re: Can Audra 'open' a show?
Last Edit: Chromolume 06:05 pm EDT 10/17/24
Posted by: Chromolume 06:04 pm EDT 10/17/24
In reply to: re: Can Audra 'open' a show? - Chazwaza 05:24 pm EDT 10/16/24

FWIW Ragtime wouldn't count anyway... she wasn't a lead in that show. She has 1.5 songs. And by .5 I mean Sarah Brown Eyes which is itself barely a full song relative to the other full songs in that score (though it's one of my absolute favorite scenes and songs in the show), and she sings not even half of it. But the epicness of her big solo "Your Daddy's Hands" at least makes it add up to 1.5, even 2. I suppose "Mr. President" counts as a song too. So, okay, 2.5-3 songs. In a musical with 36 songs/distinct sung musical sequences.

(there are 3 proper leads, Mother, Coalhouse, Tateh, and several big featured roles, Sarah being...the most impactful)


Now wait just a minute. If Mother is a lead and Sarah isn't, that math makes no sense. Mother has only 2 solos, one of which ("What Kind of Woman") isn't really considered a big deal song. So really she only has "Back To Before" as a big defining solo moment. You're also forgetting "Wheels of A Dream" for Sarah. (True, Mother has a major part in several duet/ensemble numbers too - "Our Children" being the most important, IMO.)

I don't think anyone cast as Sarah ever thinks they haven't just been cast as a lead. I'd love for you to try to convince them otherwise lol. Sometimes it's not the amount of material, but to use your term, how impactful a character's story/presence is. I think Sarah is a leading role, no question.
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