What fascinates me about the role
of the heroine in musical theatre is that it comes in so many shapes and sizes,
speaking to the audience on an array of differing levels, which is why on the
Simon Morris blog this week, I want to explore the versatility of the musical
theatre heroine.
The Societal View of the View of Women
To play a heroine on the musical
theatre stage is no easy task. Women often get the hardest, most vocally
challenging of numbers, the most elaborate of costumes, the most strenuous of
dance routines. Technically, it’s an exhausting job.
However there’s also the added
pressure of societal views of women to contend with. Society has a complex
relationship with its perceptions of the female gender, with old stereotypes
clashing dangerously with modern beliefs in the power of the strength of women.
Often, heroines (especially in older productions) need to communicate both to
the audience to fully capture their imagination, and this takes a truly gifted
actress, no matter the type of heroine they’re playing.
Simon Morris Explores Every Shade of Heroine
There are several types of
heroine that demand talent to truly communicate their complexity, and I want to
examine a few to show the true versatility needed to play the role of a
heroine:
·
Elphaba:
Your classic modern woman in green skin, Elphaba is a sympathetic take on an
archetypal villain and the trick to nailing the role is to balance the innate
goodness of the character with the pain that allows others to perceive her to
be the Wicked Witch of the West.
· Mary
Magdalene: A woman often damned and hailed in equal measure, Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar is both selfless
and selfishly in love, and any woman taking on the role needs to be able to
communicate the full spectrum of this most complex of emotions to make her even
slightly believable.
·
Maureen:
If Elphaba is the modern woman, Maureen is the post-modern one, all brash
rebellion and pure intentions, an idealist and a dreamer. However the trick to
getting Maureen right is to balance her bravery with the faint vulnerability
that lies underneath and drives her insecurity.
·
Evita:
If the first three are heroines with a shade of villainess, Evita is a
villainess with a shade of heroine. The very definition of ambition, her
actions are questionable and self-motivated but any effective Evita makes her
believable by providing that balance that suggests that beneath the glaring
blonde ambition lies at least some convoluted form of altruism.