Honestly why did yall choose to show the one recording from wicked when idina menzel wasnt having a good day yall made her look like she isnt as good as she is. The band was rushing during that performance, she was sick, and she had an asthma attack before goin on stage for that one performance. You couldve found a better video clip there are multiple
True, but Christine does get a lot of break time, and is relatively low energy. Besides, it's usually high energy belters that take the hardest to rehearse than high notes whistles
the main christine does 6 shows a week and the alternate does 2 because its so vocally demanding. mind you she gets thrown around A LOT during the Final Lair scene and she actually wears kneepads under her tights im pretty sure. and they have to dance ballet on top of all that. *and yes, the title song is lipsynced but i wont spoil why if youve never seen it live*
@@marallenrondez2606 Christine isn't doing whistle tones lol. The legit opera style she has to sing is in no way easier or easier to rehearse than belting roles. They both take very different skill sets and are both very demanding. Christine is one of the hardest female roles in theatre. Try singing her songs and that'll be enough to know
There are multiple comments of this and one of them in the replies are " *birrett* doesn't know how to sing" (Veronica) and they don't even know how to spell her name-
Angelica shoulda been higher to. Have they never even heard Satisfied? I just saw that Veronica was 19. WHAT THE HELL ANGELICA AND VERONICA SHOULDA BEEN 1 & 2
So your telling me that Miss Saigon is not even in top 5? It’s a two hour long musical, singing pretty much every song, soprano songs, belts, usually played from a 17-21 year old, and it TELLS AN EMOTIONAL STORY. HOW IS GRIZABELLA INFRONT OF KIM? They clearly don’t know anything about musical theatre 😂
@@crazygenius1480 Lea Salonga mentioned in The Voice Teens back in 2017 that she lost her voice while playing Kim. She had to work with a voice teacher when that happened, I think :) But she's managed to take care of her voice throughout these years, it's amazing.
@@hapynez yeah she did. She lost her voice then a vocal coach helped her get it back through classical techniques which makes me sooo happy cause she is such a powerhouse and I'm a huge fan! 💕
Technically she sings a bit of memory at the end of act 1 first, but doing memory for real toward the end of the show is no small task. U need to have some serious belting skills to pull it off correctly
El Jordinio memory may be hard to sing, but it will never match the vocal and physical strains that the other three I listed are needed to portray. Those roles are like singing memory on a constant loop for an entire show 😂 once a show is manageable
I think they put grisabelle higher on the list just because they're in a cat costume is invalid. I would have it on the list for the song memory which is hard but much further down.
I also feel like Elphaba should have been lower. I mean, don't get me wrong, she is like my favorite role on this list, but she doesn't have to have as massive vocal range like the other roles.
Kim should be so much higher. She has some crazy low notes and awkward, high note jumps. Also, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Grizabella only in like less than 10 minutes of the show, not worthy of 12th in my opinion.
Not just the singing aspect but look at what she goes through. The girl playing Kim not only has to be an incredible singer but a powerhouse actress as well.
Ines Reis she doesn’t have to look young. Many plays (and shows) have actors that don’t really look their age. I think it’s mainly depend on their vocal range. I mean in Heathers most of the cast is around 30 (they were like 25 when the show was out) and they’re all supposed to be like 17. Someone in their 20’s should probably work fine.
Kim needs to be MUCH higher! THIRTEEN?!?! That's absolutely insane! She carries that entire opera, and her emotional character arc is immense. So much more than the entries that have a single "show stopping" number in their pieces.
And it’s all mainly singing. There’s probably equivalent to a paragraph of spoken lines throughout the whole production. Let’s not forget about Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again. The range in that song... mind even the men deserve a mention for their roles in it, the highs some of them have to get to!
as someone who sang "i'd give my life for you" from miss saigon multiple times in the past year, that song alone is one of the most vocally demanding songs in the musical theatre repertoire. it takes a special kind of talent to perfectly convey the hurt in kim's voice, actions, and facial expressions. (and i am FAR OFF from that special kind of talent -- this is not a flex.) it is an emotionally draining song, and an emotionally draining role. you have to be able to tell the tale of a naive teenager in poverty to a mother who would truly give her life for child in a very short time, and, on top of that, belt! tl;dr kim deserves more recognition thank you
My school did Miss Saigon and it was probably one of our best plays ever because the student who played Kim sounded like a broadway actor and so did the male lead. Everyone was crying in the theater from how good it was, I’m pretty sure someone posted it online but idk how good the quality is so if you want the @?
Everyone just assumes that because one of elphabas main songs in Defying Gravity (possibly one of the hardest songs) she has one of the hardest roles? I get how people say that she isnt the hardest roles but Idina Menzel sure just blows my mind.
shout out to: Fantine (Les Mis) Peggy Sawyer (42nd Street) Regina George (Mean Girls) Cassie (A Chorus Line) Leading Player (Pippin) Amalia Balash (She Loves Me) Elizabeth aka Liz/Beth (If/Then) Cathy Hyatt (The Last Five Years) Maria (West Side Story) Kate Monster (Avenue Q) Jo March (Little Women) Jane Austen (Austen's Pride) Ruth (Wonderful Town) Natasha (Great Comet) edit: i'm not gonna add the ones you guys are commenting because the list could go on for years but you're all absolutely right!
U forgot Ariel from The Little Mermaid. She has an incredibly beautiful voice, a song she has to belt toward the end, and needs to heavily rely on acting after losing her voice
thefemalearrow how is Karen a demanding role? It’s pretty low energy up until Sexy. If anything Gretchen is the most demanding role acting wise out of the trio
Also: Hairspray: “You have to be a little overweight” Actress: “Done” Hairspray: “but you have to be healthy, active, and lively enough to pull off fifteen dance numbers, costume changes, belts, and characters arcs in a three hour span” Actress: “huh”
"You can't stop to breathe" 😂 that show is demanding on its on you have to have good breath control cause you can hear it in the mic if everyone is huffing and puffing cause they are dancing and singing
I don’t know if that comment was intended to be funny, but I find it very offensive. That’s downright insulting to people, and I’m very sad to see that kind of stuff in 2020. It’s also stereotyping, and completely untrue. I honestly can’t believe so many people liked this comment. I find it so disappointing. Do you understand how offensive that is? And, no, it’s not funny. Not even a little bit. Personally, I wouldn’t wanna be associated with anyone Who can say something like that without even thinking how it will make other people feel. You might think I’m overreacting, but I don’t think that’s true, and I think there are a lot of people who would agree with me on that point.
Ella Murray well yeah, but there are much faster and harder raps. Most people I know consider the Hamilton stuff easy. Because it is easy compared to other stuff. And plus she’s got time to breathe when there are parts such as Mrs Lovett (yes I know she was in the video) when you need more experience. I do agree that she should have been higher on the list.
@@tbobo5198 um I know she's not a busta rhymes but her part is super hard to people who have never rapped cause it's super fast, I get she's not a lead but we have to realize her part is hard especially when most musicals is just singing so they don't have rap experience most often
Lmao why is Kim so low when Miss Saigon is technically an opera. They sing every single line. The low notes are really low and the high notes are really high. Not to mention she had a part where she had to perform in her underwear.
I think if your putting Elle at 8 you should put Veronica higher, the roles are similar in term of being on stage for 90% of the show and whilst Elle has more dancing Veronica belts a lot more
El Jordinio Veronica, at least off broadway (cause of the addition of never shut up again, although they also added I say no so that another belt filled solo) is in every song too even if it’s only a bit bar 2 (lifeboat and Kindergarten boyfriend). Hence Veronica has 20 songs but Elle has 16
@@HelloWorld-ev9sg pft really it takes an amazing Actress to bring across the extreme pain and hurt she goes through and to be able to bring across the emotion and pain in the songs she is an extremely underrated role
@@josephtaylor5592 @Joseph Taylor I mean sure, but compared to other roles; it is easier to do Eponine than the roles mentioned in the video. Many actors have exquisitely played Eponine (Salonga for example), while only a few actors are considered "good" on playing the roles mentioned in the video.
@@josephtaylor5592 Agreed, Salonga was young vulnerable and brilliant in her role then she changed, into a hardened and knowing what she wants character and what she was going to get. Super difficult, and as was said above, "she sang every word".
REMINDER: This isn’t a “most vocally demanding roles” list. To make this list, you need to take into account the plot, emotional journey, physicality, vocal challenges, and overall impact on an audience. While I majorly disagree with a bunch on this list, it’s important to take this into account!! (also, justice for Kim and Christine.. like for real)
Why is Christine so low? She’s widely considered one of the most difficult roles for any gender! Edit: also, I always forget that the actress who plays Umbridge was Mama Rose!
Pedro Paulo Spitz yeah but she still sings a bunch of A5s in a row, as well as many other high notes throughout, and she needs to act, and does have some dancing
the actresses don’t actually have to weigh less than 115 since that’s an incredible unhealthy weight for most of them. Mariah, tour Regina, actually weighs 130 which is a healthy weight for her height
both the tour and current regina both "weigh more than 115". Just a dumb lyric in my opinion but regardless that role is NOwhere near a top 20 list (even though this isn't the best list). Regina has a lot of down time and not that many super vocally challenging parts.
i think what katie meant was that having to say the line "never weigh more than 115" could be mentally taxing on the actress, as it is unrealistic and could make them feel bad about their body, but i could be wrong
How is christine that low... It's opera for 2+ hours and some of the highest notes in theatre I'm classically trained in opera and if not done right an actress could completely lose their voice doing the high notes in Phantom...
I KNOW! Whenever I'm able to sing the high notes at the end of phantom of the opera, it trashes my voice for the rest of the day. Keep in mind I have studied opera for 4 years
I watched Phantom and the Opera video's a lot and I really think Christine is one of the hardest. Like damn I don't practice opera but i really find It hard.
Some other very difficult roles: Alice Murphy (Bright Star) Sally Bowles (Cabaret) Heidi Hansen (Dear Evan Hansen) Fantine (Les Miserables) Wendla Bergman (Spring Awakening) Anita (West Side Story) Katherine Plumber (Newsies) Leading Player (Pippin) (sometimes played by men) Jo March (Little Women) Esmeralda (Hunchback of Notre Dame) Dolly Levi (Hello, Dolly) Liz/Beth (If/Then) Cathy Hiatt (The Last Five Years)
I AGREE!! The only parts I really know are Heidi, Katherine, and Esmeralda but I agree fully with that. Esmeralda has to sing and her character is a dancer so you can’t escape that. Kathrine has some pretty hard songs plus I find it hard to keep up her energy and breathe while singing Watch What Happens. And Heidi has Good For You (one of my favorites!) and to give the character the emotion throughout the show I would think would be tough even though I’ve never seen the musical I still think that would be tough.
I’d like to say that if done properly you can sing Christine’s part without ruining your voice because opera singers techniques make it so that they can last 8-12 hours of practice every day without losing their voice.
Lol no. Your average opera singer practices from 2 to 3 hours a day. Some might do a little more, but there's no way you'd be singing that much unless you were doing an intensive course. Even with great technique, you'd fuck up your voice if you sang that much everyday.
Maybe not 8-12 hours a day lol but I did say to myself when she said that , you can definitely sing that song multiple times without ruining your voice !
Opera singer here: top level opera houses give singers at least 3 days off between performances because our music is so demanding. So Christine is way harder even for a professional opera singer because you have to do 8 shows a week!
True - if you know what you're doing you can sing this note multiple times without damaging your voice, but no vocal trainer I've had ever would allow me to sing 8 to 12 hours a day.
It's tricky because they're not HARD hard songs in comparison to some of the others. In comparison to Christine, Lydia is an easy role. I guess it's difficult to place what a 'hard role' actually is. Because Lydia goes through such an emotional journey and has so much power and feeling to her, but not a ton of hard signing. Where a role like Christine is just a lot of hard high signing. I would've put Lydia as number 12 though to be honest. Maybe 11
Alannah Mahon Dead mom comes to mind as the hardest song for Lydia, but that’s with my limited knowledge of singing. But I don’t much knowledge about the Matilda musical lol, other than binge listening to Bruce and Revolting children so idk.
Waittt a minute the role of Veronica literally trashed Barrett’s vocals for a while. I think it should be a little higher on the list. I also think hairspray should be higher up but.
I know Christine is difficult, but honestly Carlotta should deserve a place on this list too. You need a professional opera singer with the right amount of vibrato and TONS of power to convey the role perfectly. The songs she sings are hard to pull off too, i can imagine.
@@eljordinio7647 Actually, I'm pretty sure that Carlotta hits the same high E as Christine in the "manager's scene" or "Notes", but it's pretty hard to recognize cause there are other people singing. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that Christine's E is prerecorded on Broadway sometimes and that she only does 6 performances a week. I mean, Christine is the main focus and does A LOT of singing, so her role is definitely challenging, but Carlotta gives her a run for her money in my opinion.
Carlotta is not the leading role. Christine is the central role of the musical even more then the Phantom. Everything in the plot happens because of her.
@@nellieblosoka5458 you're right actually, Carlotta does hit the same notes as Christine, just doesn't hold them as long. I do think Carlotta should be on this list, the actress would need a very shrill singing voice to perfect Carlotta as a character. Both are hard but as someone who has listened to the phantom for close to 15 years now, I know all the music down to lyric.
Kim of Miss Saigon should be on a higher list. The crazy notes that comes with it plus the roller coaster rides of portraying her character. You have to be a great singer with high notes and an oustanding actress.
as a performer myself , I see that no matter if your the lead or in the ensemble , they are demanding and hard . you are telling a story . Most focus on the lead parts which yes requires hard work and the proper training , but as a performer who was consistently in the background and seeing that we as an ensemble were not getting the praise as the front and center performers were ,which made me and and i will admit , very pissed that we weren't given the proper notice that we as a whole cast no matter what show we were doing , Le Miz , Hello Dolly , Jekyll and Hyde , we were told to do what to do and that's pretty much it . every artist no matter big or small , we all make the piece not just a few , but the inter cast and crew .
I hear you complaining about making a living off something you love. You know almost everyone else has to get up at 630 am and churn out labour all day just to repeat over and over and over to survive. I also worked in theatre: the people, the craft, the Adrenalin, the community, the music! You’re reacting to not having made it in to the glory roles and envying the cream that comes to those who do. Guess what? Some of us have been both famous and obscure and you make your peace with it because it’s the joy the craft brings that makes us privileged! You would relieve your distress by re-framing what you consider the renumeration for your job. You get paid, you get to do what you love and you do not have to study at university for 4 years at a cost of 100k just to work in finance for your whole life. Now I work in mental health and it’s incredibly hard on you, but I’ve saved a few lives so yeah: perspective is everything.
Funny how some people are unlimited In talent: but lack the X factor? Just kind of vaguely unlikeable or a wee bit off. Yet you can’t fault their stratospheric talent! That X factor can get less talented people way more famous!
Not to mention the character goes through some pretty traumatic stuff so it requires some serious acting, and the actress also needs to be able to dance en pointe, at least briefly!
Exactly. For Eponine, you have to fake die, and have to have strong vocal skills to do On My Own. It’s my easy, and yes same for Kim. It’s is very hard. These roles are both very hard.
I think that Fantine and Eponine are both hard. I mean, they both have to fake die, for Fantine you have to pull off I Dreamed A Dream, for Eponine you have to pull off On My Own (both ICONIC numbers), and do all of that plus more stuff that I haven’t mentioned multiple times a week.
I think the limited stage time Grizabella has makes her role even harder: she pretty much only has Grizabella the Glamour Cat and Memory (which occurs at the very end of the show) to make the audience sympathize with her. While it may not be as physically draining as the other roles on this list, I feel that the role needs to be performed just right to have an impact on the audience.
She’s also in Jellicle Songs for Jellicle cats. It’s hard to see but if you look close enough you can tell that it’s Grizabella when she was younger. If you look at the proshot the camera is focused on her for a couple seconds.
I actually felt the limited time on stage made Grizabella less difficult. I would also say the lack of plot and having a showstopping number also makes for pretty much anyone with a strong belt able to do that role. Especially when you compare that to something like Evita, Caroline or Change or Elephba where you are singing almost the entire show. I have seen a few Eva's who were sounding worn down, plus Eva has legit dance numbers as well.
Elle Woods is a Triple Threat Role. She gets barely any breaks and the belt requirements literally gave Laura Bell Bundy (OG Elle Woods) vocal damage. The role is a Mammoth.
I do love Kim and she's my favorite role but Elle Woods is a more demanding role belting those high notes in almost every song and has some low notes too plus the dances are crazy like hell (little Miss Woods, Elle). The costume changes and the big numbers such as Omigod and So Much Better is very draining to watch. Just my opinion tho but I think Kim should be in a higher spot. Can't believe Grizabella beat her lol.
Miss Saigon is my favourite musical but I can 100% understand why Elle is higher. Light hearted fun energetic comedic roles can be so much harder to pull off than sad tragic melodramatic ones. To go into sad is easier, comedic roles are so much harder to pull off, that's what takes real stage presence It's all ridiculously hard anyway and im not saying I could do either, and I respect the acting in all of it, but its actually the fun, energetic, comedic ones which are harder
For the fact that the show is only one act and doesn't require a lot of heavy acting, i wouldn't say any of the SIX roles would be on this list. Firstly, all the songs are quite poppy, but even if Heart of Stone has some cool notes, it's the only song she sings solo and the performance is allowed to be more of a pop performance than a character emotion story beat. So yea, i don't see it in the same caliber as these roles.
I also desagree with many of the roles in.this list.Where are Amalia in She loves me Sally and Phillis in Follies Eliza Doolitle Annie get your gun Lili Kate in Kiss Me Kate Charity Cunegunde Anna in The King and I Magnololia in Show Boat Maria in West Side Story etc.There are good choices Fanny Girl Rose Evita Norma Desmond Mrs Lovett Elpheba Christine Velma etc.But many of the roles were composed after 1960 except Gypsy composed in 1959 and Anything goes in.the thirties .
I watched the video so you don’t have to :) 20. Angelica Schuyler 19. Veronica Sawyer 18. Tracy Turnblad 17. Glinda 16. Mrs Loveatt 15. Velma Kelly 14. Norma Desmond 13. Kim 12. Grizabella 11. Christine 10. Caroline Thibodeax 9. Effie Melody White 8. Elle Woods 7. Fanny Brice 6. Reno Sweeny 5. Elphaba 4. Diana Goodman 3. Celie 2. Eva Perón Honourable Mentions: Ti Moune, Maria, Trina, Jenna Hunterson 1. Mama Rose
I think Eliza's role is harder than Angelica's. There's so much more emotional depth to go to, far more songs, and way more belting. Angelica is hard as hell too, and really complexly-written, but her vocals are far easier. (I'm an alto though so that might just mean they're easier for me.) And where is Natasha Rostova?!
Angelica is a pretty deep and complicated character and, therefore, there's a lot for an actress to unpack to really master the role. However, Eliza is a much more vocally and emotionally demanding role for sure.
I disagree. Angelica is the most complex character, Lin even calls her the smartest in the room, and you need to portray that. You need to sound happy but a fake happy and she has the fastest female rap and whatnot. Renee is extremely talented and it is very difficult to do a convincing Angelica. Angelica has to have a sort of fierce feel to it, and it’s just a lot of emotion that you can’t go all out on because she’s not letting herself feel it. Or I’m just being weird and reading into it way too much.
That role is hard & every actress I’ve seen play the role just kills it; Lyric Opera’s recent production had the best one as during the Quintet’s conclusion her high note reigned supreme
One relevant detail about Evita that isn’t mentioned here is that the actress doesn’t leave the stage during the second act, not even for a second, not even to drink water. In fact she can only sip a bit of water while the ensemble sings Rainbow Tour.
The Witch - Into the Woods Sally - Follies Mame - Mame Roxie - Chicago Charity - Sweet Charity Maria - West Side Story Sally Bowles - Cabaret Aurora - The Kiss of the Spider Woman Fosca - Passion The Mother and Sarah - Ragtime The Lead Player - Pippin Audrey - Little Shop of Horrors Eliza - My Fair Lady Mary Poppins - Mary Poppins Eurydice - Hadestown Dot/Marie - Sunday in the Park with George Desiree and Anne - A Little Night Music Matilda - Matilda
finally someone who thinks the witch should have been on there! she has a really hard belt at the end of the last midnight and she has to rap really fast as well!! she deserves to be on the list.
left out 1. elsa-frozen 2. fantaine- les misérables 3. vanessa- in the heights 4. MJ healy- Jagged little pill 5. both moms from dear evan hansen 6. katherine plumber- newsies
Joanna I don’t even think she should be on this list in my opinion, she’s not that hard, me and my friends are 11 can do it? I don’t know if that’s saying anything though
• Purple Panda Playz • She deserves to be in this list because being able to rap and sing her parts are one thing, but doing that over and over again while still maintaining the high powerful energy Angelica should bring to the show? Requires experience and talent.
jenna should've made the main list- she's got she used to be mine and carries much of the emotional weight of the show, and the audience has to see her complex character arc. It's a difficult role
Olivia I agree! So much of the emotional weight is on Jenna, she has to make you care about her in order to care about her story. If Jenna isn't connecting to the audience, it's all lost.
And Elsa from Frozen. Let It Go is not only an iconic Oscar winning hit that requires a powerful voice to pull it off correctly but Elsa is also a complex character herself. It takes some really skilled actress to dig deep and explore those deep and vulnerable traits to their fullest
i understand where you are coming from, but shes not the main actress, not any of them are really, and she only sings as part of the group or that song on her own, its bloody difficult, but same situation with grizabella she has a smallish, not medium role
There so many misses with this video. Not even a mention for the female roles of Rent, Les miserables, Cabaret, West side story? This is at least outrageous!
I am actually ok with West Side Story and Cabaret not being on list list. I adore both plays and have performed in both. But this list was about the most difficult female roles and neither Maria nor Sally should be difficult for a trained singer. The hardest part of Maria is the acting. She has very little dancing, and all of her songs are uncomplicated and straight soprano and does not require a huge range. She does not even sing for the bulk of the show. As for Sally, once again the songs (while awesome) are not super complicated. This is another case of the acting being the hardest part because of the very heavy material discussed in the play. Fully with you on Rent and Les Mis.
Some omissions: Aldonza, “Man of La Mancha.” Alex Owens, “Flashdance” Amneris, “Aida” Fosca, “Passion” (seriously, how did this not end up on the list?) The Hilton Twins, “Side Show” (this is beyond a challenging role, for the obvious reason) Joanne, “Company” Katisha, “The Mikado” Lydia, “Beetlejuice” Margaret, “The Light in the Piazza” Marie, “Marie Christine” Natasha, “Great Comet” Phoebe, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Murder” The Queen, “Merlin” Ruth, “Pirates of Penzance” Zoe, “Dear Evan Hansen” And the entire cast of “Les Miserables.”
I kinda think Aida is a more difficult role than Amneris. My strongest suit is definitely a demanding song but Aida has to choose between her people and her love and it’s a more vocally demanding role. Though I do think either character from Aida deserves to be on this list.
I could likely add Eliza Dolittle (My Fair Lady), she has to sing in one or two accents while carrying a good portion of the show and keeping the audience enchanted.
I've thought of a few other female musical roles that might be hardest to do: .Princess Ariel (The Little Mermaid) .Mary (Jesus Christ Supersatar) .Belle (Beauty and the Beast) .Queen Elsa (Frozen) .Eviline (The Wiz) .Lydia (Beetlejuice the Musical) .Aida (Aida the Elton John and Tim Rice musical) .Star, Lady, and Babe (The Cher Show)
I felt like Veronica should have been a bit higher on the list 😅😅 that was such a vocally demanding role, for me at least, plus portraying such strong emotions, all those lines, and being in almost all the show. Maybe it’s because it was my first lead, but i just think it deserved a bit of a higher part on the list...
I 100% agree. I think the role doesn't get taken as seriously then some more "respected" musicals, but I actually think Mimi is one of the hardest roles to pull off. Very few actresses can do it and it's just cringey alot of the time if they can't get it right. Plus "Out Tonight" is so hard, the notes are so high and awkward
I don't think mimi would make a sensible top 20. She has just one difficult number, and with the cast of rent being as large as it is, she's not on stage nearly as often as other characters that would make the list. Also, she disappears for a while toward the end, giving her a longer break
@@florastiel rather than it being "technically difficult", I feel it's more just that the character is very difficult for many actresses to convincingly pull off in a way that isn't try-hard and cringey It becomes way too "Disney" if the actress doesn't do it right, so its more I think her songs are hard to sing well whilst still pulling of Mimi's dark, streetwise character
OMG Patti LuPone! I just saw her on the Netflix show Hollywood. I recognized her name, but had no idea she is such a phenomenal singer in so many Broadway musicals!
I think, what makes it difficult to play the role 'Kim' is that of how the Original cast which is Lea Salonga portrayed the role. Her acting skills is just simply amazing and her innocent crystal clear voice is almost impossible to resemble. In addition, it is very challenging to shift your personality from 17 innocent young girl to 21 daring and bold woman.
Veronica Sawyer is probably the most complex female role in contemporary years. The actress will need to have a wide vocal range, be present for nearly every scene, and be comfortable with the subjects of death, bullying, suicide and murder! ☠️💙
that’s true but elle is in 90% of the show, the composer of the show has stated she sings more than half of the notes in the show, and she gets sexually assaulted on stage, but yes veronica show be higher but the lack of dancing from veronica is what makes me think it’s not the most complex role
@@camillee7311ell I'm a soprano/mixer who was in legally blonde, and my voice is perfect for Elle and possible for Veronica. So Elle would be easier for ME to play.
This list is much better than your "Hardest Male Musical Roles". Thank you for researching back to shows created prior to 1985. Musical Theatre history needs to be celebrated...so thank you for creating these videos and not ignoring one of our most vital and profitable art forms.
Agreed. I do not understand how anyone could think Evan Hansen is a harder role to perform than Jean Valjean, Hedwig, or Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. Not saying Evan Hansen is easy or it didn't belong on the list at all, but it being number 1 was absolutely ridiculous considering the range and transformations other roles required.
I know right, although I wish they would have actually considered a few more. Although I think with these videos it also depends what they can find good footage of.
i think kim is the hardest role especially with all the emotions she has to show, not to mention she's singing almost the entire show. then there's the physicality of her scenes! her scene when she is getting beat up by thuy's thugs, then her fight with thuy while protecting tam, the shouting match with ellen, then the evacuation scene, then the finale? geez! they're all emotionally draining!
Be sure to also check out our video on the Top 20 Hardest Male Musical Roles here! ruclips.net/video/KbgX6cd18JQ/видео.html
Where did you get the footage for Once on This Island from?
Only do this if you want to be disappointed
Grizzabella has two songs really. Tough song, not a tough role. She's backstage most of the show.
Honestly why did yall choose to show the one recording from wicked when idina menzel wasnt having a good day yall made her look like she isnt as good as she is. The band was rushing during that performance, she was sick, and she had an asthma attack before goin on stage for that one performance. You couldve found a better video clip there are multiple
I wish you got a guest host who is expert in musical to make this list
I don't quite understand how Christine was so low in the list as it's one of the most demanding performances of all time
Right? It’s not like she has an alternate that performs more than 3 times a week.
True, but Christine does get a lot of break time, and is relatively low energy. Besides, it's usually high energy belters that take the hardest to rehearse than high notes whistles
Her vocals are so damn tough & I should know since I’ve tackled her songs from ‘Phantom’
the main christine does 6 shows a week and the alternate does 2 because its so vocally demanding. mind you she gets thrown around A LOT during the Final Lair scene and she actually wears kneepads under her tights im pretty sure. and they have to dance ballet on top of all that. *and yes, the title song is lipsynced but i wont spoil why if youve never seen it live*
@@marallenrondez2606 Christine isn't doing whistle tones lol. The legit opera style she has to sing is in no way easier or easier to rehearse than belting roles. They both take very different skill sets and are both very demanding. Christine is one of the hardest female roles in theatre. Try singing her songs and that'll be enough to know
"The Schuyler sisters are a wonderful trio." Let's me fair, they're a wonderful duo. And Peggy.
Grainne Mhaol OOOP.
PERIODT
HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT PEGGYYY
calmthyself I mean all she said was and Peggy
But I do still love her
wait a minute why is veronica so low, this role literally destroyed barrett’s voice for a hot minute
She has permanent vocal damage from the role
She did it to herself...
Literally 5 of the roles on the list have done damage to people’s voices lol.
I screeched when I saw Heathers. Veronica is a deceptively difficult role.
If a role can damage your voice because there's no healthy way to perform them I believe it should negate them from any 'Top" lists.
So the comments agree that Christine, Kim, Veronica and Elle should have been more higher.
There are multiple comments of this and one of them in the replies are " *birrett* doesn't know how to sing" (Veronica) and they don't even know how to spell her name-
just christine and kim
DEFINITELY
yup
Angelica shoulda been higher to. Have they never even heard Satisfied?
I just saw that Veronica was 19.
WHAT THE HELL ANGELICA AND VERONICA SHOULDA BEEN 1 & 2
So your telling me that Miss Saigon is not even in top 5? It’s a two hour long musical, singing pretty much every song, soprano songs, belts, usually played from a 17-21 year old, and it TELLS AN EMOTIONAL STORY. HOW IS GRIZABELLA INFRONT OF KIM? They clearly don’t know anything about musical theatre 😂
Lea Salonga became an internet star because of this part. Also you left out the outrageously talented Audra McDonald in Porgy and Bess!
Hello....how about Fantine in Les Miz!
Very True. Its so stressful Role gosh....
yesss im 17 and i- well let's just say that Kim is a hard role. lmao
I know..
Roles of Veronica, Kim and Elle has ruined the actor's voices at some point
I mean ... Lea Salonga sounds the same though
@@crazygenius1480 Lea Salonga mentioned in The Voice Teens back in 2017 that she lost her voice while playing Kim. She had to work with a voice teacher when that happened, I think :)
But she's managed to take care of her voice throughout these years, it's amazing.
And Elpheba
@@hapynez yeah she did. She lost her voice then a vocal coach helped her get it back through classical techniques which makes me sooo happy cause she is such a powerhouse and I'm a huge fan! 💕
@@zoesiebersma3027 true that.
Christine, Veronica and Kim deserve to be so much higher on this list. Also, grisabella? She has one song?? Why is so high on the list?
Technically she sings a bit of memory at the end of act 1 first, but doing memory for real toward the end of the show is no small task. U need to have some serious belting skills to pull it off correctly
El Jordinio memory may be hard to sing, but it will never match the vocal and physical strains that the other three I listed are needed to portray. Those roles are like singing memory on a constant loop for an entire show 😂 once a show is manageable
Liam Robertson Grisabella is totally a princess track. I don’t think it should be on the list
I think they put grisabelle higher on the list just because they're in a cat costume is invalid. I would have it on the list for the song memory which is hard but much further down.
I also feel like Elphaba should have been lower. I mean, don't get me wrong, she is like my favorite role on this list, but she doesn't have to have as massive vocal range like the other roles.
Kim should be so much higher. She has some crazy low notes and awkward, high note jumps. Also, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Grizabella only in like less than 10 minutes of the show, not worthy of 12th in my opinion.
Matthew Reinert facts
Grizabella also takes on one of the most recognizable musical numbers ever. Thats pressure, but maybe not worth that spot
Not just the singing aspect but look at what she goes through. The girl playing Kim not only has to be an incredible singer but a powerhouse actress as well.
Yes and she has to be young and likely has less experience for such a hard role.
Ines Reis she doesn’t have to look young. Many plays (and shows) have actors that don’t really look their age. I think it’s mainly depend on their vocal range. I mean in Heathers most of the cast is around 30 (they were like 25 when the show was out) and they’re all supposed to be like 17. Someone in their 20’s should probably work fine.
This lady: Angelica has to hit high notes
The note they play: isn't high
It was also about rapping. She needed to be able to go from a really quick rap verse to singing a really high note
Kim needs to be MUCH higher! THIRTEEN?!?! That's absolutely insane! She carries that entire opera, and her emotional character arc is immense. So much more than the entries that have a single "show stopping" number in their pieces.
Christine should be higher for sure, that is such a demanding role. That high note being only one of the many vocal challenges.
Although for girls who have that type of voice, it's not as difficult. She's also not ever doing much heavy movement in that show.
Amen... I can only do until the Vocalization part in "The Phantom of the Opera". At that point, I'll always say "Forget it! Ayaw ko na!"...
@@brettmastema7056 Acting part.. Well not heavy, but vocally I wanna cry...
@@chunellemariavictoriaespan8752 ay pinoy pala
And it’s all mainly singing. There’s probably equivalent to a paragraph of spoken lines throughout the whole production. Let’s not forget about Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again. The range in that song... mind even the men deserve a mention for their roles in it, the highs some of them have to get to!
as someone who sang "i'd give my life for you" from miss saigon multiple times in the past year, that song alone is one of the most vocally demanding songs in the musical theatre repertoire. it takes a special kind of talent to perfectly convey the hurt in kim's voice, actions, and facial expressions. (and i am FAR OFF from that special kind of talent -- this is not a flex.) it is an emotionally draining song, and an emotionally draining role. you have to be able to tell the tale of a naive teenager in poverty to a mother who would truly give her life for child in a very short time, and, on top of that, belt!
tl;dr kim deserves more recognition thank you
My school did Miss Saigon and it was probably one of our best plays ever because the student who played Kim sounded like a broadway actor and so did the male lead. Everyone was crying in the theater from how good it was, I’m pretty sure someone posted it online but idk how good the quality is so if you want the @?
The only bad things were probably our sets and Thuy was not good compared to the other lead actors yk since it was still a hs play
@@kateohara7789 Can I watch it? :))
@@kateohara7789 Please share! I'd love to watch it!
It’s a little rough but it’s called Miss Saigon 03-28-19
I see Lea Salonga I Click...
omg miss mojo clicked your comment :D
Same
Same
Sameee
Same here
Christine not only has high notes and opera techniques in her songs but she also has to know ballet. She deserves to be at the higher top of the list
The fact that Glinda was pretty much tailor made for Kristen Chenoweth who's musical talent is beyond this world also makes the role crazy.
What makes Glinda hard to play is you have to play Kristin Chenoweth playing as Glinda. Can't separate the two.
There's a couple roles that I think nobody can beat her in because I literally feel like it's just Kristin being Kristin.
Elphaba is hard, but there’s no way in hell shes harder than Kim and Christine
big mcthankies I agree
Everyone just assumes that because one of elphabas main songs in Defying Gravity (possibly one of the hardest songs) she has one of the hardest roles? I get how people say that she isnt the hardest roles but Idina Menzel sure just blows my mind.
Yes
Right?! Christine is such an iconicly difficult role for everyone who knows anything about musicals
idk I find elphaba significantly harder than christine because its mostly belting , it wrecks your voice in a way operatic singing doesnt
shout out to:
Fantine (Les Mis)
Peggy Sawyer (42nd Street)
Regina George (Mean Girls)
Cassie (A Chorus Line)
Leading Player (Pippin)
Amalia Balash (She Loves Me)
Elizabeth aka Liz/Beth (If/Then)
Cathy Hyatt (The Last Five Years)
Maria (West Side Story)
Kate Monster (Avenue Q)
Jo March (Little Women)
Jane Austen (Austen's Pride)
Ruth (Wonderful Town)
Natasha (Great Comet)
edit: i'm not gonna add the ones you guys are commenting because the list could go on for years but you're all absolutely right!
U forgot Ariel from The Little Mermaid. She has an incredibly beautiful voice, a song she has to belt toward the end, and needs to heavily rely on acting after losing her voice
Ohmygod DEFINITELY Amalia. I love She Loves Me!
Eliza Doolittle from my fair lady too!
Sophie(Mamma Mia)
thefemalearrow how is Karen a demanding role? It’s pretty low energy up until Sexy. If anything Gretchen is the most demanding role acting wise out of the trio
veronica sawyer at 19? she belts almost all throughout the show huN THIS AIN’T IT
Lol below Reno Sweeney what a joke
Some actors have ruined their voices because of her voice
e r what?
Ikr
I know! Like, look at Dead Girl Walking Reprise!
0:29 Angelica Schuyler
1:39 Veronica Sawyer
2:43 Tracy Turnblad
3:51 Glinda
5:12 Mrs. Lovett
6:27 Velma Kelly
7:40 Norma Desmond
8:50 Kim
10:02 Grizabella
10:59 Christine
12:15 Caroline Thibodeaux
13:09 Effie Melody White
14:08 Elle Woods
14:59 Fanny Brice
15:48 Reno Sweeney
16:51 Elphaba
17:43 Diana Goodman
18:47 Celie
19:51 Eva Peron
22:48 Mama Rose
You're Welcome
Thank you!!
Also:
Hairspray: “You have to be a little overweight”
Actress: “Done”
Hairspray: “but you have to be healthy, active, and lively enough to pull off fifteen dance numbers, costume changes, belts, and characters arcs in a three hour span”
Actress: “huh”
But imagine how much FOOD you would get to eat playing that role to do that much dancing and stay looking like your character
Istg neither of y’all have met an active fat person.
"You can't stop to breathe" 😂 that show is demanding on its on you have to have good breath control cause you can hear it in the mic if everyone is huffing and puffing cause they are dancing and singing
@@ava.4747 They just put a fat suit on Tracey in my hs show to make her a bit bigger
I don’t know if that comment was intended to be funny, but I find it very offensive. That’s downright insulting to people, and I’m very sad to see that kind of stuff in 2020. It’s also stereotyping, and completely untrue. I honestly can’t believe so many people liked this comment. I find it so disappointing. Do you understand how offensive that is? And, no, it’s not funny. Not even a little bit. Personally, I wouldn’t wanna be associated with anyone Who can say something like that without even thinking how it will make other people feel. You might think I’m overreacting, but I don’t think that’s true, and I think there are a lot of people who would agree with me on that point.
Roles that should be higher: Veronica Sawyer, Christine, Angelica, Kim, Effie, Elphaba
I agree with all of them
Ella Murray well yeah, but there are much faster and harder raps. Most people I know consider the Hamilton stuff easy. Because it is easy compared to other stuff. And plus she’s got time to breathe when there are parts such as Mrs Lovett (yes I know she was in the video) when you need more experience. I do agree that she should have been higher on the list.
lafayettebaguette23 I agree, they’ve damaged some people’s voices
Effie and Elphaba should top the list
@@tbobo5198 um I know she's not a busta rhymes but her part is super hard to people who have never rapped cause it's super fast, I get she's not a lead but we have to realize her part is hard especially when most musicals is just singing so they don't have rap experience most often
Lmao why is Kim so low when Miss Saigon is technically an opera. They sing every single line. The low notes are really low and the high notes are really high. Not to mention she had a part where she had to perform in her underwear.
Yup... the vocals are very difficult 😕
Her role in "This is the hour" broke me when I saw it on Broadway
@@franciswolin595 right? and the part when she was getting beaten up by thuy's soldier..
Yes, i agree❤❤❤
the person obviously hasn’t had an emotional connection to miss saigon like.. let’s just say.. me
I think if your putting Elle at 8 you should put Veronica higher, the roles are similar in term of being on stage for 90% of the show and whilst Elle has more dancing Veronica belts a lot more
Same with Christien Daae! I could preform as an Elle 100× eaiser than a Christine.
Actually Elle is not only onstage most of the time, but she's also on stage in every single scene and song, even if it is only partially
I definitely agree like when Barrett played Veronica it took a huge toll on the voice it should of been much higher
Kristen Richardson yeah Christine is Criminally low
El Jordinio Veronica, at least off broadway (cause of the addition of never shut up again, although they also added I say no so that another belt filled solo) is in every song too even if it’s only a bit bar 2 (lifeboat and Kindergarten boyfriend). Hence Veronica has 20 songs but Elle has 16
Why Lea Salonga's On my own from Les Misérables didn't even got to honorable mention ?
bruh she played it like no one will ever do the same as hers.
Eponine's part ain't that hard tho
@@HelloWorld-ev9sg pft really it takes an amazing Actress to bring across the extreme pain and hurt she goes through and to be able to bring across the emotion and pain in the songs she is an extremely underrated role
@@josephtaylor5592 @Joseph Taylor I mean sure, but compared to other roles; it is easier to do Eponine than the roles mentioned in the video. Many actors have exquisitely played Eponine (Salonga for example), while only a few actors are considered "good" on playing the roles mentioned in the video.
@@josephtaylor5592 Agreed, Salonga was young vulnerable and brilliant in her role then she changed, into a hardened and knowing what she wants character and what she was going to get. Super difficult, and as was said above, "she sang every word".
I'm with others. Eponine's part is really not that hard. *I* can do Eponine, and I only have high school theater and a few months of voice lessons.
REMINDER: This isn’t a “most vocally demanding roles” list. To make this list, you need to take into account the plot, emotional journey, physicality, vocal challenges, and overall impact on an audience. While I majorly disagree with a bunch on this list, it’s important to take this into account!! (also, justice for Kim and Christine.. like for real)
Ikr, they're at rank 11 and 13? Like seriously? And both shows are like Opera since they rarely speak normally.
then Kim of Miss Saigon really deserve to be ranked higher
Why is Christine so low? She’s widely considered one of the most difficult roles for any gender!
Edit: also, I always forget that the actress who plays Umbridge was Mama Rose!
I guess because it has almost no dancing and many fake the E6 live
cuz no one respects operatic and legit singing anymore 🤪 i hate it here lol
Pedro Paulo Spitz yeah but she still sings a bunch of A5s in a row, as well as many other high notes throughout, and she needs to act, and does have some dancing
Dude, I saw "Umbridge" and was like "ahhhhhh, run!!" LOL
Anna ... So you wanna rant? Cuz I’m fine with that
this was definitely written by someone who isn’t trained in musical theatre lol
Obviously not, this is a Top Ten channel
Right?!
I mean, girl, this is a Top Something List RUclips channel, not Nat Geo. 🙄
I could tell when they said Evan was more difficult than Jekyll and Hyde lmao
I know right
Regina George should be on this list. All the belting and the low quiet notes plus “never weigh more than 115” it’s a real hard role
definitely
You don’t have to actually way less than 115 tho ahah
the actresses don’t actually have to weigh less than 115 since that’s an incredible unhealthy weight for most of them. Mariah, tour Regina, actually weighs 130 which is a healthy weight for her height
both the tour and current regina both "weigh more than 115". Just a dumb lyric in my opinion but regardless that role is NOwhere near a top 20 list (even though this isn't the best list). Regina has a lot of down time and not that many super vocally challenging parts.
i think what katie meant was that having to say the line "never weigh more than 115" could be mentally taxing on the actress, as it is unrealistic and could make them feel bad about their body, but i could be wrong
How is christine that low...
It's opera for 2+ hours and some of the highest notes in theatre
I'm classically trained in opera and if not done right an actress could completely lose their voice doing the high notes in Phantom...
I KNOW! Whenever I'm able to sing the high notes at the end of phantom of the opera, it trashes my voice for the rest of the day. Keep in mind I have studied opera for 4 years
@@katiebarton2379 yep. I've studied it for 8 years
I watched Phantom and the Opera video's a lot and I really think Christine is one of the hardest. Like damn I don't practice opera but i really find It hard.
Cunegonde is harder, and she didn't even make the list. That role is even more rangey and requires a better actress.
Exactly....
Ms Saigon Lea Salonga's role is the hardest and emotionally draining.
Some other very difficult roles:
Alice Murphy (Bright Star)
Sally Bowles (Cabaret)
Heidi Hansen (Dear Evan Hansen)
Fantine (Les Miserables)
Wendla Bergman (Spring Awakening)
Anita (West Side Story)
Katherine Plumber (Newsies)
Leading Player (Pippin) (sometimes played by men)
Jo March (Little Women)
Esmeralda (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
Dolly Levi (Hello, Dolly)
Liz/Beth (If/Then)
Cathy Hiatt (The Last Five Years)
I was gonna say where is Les Mis on this list.
Fantine? Hard? I’m confused.....
There’s just too many
I AGREE!! The only parts I really know are Heidi, Katherine, and Esmeralda but I agree fully with that. Esmeralda has to sing and her character is a dancer so you can’t escape that. Kathrine has some pretty hard songs plus I find it hard to keep up her energy and breathe while singing Watch What Happens. And Heidi has Good For You (one of my favorites!) and to give the character the emotion throughout the show I would think would be tough even though I’ve never seen the musical I still think that would be tough.
For real, put some respect on Heidi
I’d like to say that if done properly you can sing Christine’s part without ruining your voice because opera singers techniques make it so that they can last 8-12 hours of practice every day without losing their voice.
Lol no. Your average opera singer practices from 2 to 3 hours a day. Some might do a little more, but there's no way you'd be singing that much unless you were doing an intensive course. Even with great technique, you'd fuck up your voice if you sang that much everyday.
Maybe not 8-12 hours a day lol but I did say to myself when she said that , you can definitely sing that song multiple times without ruining your voice !
Opera singer here: top level opera houses give singers at least 3 days off between performances because our music is so demanding. So Christine is way harder even for a professional opera singer because you have to do 8 shows a week!
That is so true, I am actually an opera singer and alone the breathing technique is so different from the musical technique❤️
True - if you know what you're doing you can sing this note multiple times without damaging your voice, but no vocal trainer I've had ever would allow me to sing 8 to 12 hours a day.
I’m surprised Lydia isn’t on this list, Her songs seem incredibly complicated for such a young actress...
Ikr, I saw Presley Ryan as Lydia, and she was 15 (my age) at the time. It was incredible!
It's tricky because they're not HARD hard songs in comparison to some of the others. In comparison to Christine, Lydia is an easy role. I guess it's difficult to place what a 'hard role' actually is. Because Lydia goes through such an emotional journey and has so much power and feeling to her, but not a ton of hard signing. Where a role like Christine is just a lot of hard high signing. I would've put Lydia as number 12 though to be honest. Maybe 11
It might be on the most difficult roles for child actors.
Alannah Mahon Dead mom comes to mind as the hardest song for Lydia, but that’s with my limited knowledge of singing. But I don’t much knowledge about the Matilda musical lol, other than binge listening to Bruce and Revolting children so idk.
Exactly
The fact Patti Lupone played 5 of these is amazing. She also won a tony for the top 2 in this video. She's a broadway legend.
Waittt a minute the role of Veronica literally trashed Barrett’s vocals for a while. I think it should be a little higher on the list. I also think hairspray should be higher up but.
I know Christine is difficult, but honestly Carlotta should deserve a place on this list too. You need a professional opera singer with the right amount of vibrato and TONS of power to convey the role perfectly. The songs she sings are hard to pull off too, i can imagine.
True, but u see Christine a lot more, and she is the starring lady. Plus she sings higher than Carlotta does
El Jordinio while high notes are a skill and I’m not going to say they are easy, there are many things in operatic singing that are much harder.
@@eljordinio7647 Actually, I'm pretty sure that Carlotta hits the same high E as Christine in the "manager's scene" or "Notes", but it's pretty hard to recognize cause there are other people singing. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that Christine's E is prerecorded on Broadway sometimes and that she only does 6 performances a week. I mean, Christine is the main focus and does A LOT of singing, so her role is definitely challenging, but Carlotta gives her a run for her money in my opinion.
Carlotta is not the leading role. Christine is the central role of the musical even more then the Phantom. Everything in the plot happens because of her.
@@nellieblosoka5458 you're right actually, Carlotta does hit the same notes as Christine, just doesn't hold them as long. I do think Carlotta should be on this list, the actress would need a very shrill singing voice to perfect Carlotta as a character. Both are hard but as someone who has listened to the phantom for close to 15 years now, I know all the music down to lyric.
Kim of Miss Saigon should be on a higher list. The crazy notes that comes with it plus the roller coaster rides of portraying her character. You have to be a great singer with high notes and an oustanding actress.
Yes❤❤❤❤ I agree
as a performer myself , I see that no matter if your the lead or in the ensemble , they are demanding and hard . you are telling a story . Most focus on the lead parts which yes requires hard work and the proper training , but as a performer who was consistently in the background and seeing that we as an ensemble were not getting the praise as the front and center performers were ,which made me and and i will admit , very pissed that we weren't given the proper notice that we as a whole cast no matter what show we were doing , Le Miz , Hello Dolly , Jekyll and Hyde , we were told to do what to do and that's pretty much it . every artist no matter big or small , we all make the piece not just a few , but the inter cast and crew .
How could they forgot the Ladies of Les Mis.
I hear you complaining about making a living off something you love. You know almost everyone else has to get up at 630 am and churn out labour all day just to repeat over and over and over to survive. I also worked in theatre: the people, the craft, the Adrenalin, the community, the music! You’re reacting to not having made it in to the glory roles and envying the cream that comes to those who do. Guess what? Some of us have been both famous and obscure and you make your peace with it because it’s the joy the craft brings that makes us privileged! You would relieve your distress by re-framing what you consider the renumeration for your job. You get paid, you get to do what you love and you do not have to study at university for 4 years at a cost of 100k just to work in finance for your whole life. Now I work in mental health and it’s incredibly hard on you, but I’ve saved a few lives so yeah: perspective is everything.
no lydia deets from beetlejuice? that has some incREDIBLY high notes, a massive story arc, and is supposed to be played by a 16-18 year old
Thought it was strange that Les Miserables wasn't atleast an honourable mention 😳
FRRRRR, Éponine is hard
I would think it's because the hardest roles in Les Miserables are played by guys.
Exactly what I was thinking
For real though
personally i think no one will ever be as good as kristin chenoweth was in wicked, the woman is unlimeted
Yeah she is really talented and plays the part very great, but I don't know. I just kinda dislike her
Well, there's Katie Rose Clarke 😍
Funny how some people are unlimited In talent: but lack the X factor? Just kind of vaguely unlikeable or a wee bit off. Yet you can’t fault their stratospheric talent! That X factor can get less talented people way more famous!
Ive seen a few that i liked more. Although I saw Kristin pre broadway and she was in a neck brace. so....
Isabela Lemos Louzada both the girls from wicked are amazing tbh
Christine should be closer to the hardest !! She is constantly singing and still sounding amazing whilst singing at the top of her voice xx
Not to mention the character goes through some pretty traumatic stuff so it requires some serious acting, and the actress also needs to be able to dance en pointe, at least briefly!
And she needs to be on stage 90% of the time! 15 minutes after ‘stranger then you dreamt it’ then intermission. She’s on a lot..! Eek!
Kim needs be higher than 13. The actress must have “lungs of steel” and where is eponine?
Exactly. For Eponine, you have to fake die, and have to have strong vocal skills to do On My Own. It’s my easy, and yes same for Kim. It’s is very hard. These roles are both very hard.
Shut up Dwigt
Where is eponine
I think that Fantine and Eponine are both hard. I mean, they both have to fake die, for Fantine you have to pull off I Dreamed A Dream, for Eponine you have to pull off On My Own (both ICONIC numbers), and do all of that plus more stuff that I haven’t mentioned multiple times a week.
Where is either characters from Les Miserable? I was waiting for that. And also... Kim... Definitely should've been top 5
This girl doesn't know a thing about Broadway clearly.
Yes but she’s not the one preparing the information
like why did they not put beetlejuice there is a lot of high notes
She’s a Tiktok theatre person 😂😂
Why do you say that?
FRRRRR
after reading the comments, I give my hat off to every female role in Broadway musicals, eight shows a week plus rehearsals Bravo ladies!!!!
I think the limited stage time Grizabella has makes her role even harder: she pretty much only has Grizabella the Glamour Cat and Memory (which occurs at the very end of the show) to make the audience sympathize with her. While it may not be as physically draining as the other roles on this list, I feel that the role needs to be performed just right to have an impact on the audience.
The same could be said about Fantine in "Les Miz" and she didn't even get an honorable mention
She’s also in Jellicle Songs for Jellicle cats. It’s hard to see but if you look close enough you can tell that it’s Grizabella when she was younger. If you look at the proshot the camera is focused on her for a couple seconds.
@@definitelynotaven what!? O.o I didn't notice
I actually felt the limited time on stage made Grizabella less difficult. I would also say the lack of plot and having a showstopping number also makes for pretty much anyone with a strong belt able to do that role. Especially when you compare that to something like Evita, Caroline or Change or Elephba where you are singing almost the entire show. I have seen a few Eva's who were sounding worn down, plus Eva has legit dance numbers as well.
@@definitelynotaven True: I didn't mention it because she sings like, a single line lol
how was Elle Woods higher up than both Kim from Miss Saigon and Christine??
Elle Woods is a Triple Threat Role. She gets barely any breaks and the belt requirements literally gave Laura Bell Bundy (OG Elle Woods) vocal damage. The role is a Mammoth.
Christian Dorey also What You Want is super human for Elle in term of dancing ability, holy crap.
I do love Kim and she's my favorite role but Elle Woods is a more demanding role belting those high notes in almost every song and has some low notes too plus the dances are crazy like hell (little Miss Woods, Elle). The costume changes and the big numbers such as Omigod and So Much Better is very draining to watch. Just my opinion tho but I think Kim should be in a higher spot. Can't believe Grizabella beat her lol.
She's busy onstage. Literally.
Miss Saigon is my favourite musical but I can 100% understand why Elle is higher. Light hearted fun energetic comedic roles can be so much harder to pull off than sad tragic melodramatic ones. To go into sad is easier, comedic roles are so much harder to pull off, that's what takes real stage presence
It's all ridiculously hard anyway and im not saying I could do either, and I respect the acting in all of it, but its actually the fun, energetic, comedic ones which are harder
I can't wait until live, in-person theater is a thing again. Gods, I miss being in and seeing it so much.
Alicia Nyblade same, I just love it so much!
Yes! I go to the Stratford Festival in Canada every summer! Six shows in three days, and it’s really quality theater.
Veronica is way too low on this list. That is easily one of the most musically demanding roles ever
Jane Seymour in Six, those girls are on stage for the whole show and Jane has some incredibly difficult notes/runs in Heart of Stone
For the fact that the show is only one act and doesn't require a lot of heavy acting, i wouldn't say any of the SIX roles would be on this list. Firstly, all the songs are quite poppy, but even if Heart of Stone has some cool notes, it's the only song she sings solo and the performance is allowed to be more of a pop performance than a character emotion story beat. So yea, i don't see it in the same caliber as these roles.
I just disagree with this list entirely
Exactly so many of these roles should have ranked higher
Yeah.
I disagree respectfully.
I also desagree with many of the roles in.this list.Where are Amalia in She loves me Sally and Phillis in Follies Eliza Doolitle Annie get your gun Lili Kate in Kiss Me Kate Charity Cunegunde
Anna in The King and I
Magnololia in Show Boat
Maria in West Side Story etc.There are good choices Fanny Girl Rose Evita Norma Desmond Mrs Lovett Elpheba Christine Velma etc.But many of the roles were composed after 1960 except Gypsy composed in 1959 and Anything goes in.the thirties .
Yh . Someone make a proper list
I watched the video so you don’t have to :)
20. Angelica Schuyler
19. Veronica Sawyer
18. Tracy Turnblad
17. Glinda
16. Mrs Loveatt
15. Velma Kelly
14. Norma Desmond
13. Kim
12. Grizabella
11. Christine
10. Caroline Thibodeax
9. Effie Melody White
8. Elle Woods
7. Fanny Brice
6. Reno Sweeny
5. Elphaba
4. Diana Goodman
3. Celie
2. Eva Perón
Honourable Mentions: Ti Moune, Maria, Trina, Jenna Hunterson
1. Mama Rose
I love how Patti Lupone has played like every other character on this list...
She is the Queen Divia!
she has oO?
If only they’d included Fantine from Les Miz...
@@frakteI LOVE Patti LuPone's Fantine! It's awesome
I was so happy to see Carrie hope fletcher shown. She is so talented
Let's talk about how Lea Salonga has played multiple roles in these musical plays
I think Eliza's role is harder than Angelica's. There's so much more emotional depth to go to, far more songs, and way more belting. Angelica is hard as hell too, and really complexly-written, but her vocals are far easier. (I'm an alto though so that might just mean they're easier for me.) And where is Natasha Rostova?!
yes
yes
Asterismos she has a lot of long notes and riffs
Angelica is a pretty deep and complicated character and, therefore, there's a lot for an actress to unpack to really master the role. However, Eliza is a much more vocally and emotionally demanding role for sure.
I disagree. Angelica is the most complex character, Lin even calls her the smartest in the room, and you need to portray that. You need to sound happy but a fake happy and she has the fastest female rap and whatnot. Renee is extremely talented and it is very difficult to do a convincing Angelica. Angelica has to have a sort of fierce feel to it, and it’s just a lot of emotion that you can’t go all out on because she’s not letting herself feel it.
Or I’m just being weird and reading into it way too much.
no maria from west side story? not even a mention? did they forget her?
That role is hard & every actress I’ve seen play the role just kills it; Lyric Opera’s recent production had the best one as during the Quintet’s conclusion her high note reigned supreme
Natalie Wood didn't sing in that movie, so thats probably why
Kate Gosling the list isnt who performed the role-its the hardest role to play. so its the character were talking about.
I would have mentioned Anita as well! Dancing, belting, and some very tough acting in things like the Taunting Scene
i did
One relevant detail about Evita that isn’t mentioned here is that the actress doesn’t leave the stage during the second act, not even for a second, not even to drink water. In fact she can only sip a bit of water while the ensemble sings Rainbow Tour.
Inaccurate, Ms Saigon is the hardest.
i can’t believe they didn’t talk about the dead girl walking reprise riff
I love how the first 2 hardest roles are roles that Patti Lupone played...
The woman is a legend & she’s still got it
She's also known for playing Mrs Lovett, so that's three roles on here, even if one's a bit lower.
Hannah Shribman-Brown OH riiiight! I forgot about that!
Alyssa Black And she’s never gonna lose it. Haha
Who is Patti Lupone? What makes her so great?
The Witch - Into the Woods
Sally - Follies
Mame - Mame
Roxie - Chicago
Charity - Sweet Charity
Maria - West Side Story
Sally Bowles - Cabaret
Aurora - The Kiss of the Spider Woman
Fosca - Passion
The Mother and Sarah - Ragtime
The Lead Player - Pippin
Audrey - Little Shop of Horrors
Eliza - My Fair Lady
Mary Poppins - Mary Poppins
Eurydice - Hadestown
Dot/Marie - Sunday in the Park with George
Desiree and Anne - A Little Night Music
Matilda - Matilda
Benji Hix And Kerry Butler she was an awesome Audrey
Charity for dance especially, and Eliza for the accent. All of these should have been on this list
finally someone who thinks the witch should have been on there! she has a really hard belt at the end of the last midnight and she has to rap really fast as well!! she deserves to be on the list.
@@clclaaraa YES! The Witch is very complex, a lot of different songs and notes and many different feelings to express.
Eliza for sure! That part I can imagine is unbelievably hard
left out
1. elsa-frozen
2. fantaine- les misérables
3. vanessa- in the heights
4. MJ healy- Jagged little pill
5. both moms from dear evan hansen
6. katherine plumber- newsies
Nina is harder than Vanessa
Fantine is onstage for 15 minutes
"Angelica Schuyler"
*laughs in being able to sing and rap all parts*
Joanna I don’t even think she should be on this list in my opinion, she’s not that hard, me and my friends are 11 can do it? I don’t know if that’s saying anything though
• Purple Panda Playz • for all of her roles, (she has belts as well) you have to have a large octave vocal range.
Same lmao
• Purple Panda Playz • She deserves to be in this list because being able to rap and sing her parts are one thing, but doing that over and over again while still maintaining the high powerful energy Angelica should bring to the show? Requires experience and talent.
Can you do everything the way Lin wants them sung
1: Angelica-
Me: *YOU WANNA REVOLUTION I WANNA REVELATION-*
jenna should've made the main list- she's got she used to be mine and carries much of the emotional weight of the show, and the audience has to see her complex character arc. It's a difficult role
Olivia I agree! So much of the emotional weight is on Jenna, she has to make you care about her in order to care about her story. If Jenna isn't connecting to the audience, it's all lost.
IKRRRRR
what baking can do also holds some difficult notes
And Elsa from Frozen. Let It Go is not only an iconic Oscar winning hit that requires a powerful voice to pull it off correctly but Elsa is also a complex character herself. It takes some really skilled actress to dig deep and explore those deep and vulnerable traits to their fullest
Came here to comment this. Thank you 🙌
As someone who has played Christine, I am sad she is so low on the list. The costumes, the high notes, the 2 guys and much more.
Amy from company? Just think she at least deserves honorable mentoin for 'Getting Married Today'
i understand where you are coming from, but shes not the main actress, not any of them are really, and she only sings as part of the group or that song on her own, its bloody difficult, but same situation with grizabella she has a smallish, not medium role
Came here to see if Amy was on the list. Guess I don't need to watch the video now 🤷♀️
i respectfully disagree with most of this list
lea was the singing voice for mulan and aladin, was also in Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. that's hard
I ❤ Lea Salonga! 🇵🇭
Kim, Miss Saigon
There so many misses with this video. Not even a mention for the female roles of Rent, Les miserables, Cabaret, West side story? This is at least outrageous!
WHERE IS INTERNATIONAL SENSATION, SALLY BOWLES? ugh
I am actually ok with West Side Story and Cabaret not being on list list. I adore both plays and have performed in both. But this list was about the most difficult female roles and neither Maria nor Sally should be difficult for a trained singer. The hardest part of Maria is the acting. She has very little dancing, and all of her songs are uncomplicated and straight soprano and does not require a huge range. She does not even sing for the bulk of the show. As for Sally, once again the songs (while awesome) are not super complicated. This is another case of the acting being the hardest part because of the very heavy material discussed in the play. Fully with you on Rent and Les Mis.
Some omissions:
Aldonza, “Man of La Mancha.”
Alex Owens, “Flashdance”
Amneris, “Aida”
Fosca, “Passion” (seriously, how did this not end up on the list?)
The Hilton Twins, “Side Show” (this is beyond a challenging role, for the obvious reason)
Joanne, “Company”
Katisha, “The Mikado”
Lydia, “Beetlejuice”
Margaret, “The Light in the Piazza”
Marie, “Marie Christine”
Natasha, “Great Comet”
Phoebe, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Murder”
The Queen, “Merlin”
Ruth, “Pirates of Penzance”
Zoe, “Dear Evan Hansen”
And the entire cast of “Les Miserables.”
Zoe isn't that difficult a role
The only two roles I would even have the slightest bit of success playing is Lydia and Fantine, lol...
I kinda think Aida is a more difficult role than Amneris. My strongest suit is definitely a demanding song but Aida has to choose between her people and her love and it’s a more vocally demanding role. Though I do think either character from Aida deserves to be on this list.
Kim? Ok... why on the 13th spot? That's a difficult character to portray...
And Lea Salonga knocked it out of the park at the age of only 17!! Imagine that.
I though Audrey from Little Shop Of Horrors would be on the list, then I thought she would be an honourable mention.. I guess not lmao
Lea Salonga is the ultimate broadway legend
they should've added lea salonga as eponine from les miserables
I can sing it is not that hard ❤️
Big facts 👌
Eponine is not that hard lol. She’s harder than Cosette but not as hard as Fantine.
Her version of "On My Own" at the 10th anniversary concert is still the gold standard.
@@kaceydonnelly4821 So why aren't you singing as Eponine. Just shut up Kacey. Nobody cares what you can do or cant.
Just for consideration, I'd like to add the Witch from Into the Woods, Satine, and Fantine (also I would have put Kim so much higher)
As a former theatre nerd myself I agree with the Witch!
Agree
🎵You’re not good you’re not bad you’re just nice...🎵
I never heard of Miss Saigon before this and now I'm obsessed with I Still Believe!!!
As long as I keep on believing I will
I could likely add Eliza Dolittle (My Fair Lady), she has to sing in one or two accents while carrying a good portion of the show and keeping the audience enchanted.
Carrie White from Carrie: The Musical deserves more attention. Those high notes, I could NEVER.
Mskittenlover12 I was gonna say that!
I was gonna say that! Carrie White is my dream role!
honestly the part of elpheba is so amazing and difficult to play i worship idina menzel
Steph weakest and majorly inconsistant
Her voice hasn't been the same since she was Elphaba
must be an interesting church you go to
@Ben Crawford is that your real name? That’s pretty cool if it is!! Ben Crawford is currently playing the phantom in POTO
*_Idina was great tho_*
at this point, I'm gonna ignore their ranks and just enjoy that they're here
I feel like Lydia deetz should be on this list somewhere the choreography along with the belts and the young age....
I've thought of a few other female musical roles that might be hardest to do:
.Princess Ariel (The Little Mermaid)
.Mary (Jesus Christ Supersatar)
.Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
.Queen Elsa (Frozen)
.Eviline (The Wiz)
.Lydia (Beetlejuice the Musical)
.Aida (Aida the Elton John and Tim Rice musical)
.Star, Lady, and Babe (The Cher Show)
Are all of the theatrical musicals?
Hagane Elric Yes, but I wouldn’t call all of them hard lol
I would add Clara from Porgy and Bess, but I'm not sure if it's a musical or an opera.
I felt like Veronica should have been a bit higher on the list 😅😅 that was such a vocally demanding role, for me at least, plus portraying such strong emotions, all those lines, and being in almost all the show. Maybe it’s because it was my first lead, but i just think it deserved a bit of a higher part on the list...
poor kim, vERY UNDERRATED.
When your mom played Tracy and elfaba in her college musicals, so you play Glenda and penny in high school....
Penny is amazing
It might have been nice to have seen the original Evita played by the wonderful Elaine Paige in London's West End.
I'd have put Sally Bowles from Cabaret on this list.
Considering it's a British musical, they should have shown her, not just Americans in the role.
Where is Mimi from rent? Also love how Chris kolfer has sung most of these songs on glee
I 100% agree. I think the role doesn't get taken as seriously then some more "respected" musicals, but I actually think Mimi is one of the hardest roles to pull off. Very few actresses can do it and it's just cringey alot of the time if they can't get it right. Plus "Out Tonight" is so hard, the notes are so high and awkward
I don't think mimi would make a sensible top 20. She has just one difficult number, and with the cast of rent being as large as it is, she's not on stage nearly as often as other characters that would make the list. Also, she disappears for a while toward the end, giving her a longer break
@@florastiel rather than it being "technically difficult", I feel it's more just that the character is very difficult for many actresses to convincingly pull off in a way that isn't try-hard and cringey
It becomes way too "Disney" if the actress doesn't do it right, so its more I think her songs are hard to sing well whilst still pulling of Mimi's dark, streetwise character
florastiel yea but finding an actress to be sexy, youthful, joyful and tackle the topic of addiction and withdrawal 😶
@@reneebieman4096 this!
OMG Patti LuPone! I just saw her on the Netflix show Hollywood. I recognized her name, but had no idea she is such a phenomenal singer in so many Broadway musicals!
And I thought Fantine from Les Miz would win.
Really? Lol while it’s hard but it isn’t even in the Top 5 in any book.
She's only in the show for like 15 minutes after the prologue is over.
Y’all did Kim dirty
I think, what makes it difficult to play the role 'Kim' is that of how the Original cast which is Lea Salonga portrayed the role. Her acting skills is just simply amazing and her innocent crystal clear voice is almost impossible to resemble. In addition, it is very challenging to shift your personality from 17 innocent young girl to 21 daring and bold woman.
Veronica Sawyer is probably the most complex female role in contemporary years. The actress will need to have a wide vocal range, be present for nearly every scene, and be comfortable with the subjects of death, bullying, suicide and murder! ☠️💙
that’s true but elle is in 90% of the show, the composer of the show has stated she sings more than half of the notes in the show, and she gets sexually assaulted on stage, but yes veronica show be higher but the lack of dancing from veronica is what makes me think it’s not the most complex role
@@camillee7311ell I'm a soprano/mixer who was in legally blonde, and my voice is perfect for Elle and possible for Veronica. So Elle would be easier for ME to play.
This list is much better than your "Hardest Male Musical Roles". Thank you for researching back to shows created prior to 1985. Musical Theatre history needs to be celebrated...so thank you for creating these videos and not ignoring one of our most vital and profitable art forms.
Agreed. I do not understand how anyone could think Evan Hansen is a harder role to perform than Jean Valjean, Hedwig, or Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. Not saying Evan Hansen is easy or it didn't belong on the list at all, but it being number 1 was absolutely ridiculous considering the range and transformations other roles required.
I know right, although I wish they would have actually considered a few more. Although I think with these videos it also depends what they can find good footage of.
Christine and Kim both deserve to be higher, and Maria (Sound of Music) should be more than an honorable mention.
i think kim is the hardest role especially with all the emotions she has to show, not to mention she's singing almost the entire show. then there's the physicality of her scenes! her scene when she is getting beat up by thuy's thugs, then her fight with thuy while protecting tam, the shouting match with ellen, then the evacuation scene, then the finale? geez! they're all emotionally draining!
Imagine not know anything about musicals and then making a list about them 😳🙄