Characters by decade
Characters from 1960s musicals
The Golden Age gave way to new voices: Fiddler on the Roof and Hello, Dolly! ran for years, while Cabaret and Hair pointed toward the concept musical and the rock musical.
Below are the characters in our library from shows that first opened on Broadway in the 1960s, in order of premiere. Tap any name for the full character guide.
50 characters on this list.
- Albert PetersonBye Bye Birdie (1960) · LeadAlbert Peterson is the harried songwriter and talent manager at the center of Bye Bye Birdie, Charles Strouse's 1960 musical comedy.
- Conrad BirdieBye Bye Birdie (1960) · LeadConrad Birdie is the swaggering, Elvis inspired rock and roll idol at the center of the publicity stunt in Bye Bye Birdie…
- GuenevereCamelot (1960) · LeadGuenevere is King Arthur's queen and the woman torn between him and Lancelot in Camelot, Lerner and Loewe's 1960 musical.
- Harry MacAfeeBye Bye Birdie (1960) · SupportingHarry MacAfee is Kim MacAfee's exasperated, image conscious father in Bye Bye Birdie, the 1960 musical by Charles Strouse.
- Hugo PeabodyBye Bye Birdie (1960) · SupportingHugo Peabody is Kim MacAfee's steady but easily jealous boyfriend in Bye Bye Birdie, the 1960 musical by Charles Strouse.
- Kim MacAfeeBye Bye Birdie (1960) · LeadKim MacAfee is the Sweet Apple, Ohio teenager chosen for Conrad Birdie's farewell kiss in Bye Bye Birdie, the 1960 musical by Charles Strouse.
- King ArthurCamelot (1960) · LeadKing Arthur is the idealistic founder of the Round Table in Camelot, Lerner and Loewe's 1960 musical.
- Lancelot du LacCamelot (1960) · LeadLancelot du Lac is the French knight whose love for Guenevere threatens Camelot in Lerner and Loewe's 1960 musical.
- Mae PetersonBye Bye Birdie (1960) · SupportingMae Peterson is Albert Peterson's overbearing, meddling mother in Bye Bye Birdie, the 1960 musical by Charles Strouse.
- MerlynCamelot (1960) · SupportingMerlyn is the wizard who tutors a young King Arthur in Camelot, Lerner and Loewe's 1960 musical.
- MordredCamelot (1960) · SupportingMordred is King Arthur's illegitimate son and the schemer who brings down the Round Table in Camelot, Lerner and Loewe's 1960 musical.
- Rosie AlvarezBye Bye Birdie (1960) · LeadRosie Alvarez is Albert Peterson's devoted secretary and girlfriend in Bye Bye Birdie, Charles Strouse's 1960 musical comedy.
- Ursula MerkleBye Bye Birdie (1960) · SupportingUrsula Merkle is Kim MacAfee's excitable best friend and fellow Conrad Birdie fan club member in Bye Bye Birdie, the 1960 musical by Charles Strouse.
- Bud FrumpHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961) · SupportingBud Frump is a supporting character in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Frank Loesser's 1961 musical…
- Hedy LaRueHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961) · SupportingHedy LaRue is a supporting character in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Frank Loesser's 1961 musical…
- J. Pierrepont FinchHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961) · LeadJ. Pierrepont Finch is the ambitious lead of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Frank Loesser's 1961 satirical musical about corporate…
- J.B. BiggleyHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961) · SupportingJ.B. Biggley is a supporting character in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Frank Loesser's 1961 musical…
- Rosemary PilkingtonHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961) · LeadRosemary Pilkington is the female lead of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Frank Loesser's 1961 musical…
- Bill SikesOliver! (1963) · SupportingBill Sikes is the menacing criminal at the dark heart of Oliver!, a figure whose violence and control cast a shadow over the entire story.
- FaginOliver! (1963) · LeadFagin is the cunning, colorful leader of a gang of pickpockets in Oliver!, one of the most iconic and complicated characters in musical theatre.
- Mr. BumbleOliver! (1963) · SupportingMr. Bumble is the pompous workhouse beadle in Oliver!, a comic figure whose self-importance masks the cruelty of the system he represents.
- NancyOliver! (1963) · LeadNancy is one of the most emotionally complex figures in Oliver!, a woman torn between loyalty to a dangerous man and her growing protectiveness of…
- Oliver TwistOliver! (1963) · LeadOliver Twist is the title orphan of Oliver!, a boy whose search for a home and family drives one of musical theatre's most enduring adaptations of…
- The Artful DodgerOliver! (1963) · SupportingThe Artful Dodger is the streetwise young pickpocket in Oliver! who first pulls Oliver into Fagin's gang, and his swagger makes him a fan favorite.
- Barnaby TuckerHello, Dolly! (1964) · SupportingBarnaby Tucker is the younger of the two mischievous store clerks in Hello, Dolly!, along for the ride as his friend Cornelius Hackl leads them both…
- Cornelius HacklHello, Dolly! (1964) · SupportingCornelius Hackl is the eager head clerk who sneaks off for a day of adventure in Hello, Dolly!, the 1964 musical with music by Jerry Herman.
- Dolly LeviHello, Dolly! (1964) · LeadDolly Levi is the irrepressible matchmaker who gives Hello, Dolly! its name, a 1964 musical with music by Jerry Herman.
- Fanny BriceFunny Girl (1964) · LeadFanny Brice is the ambitious, funny, and fiercely determined title character of Funny Girl, the 1964 musical with music by Jule Styne that traces her…
- Irene MolloyHello, Dolly! (1964) · SupportingIrene Molloy is the widowed New York milliner at the heart of Jerry Herman's 1964 musical Hello, Dolly!, a warm and independent shopkeeper whose life…
- Minnie FayHello, Dolly! (1964) · SupportingMinnie Fay is Irene Molloy's shop assistant in Hello, Dolly!, a bright and slightly scatterbrained young woman swept along by the same comic…
- TevyeFiddler on the Roof (1964) · LeadTevye is the poor milkman at the center of "Fiddler on the Roof," a father and husband trying to hold onto tradition as the world around him begins…
- Don QuixoteMan of La Mancha (1965) · LeadDon Quixote is the idealistic dreamer at the center of Man of La Mancha, the 1965 musical with music by Mitch Leigh.
- Agnes GoochMame (1966) · SupportingAgnes Gooch is a supporting character in Mame, Jerry Herman's 1966 musical, playing Mame Dennis's mousy secretary who is transformed under her…
- Beauregard BurnsideMame (1966) · SupportingBeauregard Burnside is a supporting character in Mame, Jerry Herman's 1966 musical, playing the genteel Southern gentleman who becomes Mame Dennis's…
- Charity Hope ValentineSweet Charity (1966) · LeadCharity Hope Valentine is the lead of Sweet Charity, Cy Coleman's 1966 musical, playing a hopelessly optimistic dance hall hostess searching for love…
- CliffCabaret (1966) · SupportingCliff Bradshaw is the American writer whose arrival in Berlin and romance with Sally Bowles frames the story of Cabaret.
- HeleneSweet Charity (1966) · SupportingHelene is a supporting character in Sweet Charity, Cy Coleman's 1966 musical, working alongside Charity as a fellow dance hall hostess at the…
- Mame DennisMame (1966) · LeadMame Dennis is the title character and lead of Mame, Jerry Herman's 1966 musical, playing a flamboyant New York socialite who raises her orphaned…
- NickieSweet Charity (1966) · SupportingNickie is a supporting character in Sweet Charity, Cy Coleman's 1966 musical, working alongside Charity as a fellow dance hall hostess at the…
- Oscar LindquistSweet Charity (1966) · LeadOscar Lindquist is the male lead of Sweet Charity, Cy Coleman's 1966 musical, playing an anxious accountant who becomes Charity's most promising…
- Patrick DennisMame (1966) · LeadPatrick Dennis is a lead character in Mame, Jerry Herman's 1966 musical, playing the orphaned nephew raised by his flamboyant Aunt Mame from…
- Sally BowlesCabaret (1966) · LeadSally Bowles is the free-spirited English cabaret singer at the center of Cabaret, chasing glamour and escape in a Berlin on the edge of catastrophe.
- The EmceeCabaret (1966) · SupportingThe Emcee is the sly, unsettling host of the Kit Kat Klub in Cabaret, a figure who narrates and comments on the decadence of Weimar era Berlin.
- Vera CharlesMame (1966) · SupportingVera Charles is a supporting character in Mame, Jerry Herman's 1966 musical, playing Mame Dennis's dramatic, hard drinking actress best friend.
- Vittorio VidalSweet Charity (1966) · SupportingVittorio Vidal is a supporting character in Sweet Charity, Cy Coleman's 1966 musical, playing a famous Italian film star who briefly sweeps Charity…
- BergerHair (1968) · LeadBerger is the charismatic leader of the tribe in Hair, the 1968 rock musical with music by Galt MacDermot.
- ClaudeHair (1968) · LeadClaude is the conflicted central figure of Hair, the 1968 rock musical with music by Galt MacDermot.
- HudHair (1968) · SupportingHud is a member of the tribe in Hair, the 1968 rock musical with music by Galt MacDermot.
- SheilaHair (1968) · LeadSheila is a politically committed member of the tribe in Hair, the 1968 rock musical with music by Galt MacDermot.
- WoofHair (1968) · SupportingWoof is a member of the tribe in Hair, the 1968 rock musical with music by Galt MacDermot.