History Main / GenderNeutralNarrator

* GenderNeutralWriting: Writing that doesn't use gendered language, such as writing that refers to character using "they" and "them" instead of gendered pronouns.

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1645446119058021800 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]

The {{Narrator}} is a common character type in stage shows. And frequently, the narrator's gender will be unspecified and irrelevant to the story. This trope is for those characters.

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!!Examples:

* The Leading Player from ''Theatre/{{Pippin}}'' is perhaps the most well-known version.
* The Stage Manager from ''Theatre/OurTown''.
* Despite only being in the first and last scenes, the actor in A.R. Gurney ''Richard Cory'' serves a narrator-like purpose and is not of a specified gender.
* The Chorus from ''Theatre/HenryV''.
* ''Theatre/{{Assassins}}'':
** The Balladeer, apart from being referenced as "boy" once by Booth, could be played as female. Only in the original staging, though: the revival, and most touring companies thereafter, require the Balladeer to be male [[spoiler:because he's actually Lee Harvey Oswald.]]
** The Proprietor is occasionally played by a woman, in which case she [[ActingForTwo doubles as Emma Goldman]]. He's a BadassBaritone, but otherwise his gender is more or less irrelevant.
* Same goes for The Narrator in ''Theatre/BloodBrothers''.
* The Cat in the Hat in ''Theatre/{{Seussical}}''. While generally depicted as male, at least two women (Rosie O'Donnell and Cathy Rigby) have played the character.
* The Narrator in ''Theatre/JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat'' is an interesting example: as written, the character has no specific gender, but is now always played by a woman to amend for the complete lack of female characters (other than Potiphar's Wife).
* Not necessarily the narrator of the story, but the Book Voice of J. Pierrepont Finch's book ''Theatre/HowToSucceedInBusinessWithoutReallyTrying'' in the musical of the same name could arguably fit this trope; in most of the productions it's usually a male.
* The Narrator in ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'' is not gender-specified until [[spoiler:he is pulled into the story by the characters]], but it would be easy enough to change a few pronouns. However, following OriginalCastPrecedent, the Narrator [[ActingForTwo doubles as The Mysterious Man]] and has been played by a male.
* Pseudolus, in Sondheim's ''Theatre/AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum'', is usually played by a male actor, but Creator/WhoopiGoldberg replaced Creator/NathanLane in a Broadway revival.
* In ''Theatre/{{Finale}}'', the Narrator is played by a woman in the original cast, but is not referred to as such anywhere explicitly in the script.

* Pseudolus, in Sondheim's ''Theatre/AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum'', is usually played by a male actor, but WhoopiGoldberg replaced Creator/NathanLane in a Broadway revival.

* In ''Theatre/{{Finale}}'', the Narrator is played by a woman in the original cast, but is not referred to as anywhere explicitly in the script.

* The Balladeer from ''{{Theatre/Assassins}}'', apart from being referenced as 'boy' once by Booth, could be played as female.
** Only in the original staging. The revival, and most touring companies thereafter, require the Balladeer to be male [[spoiler:because he's actually Lee Harvey Oswald.]]

* Same goes for The Narrator in ''[[Theatre/BloodBrothers Blood Brothers]]''.

* Not necessarily the narrator of the story, but the Book Voice of J. Pierrepont Finch's book ''HowToSucceedInBusinessWithoutReallyTrying'' in the musical of the same name could arguably fit this trope; in most of the productions it's usually a male.
* The Narrator in ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'' is not gender-specified until [[spoiler: he is pulled into the story by the characters]], but it would be easy enough to change a few pronouns. However, following OriginalCastPrecedent, the Narrator [[ActingForTwo doubles as The Mysterious Man]] and has been played by a male.
* Pseudolus, in Sondheim's ''Theatre/AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum'', is usually played by a male actor, but WhoopiGoldberg replaced NathanLane in a Broadway revival.

* The Leading Player from ''{{Pippin}}'' is perhaps the most well-known version.
* The Stage Manager from ''OurTown''.

* The Chorus from ''HenryV''.

* Pseudolus, in Sondheim's AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum, is usually played by a male actor, but WhoopiGoldberg replaced NathanLane in a Broadway revival.

* The Cat in the Hat in ''Theatre/{{Seussical}}''.

* The Cat in the Hat in ''{{Seussical}}''.

* The Narrator in IntoTheWoods is not gender-specified until [[spoiler: he is pulled into the story by the characters]], but it would be easy enough to change a few pronouns. However, following OriginalCastPrecedent, the Narrator [[ActingForTwo doubles as The Mysterious Man]] and has been played by a male.

** Same goes for The Narrator in ''[[Theatre/BloodBrothers Blood Brothers]]''.

* The Narrator in AndrewLloydWebber's ''{{Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat}}'' is an interesting example: as written, the character has no specific gender, but is now always played by a woman to amend for the complete lack of female characters (other than Potiphar's Wife).

* The Narrator in IntoTheWoods is not gender-specified until [[spoiler: he is pulled into the story by the characters]], but it would be easy enough to change a few pronouns. However, in the original and many subsequent productions, the Narrator doubles as The Mysterious Man and has been played by a male.

* The Narrator in {{IntoTheWoods}} is not gender-specified until [[spoiler: he is pulled into the story by the characters]], but it would be easy enough to change a few pronouns. However, in the original and many subsequent productions, the Narrator doubles as The Mysterious Man and has been played by a male.
* Pseudolus, in Sondheim's {{AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum}}, is usually played by a male actor, but WhoopiGoldberg replaced NathanLane in a Broadway revival.

** Same goes for The Narrator in ''[[Theatre/BloodBrothers BloodBrothers]]''.

* The Balladeer from ''{{Assassins}}'', apart from being referenced as 'boy' once by Booth, could be played as female.

* The Narrator in AndrewLloydWebber's ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is an interesting aversion: as written, the character has no specific gender, but is now always played by a woman to amend for the complete lack of female characters (other than Potiphar's Wife).

* The Narrator in AndrewLloydWebber's ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is an interesting aversion: the character is technically nonspecified, gender-speaking, but is now always played by a woman to amend for the complete lack of female characters, other than Potiphar's Wife.

* The Leading Player from ''Pippin'' is perhaps the most well-known version.

* Not necessarily the narrator of the story, but the Book Voice of J. Pierrepont Finch's book ''HowToSucceedInBusinessWithoutReallyTrying'' in the musical of the same name could arguably fit this trope; from most of the productions [[ThisTroper this troper]] has seen, it's usually a male.
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<<|{{Theater}}|>>

* The Leading Player from ''Pippin'' is perhaps the most well-known version.

* The Narrator in AndrewLloydWebber's ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is an interesting aversion: the character is technically nonspecified, gender-speaking, but is now always played by a woman to amend for the complete lack of female characters, other than Potiphar's Wife.

* The Cat in the Hat in ''Seussical''.