Characters by decade
Characters from 1980s musicals
The decade of the British megamusical, with Cats, Les Misérables, and The Phantom of the Opera, alongside Sondheim's Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George.
Below are the characters in our library from shows that first opened on Broadway in the 1980s, in order of premiere. Tap any name for the full character guide.
53 characters on this list.
- Abner Dillon42nd Street (1980) · SupportingAbner Dillon is the wealthy backer bankrolling "Pretty Lady" in "42nd Street," a comic figure whose money keeps the show, and its leading lady…
- Andy Lee42nd Street (1980) · SupportingAndy Lee is the dance director keeping the chorus of "Pretty Lady" in line in "42nd Street," a brisk, no-nonsense presence in the rehearsal room.
- Bert Barry42nd Street (1980) · SupportingBert Barry is the other half of the songwriting team in "42nd Street," trading quips with his partner Maggie Jones as they work to save their show.
- Billy Lawlor42nd Street (1980) · SupportingBilly Lawlor is the boyish tenor of "42nd Street," the eager young song-and-dance man who becomes Peggy Sawyer's romantic partner in the…
- Dorothy Brock42nd Street (1980) · LeadDorothy Brock is the established leading lady of 42nd Street, whose sudden misfortune opens the door for Peggy Sawyer's rise in this classic…
- Julian Marsh42nd Street (1980) · LeadJulian Marsh is the driven Broadway director in 42nd Street who stakes everything on the success of his new show…
- Maggie Jones42nd Street (1980) · SupportingMaggie Jones is one half of the wisecracking songwriting duo behind "Pretty Lady," the show being rehearsed within "42nd Street."
- Peggy Sawyer42nd Street (1980) · LeadPeggy Sawyer is the small-town dreamer at the center of 42nd Street, the classic tap musical set to the songs of Harry Warren…
- Beth SpencerMerrily We Roll Along (1981) · SupportingBeth Spencer is Franklin Shepard's first wife in Merrily We Roll Along, Stephen Sondheim's 1981 musical, whose marriage dissolves as Frank pursues…
- Charley KringasMerrily We Roll Along (1981) · LeadCharley Kringas is Franklin Shepard's lyricist and closest friend in Merrily We Roll Along, Stephen Sondheim's 1981 musical…
- Effie WhiteDreamgirls (1981) · LeadEffie White is the powerhouse lead singer whose journey from rising star to cast-aside member of her own group drives the emotional core of…
- Franklin ShepardMerrily We Roll Along (1981) · LeadFranklin Shepard is the composer at the center of Merrily We Roll Along, Stephen Sondheim's 1981 musical, told backward through his rise from…
- Gussie CarnegieMerrily We Roll Along (1981) · SupportingGussie Carnegie is a Broadway star and Franklin Shepard's second wife in Merrily We Roll Along, Stephen Sondheim's 1981 musical…
- Mary FlynnMerrily We Roll Along (1981) · LeadMary Flynn is a novelist and the third member of the central friendship in Merrily We Roll Along, Stephen Sondheim's 1981 musical…
- GrizabellaCats (1982) · LeadGrizabella is the faded, once-glamorous cat who longs for acceptance in Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1982 musical based on T.S. Eliot's poems.
- GeorgeSunday in the Park with George (1984) · LeadGeorge is the driven, obsessive painter at the center of Sunday in the Park with George, Stephen Sondheim's meditation on art, isolation, and legacy.
- Cosmo BrownSingin' in the Rain (1985) · SupportingCosmo Brown is the wisecracking best friend and rehearsal pianist in Singin' in the Rain, the 1985 Broadway adaptation of the beloved MGM film…
- Don LockwoodSingin' in the Rain (1985) · LeadDon Lockwood is the charming silent-film star at the center of Singin' in the Rain, the beloved musical brought to Broadway in 1985.
- Huckleberry FinnBig River (1985) · LeadHuckleberry Finn is the young narrator and lead character of Big River, Roger Miller's 1985 musical based on Mark Twain's novel.
- JimBig River (1985) · LeadJim is a man escaping slavery who becomes Huck's companion and moral guide in Big River, Roger Miller's 1985 musical.
- Kathy SeldenSingin' in the Rain (1985) · LeadKathy Selden is the spirited young performer who wins Don Lockwood's heart in Singin' in the Rain, the classic musical set during Hollywood's…
- Lina LamontSingin' in the Rain (1985) · SupportingLina Lamont is the vain, squawky-voiced silent film star whose comic downfall drives much of the plot in Singin' in the Rain…
- R.F. SimpsonSingin' in the Rain (1985) · SupportingR.F. Simpson is the blustery movie studio head whose decisions about the future of talking pictures shape the plot of Singin' in the Rain…
- The DukeBig River (1985) · SupportingThe Duke is one of two con men who attach themselves to Huck and Jim's raft in Big River, Roger Miller's 1985 musical.
- The KingBig River (1985) · SupportingThe King is the older of two con men who join Huck and Jim's raft in Big River, Roger Miller's 1985 musical.
- Tom SawyerBig River (1985) · SupportingTom Sawyer is Huck's mischievous friend who bookends the story of Big River, Roger Miller's 1985 musical.
- CinderellaInto the Woods (1987) · LeadCinderella is one of several fairy-tale protagonists whose wishes collide in Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim's 1987 musical.
- CosetteLes Misérables (1987) · SupportingCosette is the orphaned girl raised by Jean Valjean who grows into a young woman navigating love and hope in Les Misérables…
- Cowardly LionThe Wizard of Oz (1987) · LeadThe Cowardly Lion is the timid, big-hearted companion who joins Dorothy's journey in The Wizard of Oz, the 1987 stage musical featuring Harold…
- Dorothy GaleThe Wizard of Oz (1987) · LeadDorothy Gale is the young Kansas girl swept into the magical land of Oz in The Wizard of Oz, the 1987 stage musical built on Harold Arlen's beloved…
- EnjolrasLes Misérables (1987) · SupportingEnjolras is the passionate student revolutionary at the heart of the Paris uprising in Les Misérables, the 1987 stage musical with music by…
- ÉponineLes Misérables (1987) · SupportingEponine is the street-smart, heartbroken young woman of "Les Misérables," whose quiet devotion to a man who loves someone else makes her one of the…
- FantineLes Misérables (1987) · SupportingFantine is the desperate young mother whose sacrifice sets much of the plot in motion in Les Misérables, the 1987 musical with music by Claude-Michel…
- JavertLes Misérables (1987) · LeadJavert is the relentless police inspector who pursues Jean Valjean across decades in Les Misérables, the sweeping 1987 musical scored by…
- Jean ValjeanLes Misérables (1987) · LeadJean Valjean is the ex-convict turned redemptive hero at the center of Les Misérables, the sweeping musical based on Victor Hugo's novel that opened…
- Marius PontmercyLes Misérables (1987) · SupportingMarius Pontmercy is the idealistic young revolutionary whose love for Cosette entwines with the fight for a better France in Les Misérables…
- ScarecrowThe Wizard of Oz (1987) · LeadThe Scarecrow is one of Dorothy's loyal companions along the Yellow Brick Road in The Wizard of Oz, the 1987 stage musical featuring Harold Arlen's…
- The BakerInto the Woods (1987) · LeadThe Baker is the everyman hero of Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim's 1987 musical that weaves classic fairy tales together around a wish for a family.
- The WitchInto the Woods (1987) · SupportingThe Witch is the sharp-tongued, powerful figure who sets the fairy tales in motion in Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim's 1987 musical.
- ThénardierLes Misérables (1987) · SupportingThénardier is the conniving innkeeper of Les Misérables, the 1987 stage musical with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg.
- Tin ManThe Wizard of Oz (1987) · LeadThe Tin Man is the compassionate, heart-seeking companion Dorothy meets along her journey in The Wizard of Oz…
- Wicked Witch of the WestThe Wizard of Oz (1987) · SupportingThe Wicked Witch of the West is the fearsome antagonist pursuing Dorothy throughout The Wizard of Oz, the 1987 stage musical set to Harold Arlen's…
- Anatoly SergievskyChess (1988) · LeadAnatoly Sergievsky is the Soviet chess champion at the center of Chess, the 1988 musical by Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice.
- Carrie WhiteCarrie (1988) · LeadCarrie White is the title character of Carrie: The Musical, the 1988 show with music by Michael Gore based on Stephen King's novel about a bullied…
- Chris HargensenCarrie (1988) · SupportingChris Hargensen is the scheming antagonist among Carrie's classmates in Carrie: The Musical, the 1988 show with music by Michael Gore.
- Christine DaaéThe Phantom of the Opera (1988) · LeadChristine Daae is the young soprano whose voice and heart are fought over in The Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1988 musical set in the…
- Florence VassyChess (1988) · LeadFlorence Vassy is Freddie Trumper's chess second who falls for his Soviet rival in Chess, the 1988 musical by Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus…
- Freddie TrumperChess (1988) · LeadFreddie Trumper is the brash American chess champion of Chess, the 1988 musical by Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice.
- Margaret WhiteCarrie (1988) · LeadMargaret White is Carrie's fiercely religious mother in Carrie: The Musical, the 1988 show scored by Michael Gore and based on Stephen King's novel.
- Sue SnellCarrie (1988) · SupportingSue Snell is a classmate of Carrie White in Carrie: The Musical, the 1988 show with music by Michael Gore…
- Svetlana SergievskyChess (1988) · SupportingSvetlana Sergievsky is Anatoly's wife back in Russia in Chess, the 1988 musical by Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice.
- The PhantomThe Phantom of the Opera (1988) · LeadThe Phantom is the tormented, masked figure haunting the Paris Opera House in The Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber's gothic romance that…
- Tommy RossCarrie (1988) · SupportingTommy Ross is Sue Snell's boyfriend in Carrie: The Musical, the 1988 show with music by Michael Gore, and the boy who agrees to take Carrie to the…