emotions and I think Tveit mastered Christian’s slow descent into madness and grief in Act 2.
JustAnotherNewYorker said: "Jordan Catalano said: "The actress playing Heidi Schreck In “What the Constitution Means To Me” is onstage for pretty much the whole show. That’s pretty hard. "
This made me snort. Well played."
Indeed. But to be pedantic, Heidi is not playing Heidi in the traveling version of the show.
joined:4/24/19
joined:
4/24/19
Posted: 7/13/19 at 2:18pm