As readers of this blog know, my favorite composer is Stephen Sondheim – so focusing on his work with mature female characters was a labor of love in writing today’s blog.
The musicals of Stephen Sondheim often feature mature women as supporting and leading characters. Many writers have speculated that the composer, having had a tumultuous relationship with his own mother, worked out some of these issues in his musicals. His female characters of a certain age are often flawed characters – the degree of the flaw depends on the story.
The Early Musicals
It can be argued that Gypsy could be included for the creation of the legendary Mama Rose character. Although he was asked by librettist Arthur Laurents, director Jerome Robbins and the producers to write the music as well as the lyrics, star Ethel Merman put the kibosh on having the music written by an “unknown” composer and suggested Jule Styne. In Sondheim’s Finishing The Hat, he calls Gypsy the show in which he came of age as a lyricist, writing a show with characters of much deeper complexity than either his unproduced (at the time) Saturday Night or Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.
In his first musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), the supporting role of Domina, the wife of Senex, was originated by mezzo-soprano Ruth Kobart (1924-2002). Miss Kobart also created the role of Miss Jones in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1960) and also recreated both roles in their movie versions. She was nominated for a Tony for the role of Domina.
In Wikipedia, Domina is described as a “manipulative, shrewish woman who is loathed by even her husband.” Her song, “That dirty old man” creates some sympathy for the character – it’s hard to say whether her shrewishness caused his infidelity or vice versa. The range on the song is B3-F#5, with a lot of deliberate register breaks used for comedic effect.
Here’s Mary Testa, who did the role in the 1995 Broadway revival. This performance is from a cabaret show, and there’s an amusing anecdote about her coaching with the composer before the show. Enjoy!
The first example of a mature leading female character in a full Sondheim show is found in his second show, Anyone Can Whistle (1964). The role of the corrupt and emotionally desperate mayor Cora Hoover Hooper (created by Angela Lansbury, in her stage musical debut) is definitely not a sympathetic role. Although Lansbury was not quite 40 when the show opened, she had already played mothers of adult men (who were only a few years younger than her) in movies such as The Manchurian Candidate (Laurence Harvey) and Blue Hawaii (Elvis). Lansbury said that when she was in her 20s, she received fan mail from people who thought she was in her 40s.
Here’s a very glam Mayor Hooper, played by Patti LuPone in a 2005 concert version at Ravinia:
The last musical for which Sondheim provided only the lyrics was Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965), with music written by Richard Rodgers. Although it was not a successful or positive collaboration for the two of them, and the show received mixed reviews, there are two supporting mature female characters, Mrs. McIlhenny and Signora Fiora, the latter of whom has several featured numbers, including the solo, “This week, Americans,” a nice patter piece, not currently in print, requiring an Italian accent. In addition, she sings in a gorgeous trio, “Moon in my window,” which I have programmed several times in studio showcases. Carol Bruce (1919-2004) created the role; it has also been played in a 2001 Pasadena Playhouse production by Carol Lawrence (b. 1932), and in a 2016 Encores! Production by Karen Ziemba (b. 1957).
On His Own (1970s-1990s)
In Company (1970), the character of Joanne is listed in stageagent.com as being in her 40s-50s. She was played by Elaine Stritch (1925-2014) in the original production, and has been played by actors in their 40s as well as actors in their 60s and 70s (Lynn Redgrave in the 2002 Kennedy Center production and Patti LuPone in the 2011 New York Philharmonic Concert, the 2018 Second West End Revival, and the 2021 Third Broadway Revival).
Sondheim’s next show to feature mature women in leading roles is Follies (1971). The very nature of the show – a reunion of past chorus girls from the Weismann Follies to commemorate the upcoming demolition of the Weismann Theater – is a guarantee that the show is going to focus on mature women who spent their early lives as members of the company since its 1920s origins. The older characters in this show range from adult to mature adult to elderly, with the two principal characters of Sally and Phyllis as two women pushing 50. Sally is listed as a soprano or mezzo-soprano, although her big solo, “Losing my mind,” only has a range of F3 to B4, with “In Buddy’s Eyes” going up to a D5 (F5 in the 1985 Lincoln Center revival with Barbara Cook, which also saw “Losing my mind” taken up a perfect fourth). Phyllis is listed on stageagent.com as an alto; her two songs, “Could I leave you” and “The Story of Jessie and Lucy” are in approximately the same range but a lower tessitura.
Here’s Victoria Clark singing the song (in Barbara Cook’s key) in the Encores! production of 2007:
and Jan Maxwell in her Tony-nominated turn as Phyllis in the 2011 revival:
A year following Follies, A Little Night Music opened with Glynis Johns as Desirée Armfeldt, an actress of a certain age who seems to be living the French definition of that term. The majority of the music in this show is found in ensembles – even the three solos early in the show, “Now,” “Later,” and “Soon,” wind up intertwining as an ensemble number. But there are several solos that can be excerpted, the most well-known of which is Desirée’s “Send in the clowns” toward the end of Act 2. (The elderly Madame Armfeldt also has a solo, “Liaisons,” but it is so show-specific that it does not lend itself to performances outside the show itself. Or as an audition piece for a similar role.)
The three female Liebeslieder singers could also be mature women – it would be appropriate for them to be contemporaries of Desirée.
Here’s the original Desirée (who I remember as Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins):
There are also some fantastic videos of other singers doing this role, including Dame Judi Dench, and wonderful coaching by Sondheim himself.
Pacific Overtures requires an all-Asian cast and the original production featured men playing the women’s parts, although this was phased out in the 2004 Broadway revival and the 2017 off-Broadway revival, the latter of which featured Ann Harada as the Madam.
The next Sondheim musical featuring a woman over 40 (usually) is Sweeney Todd (1979). The role of Mrs. Lovett was created by Angela Lansbury, who was 54 at the time, and most Mrs. Lovetts tend to be in their 40s or 50s. In the 2023 revival, 38 year old Annaleigh Ashford played Mrs. Lovett. The role is listed as adult or mature adult in stageagent.com, 33-39 or 40-59 on musicaltheatersongs.com, and 35-50 at MTI. A musically difficult show, Mrs. Lovett has several wonderful songs to sing, including “By the sea,” “Wait,” and “Worst pies in London.” An often overlooked song is “Poor thing,” which is available on MusicNotes as well as in the full score.
Another show where a leading character might be a woman over 40 is Into the Woods (1988). The character is an ugly old witch (which would fall into the battle-ax archetype) but she has to be believable when she transforms into her pre-curse beauty. Bernadette Peters was 39 when she created this role (but honestly, she could’ve been 59 and she still would have been believable).
stageagent.com: Adult/Mature Adult
musicaltheatersongs.com: 33-39
MTI: 45-55
The Witch is called upon to rap in the opening prologue as well as sing three power ballads, “Stay with me,” “Lament,” and “Last Midnight.”
Here’s Meryl Streep (65 at the time) from the 2014 movie version.
(Interestingly, other than Happy End on Broadway in 1977, Streep has only done musicals on screen, beginning with Mamma Mia in 2008, and most recently in the role of Loretta in season 3 of Only Murders in the Building, which featured a show within the show.)
There are also a few other mature supporting characters in Into the Woods:
- Jack’s mother (soprano)
- Cinderella’s stepmother (mezzo-soprano)
- Cinderella’s mother (soprano), who also plays the Grandmother and the Giant’s wife.
These roles are largely ensemble roles.
Assassins (1990 off-Broadway, 2004 Broadway) is also an ensemble show, but stageagent.com lists the role of Sara Jane Moore as a lead. Created by Debra Monk (b. 1949) and then by Becky Ann Baker (1952), it has been most recently revived in the 2017 Encores! Production and off-Broadway by veteran actresses Victoria Clark and Judy Kuhn, respectively. (The show also includes the character of Emma Goldman in a speaking role.)
The Final Musicals
Sondheim’s penultimate show went through a variety of titles and edits, and never made it to Broadway. Originally Wise Guys (1999), then Bounce (2003), and finally Road Show (2008), the story is about the Mizner brothers, real estate entrepreneurs. Their long-suffering mother, Mama Mizner, is an important part of the cast. In the first two iterations of the show (Wise Guys), Mama Mizner sings the beautiful song “My two young men,” which was cut from the subsequent productions but is in print on Sheet Music Direct. Another lovely song, “Isn’t he something?” is also available on Sheet Music Direct and on MusicNotes.
This loving portrayal of a maternal figure in this show is a departure from the complicated older women in Sondheim’s earlier musicals. Was Mama Mizner the kind of mother Stephen wanted for himself? One who was grateful for his support and supportive of his endeavors? Who knows? I like to think this might be the case.
In his final musical (2023), Here We Are!, which was completed shortly before his death and produced posthumously, there are two female characters in their 40s. Rachel Bay Jones (b. 1969) created the role of Marianne and Amber Gray (b. 1981) the role of Claudia. This song, sung by Rachel Bay Jones, is not yet in print (will it ever be?) but is a nice song for soprano. A West End production is pending for Spring 2025.
The final two shows, while dramatically inventive, are rather musically derivative – Road Show has a very Into the Woods vibe while Here We Are!, particularly in the instrumental overture and exit music, is very reminiscent of his first musical, Forum. (Everything old is new again?)
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