Top 10 Broadway Shows Where the Ensemble are the True Heroes

MsMojo

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.

Transcript

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.

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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.

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