Character guide
Cowardly Lion
from The Wizard of Oz
The Cowardly Lion is the timid, big-hearted companion who joins Dorothy's journey in The Wizard of Oz, the 1987 stage musical featuring Harold Arlen's score.
- Show
- The Wizard of Oz
- Broadway premiere
- 1987
- Role
- Lead
- Music by
- Harold Arlen
Cowardly Lion: from the film to Broadway
Broadway compared with the 1939 MGM film
Bert Lahr played the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 film, doubling as the Kansas farmhand Zeke. The Royal Shakespeare Company stage version keeps that doubling: when it premiered at London's Barbican Centre in 1987, Trevor Peacock played Zeke and the Lion, opposite Imelda Staunton's Dorothy.
The stage show follows the film's screenplay closely but restores material the movie cut, including The Jitterbug, a number Lahr recorded with Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, and Jack Haley before it was dropped for time. On stage the Lion and his friends dance to it; on screen only a line about it survives.
Who is the Cowardly Lion?
The Lion is a jittery, fearful creature who longs for courage, convinced he is unworthy of his fearsome reputation as king of the beasts. He joins Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man on the road to the Emerald City, hoping the Wizard can grant him the bravery he feels he lacks.
Despite his constant trembling and exaggerated worry, he repeatedly rises to protect his friends when it truly matters, showing that his courage was there all along.
The Lion's role in The Wizard of Oz
The Cowardly Lion is a lead role that leans heavily on comic performance, requiring big, exaggerated physical choices and vocal flair to sell both the character's cowardice and his underlying warmth. It is a role that rewards fearless commitment to broad comedy.
The part also calls for solid musical theatre singing, since the Lion has notable moments within the show's ensemble numbers and features.
Why the Lion resonates with audiences
Audiences love the Cowardly Lion for his humor and his honesty about his own fears, qualities that make him instantly relatable. His growth over the course of the story offers one of the show's most satisfying and funny arcs.
Cowardly Lion: frequently asked questions
What show is the Cowardly Lion from?
The Cowardly Lion appears in The Wizard of Oz, the 1987 stage musical.
Is the Cowardly Lion a lead or supporting role?
The Cowardly Lion is a lead role, part of the core group traveling with Dorothy.
Who wrote the music for The Wizard of Oz?
The score was written by composer Harold Arlen.
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