These Broadway shows prove there are no small parts. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the hardest-working ensembles in Broadway musicals.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the hardest working ensembles
00:11in Broadway musicals.
00:2210.
00:23Wicked
00:24Wicked serves as a prequel to the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, and the book upon which
00:43that movie was based.
00:44The show follows the rocky friendship of Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch
00:48of the West.
00:49Although it's a star vehicle for both an alto and soprano, the ensemble plays significant
00:54roles too.
01:07From concerned citizens of Oz and the Emerald City to judgmental students of Shiz University,
01:12the ensemble fills out the stage and supports the action.
01:15Who is Glinda without her entourage of supporters?
01:18Who is the Wicked Witch without people cowering before her?
01:20And what is a city without its many denizens?
01:379.
01:38Anything Goes
01:52First playing on Broadway in 1934, Anything Goes is a popular and well-loved Cole Porter
01:57musical.
01:58There have been four versions of the libretto, and the ensemble is key in all of them.
02:02Portraying showgirls, sailors, and wealthy passengers on a cruise boat, they do a lot
02:07to hold their own on the stage with its stars.
02:19They need high energy and significant stage presence to work for the show's demands.
02:23The nightclub singer Rino Sweeney might be the leading player, but the ensemble masterfully
02:28keeps up with her.
02:29Just watch the iconic title number if you don't believe us.
02:468.
02:47West Side Story
02:58A large and very talented cast is essential for any production of West Side Story.
03:03In this retelling of Romeo and Juliet, we see a love story unfold on the Upper West
03:07Side of Manhattan between a young Puerto Rican girl, Maria, and a young white American boy,
03:12Tony.
03:13The problem is that the Puerto Rican gang of the Sharks are rivals with the white American
03:16gang, the Jets.
03:28Each gang tries to outdo the other in many ways, from intimidation, to dance, to violence.
03:33The ensemble has to support the main players in all efforts.
03:37One highlight for everyone is the dance at the gym, which pits the skills of the Sharks
03:41and the Jets against each other.
03:557.
03:56Newsies
04:08This 2012 musical tells the story of the Newsboys' strike in New York City in 1899.
04:13The message of the show is about teamwork and hope.
04:16In 2019, the Broadway news source Playbill asked audiences to vote on the best ensemble
04:21talent since 2010.
04:32Newsies won Best Overall Ensemble, thanks to the many musical numbers taking full advantage
04:37of the large cast.
04:38It all comes together in a stunning display of physical skill, when we see the Newsies
04:42from all over New York City band together in the Act One finale, Seize the Day.
04:576.
04:59Legally Blonde
05:12Although Elle Woods is the show's clear main protagonist, the ensemble is definitely
05:16important.
05:17They cover roles from Harvard students to salon patrons to sorority sisters to salespeople,
05:21both supporting and challenging Elle.
05:35The ensemble participates in a whopping 16 songs out of 23 total.
05:40One incredible number is Whipped Into Shape, in which the ensemble plays women in jail.
05:52Guided by their fellow prisoner Brooke Windham, the residents do wild aerobic exercises while
05:57singing, demonstrating Brooke's influence and obsession with physical appearances.
06:02Singing and dancing while jumping rope is no small feat.
06:065.
06:07Cats
06:18Considered by many as the first mega-musical, Cats changed the landscape of musical theater
06:23by going bigger in size, budget, cast and marketing.
06:27With as many as 30 performers on stage at a time, the ensemble is heavily involved with
06:32this musical.
06:44Every single cat has a name, even if it's not said in the show, and some performers
06:48even play multiple roles.
06:50Most of the cast stays on stage throughout the runtime.
06:53Their roles are dance-heavy, and it's not uncommon for a featured player to double with
06:57an ensemble role.
07:114.
07:12Hadestown
07:23This retelling of the ancient Greek myth involving Orpheus, Eurydice, Persephone and Hades involves
07:28a very small cast.
07:30That makes the role of each performer even more important.
07:33Aside from the four main characters we mentioned, there's also Hermes, three fates, and a handful
07:38of workers.
07:39The workers serve as the ensemble.
07:54They're all nameless enslaved people for Hades, and eventually they become people from
07:57the underworld who have found hope in Orpheus' song.
07:59The fates shouldn't be ignored either, as they each play an instrument on stage and
08:04narrate the main cast's thoughts.
08:05Hadestown shows us that even a small ensemble can have a big impact.
08:163. Les Miserables
08:29The large ensemble takes on many roles in this classic musical.
08:33Considering the grand scope of the plot involves 27 named characters, adding in plenty of unnamed
08:38ensemble performers makes the show a real spectacle.
08:52The ensemble plays chain gang members, peasants, factory workers, thieves, students and wedding
08:58guests among other roles.
08:59The many group numbers in the show have become iconic, and none less than One Day More.
09:18What would that Act 1 finale be without the huge cast singing their own harmonies all
09:21over each other?
09:23It would not be nearly as exhilarating.
09:252. The Producers
09:37Mel Brooks adapted his own 1967 movie into a Broadway musical that premiered in 2001,
09:42and won a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards.
09:45The characters Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom lead the show, but the ensemble is active
09:50and crucial in both acts.
09:52We first see the ensemble in the very first number, Opening Night, in which they play
09:55usherettes out of work after a single performance of a musical, as well as theater critics and
10:00audience members.
10:17Other significant roles include musically inclined accountants, dancing old ladies,
10:22and flamboyant Nazis.
10:32Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:36Without a large ensemble of hippies, this review-like musical would fall flat.
10:59Fiddler on the Roof
11:01The ensemble shows the strain between Russians and Jews in their little village.
11:22Sweet Charity
11:23Bob Fosse's iconic choreography lets the ensemble entice clients with a good time.
11:4632nd Street
11:47The curtain rises on 40 tap dancers to begin this backstage musical.
11:59Pippin
12:002013 Revival
12:02The ensemble has to be in peak physical shape for this high-energy show.
12:20Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
12:25about our latest videos.
12:27You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
12:31If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
12:38Hamilton
12:39Andy Blankenbuehler choreographed this hit show and made sure each movement conveyed
12:54the action and mirrored the lyrics.
12:56The ensemble gets very little time to rest, playing roles such as supporters and soldiers
13:01for both the British and American causes, upper-class partygoers, and various politicians.
13:17One number that showcases the immense energy and talent of the cast is Yorktown, The World
13:21Turned Upside Down.
13:33The energy of this scene is incredible, as it shows the Americans finally winning the
13:37Revolutionary War.
13:38And let's not forget the crucial role of the bullet, reappearing several times over the
13:42course of the show to represent death.
13:45Have any other ensembles blown you away?
13:47Let us know in the comments.