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.
Tag Archives: Angela Lansbury
Jerry’s Women (or Hello, Jerry!)
While the majority of leading ladies in American musical theater are cast as ingenues, there is one composer who found success writing many of his early shows for women over 40, some of which were in titular roles. This was Jerry Herman (1931-2019). In this post, I discuss these shows and their impact on American musical theater.