Miscast (The Musical Theatre Roles I'd Love to Play if I Weren't Who I Am)

I love miscast cabarets, or any miscast performances in general. A miscast performance is someone singing/performing as a character they would probably never be able to play otherwise because they're male/female, too tall/short, too young/old, etc. This provides the opportunity for awesome performances that people wouldn't normally get to see. And in both writing and theatre, I'm all about genderbent retellings, so this seemed like the perfect topic of discussion. These are just a few musical theatre roles I'd love to play if I had the opportunity:

Roger from "Rent"

"One Song Glory" is arguably one of the best "I want" songs, and definitely one of the strongest songs in the "Rent" soundtrack. Roger just gets all the coolest songs in the show: "Rent," "Another Day," "Without You," "What You Own," "Your Eyes," etc. When I was first learning about this musical, it was everything Roger sang that pulled me in, so I feel like he was my gateway drug to "Rent," in a sense.


Evan from "Dear Evan Hansen"

Evan is onstage for almost the entirety of the show, which means he definitely gets some of the coolest songs. Plus, what a great role to explore being both funny and full of emotional depth. Honestly, though, I think I'd be satisfied with playing any of the guys that get to do "Sincerely, Me."

Angelica from "Hamilton"

I don't see Angelica every being played by a white woman since such a huge part of "Hamilton" is giving actors of color the chance to shine onstage and tell history in a new and exciting way. And I would never want to take that role away from someone. But would I take the opportunity to perform "Satisfied" at a cabaret or something? Absolutely.

Ogie from"Waitress"

He's hilarious and high energy, he dances, and he sings the most absurd love songs I have ever heard. I would have a blast playing this crowd favorite. I mean, what other role gets to clog onstage and compare being in love to pieces of furniture?

Shakespeare from "Something Rotten!"

I guess you can give me any role Adam Pascal has ever played, and I probably want to play that role, too. "Hard to Be the Bard" was basically written for me as both a writer and a theatre geek. He's funny and pompous in the same way that Gaston is, except Shakespeare is played more as a ridiculous pretty boy in this show. It would be so much fun.

Any of the kids in "Finding Neverland"

If I were a young British boy, I'd love to play one of the Llewelyn Davies' boys in "Finding Neverland." That whole cast looks like they're having so much fun in every song. "We Own the Night" seems like an especially exciting number.

Lumière from "Beauty and the Beast"

Who wouldn't want to be a French candlestick? He and Cogsworth are the heart of the comedy in this musical, and "Be Our Guest" is such a big, classic number. I would love the chance to play him. "Beauty and the Beast" is one of my favorite shows in general, so I think I'd have fun in any role, really.

What role would you want to play if you were to be "miscast?" Leave a comment!