Character Gush / Theatre

• As You Like It: Jaques. Not only does he give one of the most iconic speeches of Shakespeare's canon ("All the world's a stage..."), he's a lovable Eeyore-esque character who has some genuinely great insults and Sad Clown aspirations.
• Company (Sondheim): Joanne. A Deadpan Snarker Lady Drunk on her third marriage with a sharp tongue and a showstopping number showing incredible emotional depth and willpower. More than that, she's the one who finally gets Bobby to make his first step towards commitment.
• Cyrano de Bergerac: Cyrano! Seriously, he's a walking Moment of Awesome, loyal to his few true friends, the epic repressed love for Roxane, the quite suffering, and the independence! He never sacrifices one iota of his freedom to get ahead in life or make money, or make people like him, and yet he's one of the most epic characters ever, so why wouldn't you???
• Elisabeth: Death. Very YMMV on this one, but it's amazing that each actor can portray an unique version of him. Does he love Elisabeth and wants her not to suffer? Is he obsessed with her and will stop at nothing to claim her soul? Does he care about Rudolf, or at least pities him? Is he merely using the Prince as a pawn in his quest to break/"rescue" Sisi? Plus, the fact that he's played by an impressive array of beautiful actors/actresses, who are able to show off their vocal and acting chops with show-stopping songs, also helps with my infatuation. Mark Seibert crooning, "Elisabeth... Elisabeth... Ich liebe dich..." during "Elisabeth, mach auf" makes me want to stand on a chair and scream, "Take me with you already,". And I don't even ship Death/Sisi.
• Hairspray: Tracy Turnblad. A very bright, energetic, talented, and good hearted girl who's willing to fight for her dreams and what she believes in. The fact that she's short and chubby isn't even an issue; in fact, she doesn't just make it look good, she's makes it look very good!
• Hamlet
  • Hamlet. Not many characters can go from Ax-Crazy to honorable hero, to Anti-Hero, to Nietzsche Wannabe (before Nietzche even existed), to tragic hero, while still coming across as a realistic character. He does, and he does it in verse.
  • What about Horatio? He's a Nice Guy and is Hamlet's only true friend throughout the play. Hamlet himself makes speeches about how awesome he is, and in the end, after the prince dies in his arms, he decided to live on and honor his friend's memory by spreading the word. He's my definition of Undying Loyalty.
• Into the Woods: Almost all the main characters are incredible, and even the secondary ones have their moments, but this Troper would like to give special mention to The Witch. Her unapologetic Deadpan Snarker attitude is simply wonderful, but she does have a softer side to her, and she's Genre Savvy enough to know exactly what's going on and is not afraid to say it to the others. Such an amazing part.
• A Midsummer Night's Dream: Puck. Sure, he makes mistakes, but he's the one who makes hilarity ensue. Plus, he's adorably energetic in most portrayals and in some cases (one case) played by Stanley Tucci.
• Les Misérables:
  • I absolutely adore Inspector Javert in both the book and the musical. Not only does he have the most badass part in the musical, he's a fantastic snarker in the book. The entire scene when he arrests Patron-Minette at the Gorbeau House is an Moment of Awesome.
    • Every song Javert has is wonderful and "Stars" in paticular is one of the best songs in all of musical theatre. Javert is one of those epic male parts that makes this Troper sad she's female since it would be so amazing to play him.
  • "Would you like my hat?"
  • "You shall not go out by the window, you shall go out through the door. It is healthier."
  • To Madame Thénardier: "What a grenadier! You've got a beard like a man, mother, but I have claws like a woman."
  • How about Gavroche, in both the book and the musical? He has some very funny (and snarky) lines, he's brave and smart, not to mention Badass Adorable. He's also very strong. I mean, consider his situation: He was thrown out by his Jerkass parents and lives on the streets. To put it better, he thrives on the streets. He takes two little boys (his brothers, although he doesn't know it) under his wing and takes on the role of a father to them. He gets involved in a revolution, contributes significantly to it, and even dies in it. All this by the age of twelve at most. And he still manages to act cheerful and carefree.
• Brian Le Petit in Cirque du Soleil's Mystère. A prankster through and through, but his sheer determination to stir up mischief and deflate pompousness leaves you with a lighter, warmer heart.
• Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: SOFIA ALEXANDROVA ROSTOVA! She's the Straight Man to Natasha's dreamer, she's loyal, and she's willing to sacrifice her own friendship with Natasha to keep her from running off with Anatole and ruining her life. Not to mention her gorgeous voice, especially in her emotional ballad 'Sonya Alone'.
• YES AND SHE'S PLAYED BY BRITTAIN FLIPPIN ASHFORD I LOVE SONYA
• RENT's entire cast. Where to begin?
  • Mark, the very definition of the word "adorkable."
  • Roger, closed-off Woobie with a Voice of Gold.
  • Mimi. I just love her "live for the moment" attitude!
  • Angel. She falls juuuust shy of being a Purity Sue, but if she is, she's the Mary Poppins kind, not the scary badfic kind.
  • Maureen. "Moo with me." THAT IS ALL.
  • Joanne, who gets special points for her part in "Take Me Or Leave Me." Something about seeing a nerd let her hair down like that is just...awesome.
  • Collins, for being the most honest version of Straight Gay I've ever seen portrayed in a play. You could seriously know someone like him.
  • Yes, even Benny, for being the bigger man and helping out the same people who'd been dicks to him the whole play so far.
    • Ditto for Benny, who definitely had the opportunity to act the bigger man after his so-called friends turn against him for... taking a practical, non-freezing-in-an-unpaid-attic route to get that media center.
• Romeo and Juliet: Romeo and Juliet. Yeah, yeah... I know that many people see them as two reckless teenagers, who were dumb enough to just let their emotions run wild without thinking anything through. But I have to stick with the other side, the one that sees them as one of the greatest love couples of all time. Not to mention that their deaths could finally make their families stop their stupid feud.
• The Scarlet Pimpernel: Sir Percy, the eponymous character both as the Pimpernel and his Secret Identity. "Into The Fire" is the reason this Troper fell in love with the show and if you don't crack up during "The Creation of Man" something is severely wrong with your sense of humor.
• Sweeney Todd: Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett are truly amazing Villain Protagonist s and which one is more awesome could be debated forever. As a duo though, they take the theatrical world by storm. "A Little Priest" is proof of that, as well as being a Moment of Awesome for the show.
• The Taming of the Shrew
  • Katharina. A modern, awesome role model, who is forced into a relationship with a guy who is, depending on the interpretation, either abusive and horrifying or sees her as a challenge to overcome. And she deals with it better than any modern viewer would expect - she doesn't run away, she doesn't pull a Romeo & Juliet, she even tries to stop the marriage. I just love her. <3
  • Well she was initially meant to be seen as a shrew who'd have to submit to her husband in the end in a case of old-time Values Dissonance, but I too admire how she handled things and made the most of her situation. And if we're going by the latter interpretation, than kudos to Petruchio too for not handling her in the abusive manner that one would fear he would.
  • In a similar vein, there's Kat from 10 Things I Hate About You. She's a snarky feminist who was hurt by her boyfriend and made herself stronger because of it. She never rolled over for him, saw to it that he didn't brag to his friends about them sleeping together, and vowed to always stand up for what she believed in. And in the end, when the guy she loved screwed her over, she tells him off via a Tear Jerker of a poem.
• We Will Rock You: Galileo Figaro. Cursed with Awesome dreams of long forgotten songs and is, as he admits himself, mad because of them, implied to have had a terrible childhood, and shown to be hated because of something he can't control, and yet the kid is still idealistic, and hopeful. Face it, guy's a puppy dog
• Wicked
  • Elphaba. The quote from the Earn Your Happy Ending page says it all. Whoever wrote it, you're Made of Win to me.
    Sometimes everything that you try isn't enough to change the world. Sometimes your greatest triumphs lead directly to your downfall. But when you open your heart to someone else, and you change each other, then whatever may come, you are unlimited.
  • I love Glinda. I don't know what it is about her, perhaps her "Happy hero on the outside, Depressed hero on the inside" thing that makes her a total woobie, but I love absolutely every song she's in simply because she's in it. So that definitely counts for something. But then again, she does have a lot of grace, a lot of charm and charisma, and she is, dare I say... popular.

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