Playbill: In the past decade, it's become the norm to have a role that was traditionally cast as one gender to be played in a revival by another gender. Think of the times there's been a female actor playing Prospero in The Tempest or the bachelor Bobby from Company becoming the bachelorette Bobbie in the 2021 revival. But it's especially exciting when one role is played by multiple genders in the same production.
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This article is so cool! I love the reimagining of roles with different societal contexts. The revival of Company was the first show I had heard about doing this kind of recasting, and I thought it was great that they were also reexamining the story to see how the gender change would affect the characters. It’s cool to read in this article about the shows and roles that came before that doing the same thing, a reminder that it is not a new choice for shows to make. I would love to see more shows that explore this change of social context with regard to gender, specifically looking at how a story and its characters would change because of that. In addition, this article discusses the gender change of The Cat in the Hat in Seussical, which I can directly relate to. Last year, I was involved in three productions of Seussical (and Seussical Jr.) in the span of a few months. I saw in the script the alternative options for The Cat in the Hat depending on the gender, and two of the shows were cast one way and one was cast the other, so I was able to see this specific case in action.
I think this is really great I've seen a handful of these shows and I did not know that some of these roles were specifically meant to be one gender I thought of it going into it as a gender-fluid role or a role at like didn't need to be a specific gender to influence the storyline but I think it's really interesting and great to see shows like this and you know pushing the boundaries of what defines a role in the theater because, for a lot of shows, the gender of the character doesn't necessarily matter so I think it's really great to allow everyone for that kind of casting requirement. I saw Hadestown a year or two ago and I saw it with a female Hermes and it was incredible it was what I had known to be Hermes so to me she was that role and I think she was really incredible at doing it and stunning and beautiful so I just think the concept of replacing Broadway actors when their contract is up and not factoring gender as much into the casting is incredible.
It makes me so happy for this to become more normalized in professional theatre. Honestly some of these productions with gender bent roles are ones that really surprise me. I suppose Olaf is a character that could fairly easily be played by a man or a woman with little impact to the story but I’m surprised that Disney wasn’t that much of a stickler on it. Seussical is another show that I really wouldn’t have expected to gender bend a character but again it still really fits well. The cat in the hat is silly as a man or as a woman so I suppose it doesn’t really matter. Hermes as well is another character that I would love to see both as a man and as a woman, I think the different takes on the character as a different gender could be really fascinating to watch comparatively. I really hope this kind of social progression continues throughout the industry more and more.
I am a firm believer that any actor, regardless of gender, can play any role if they’re up for the challenge. I went to an “all girls” high school, as such many, if not all, of our shows featured gender bent roles. My favorite was an all female and nonbinary production of Newsies! Playing with gender on the stage brings a whole slew of nuances for actors and audiences to play with. I know the tendency is to know your type and love your type, that is your cast type . But is it not wonderful when we demolish those boxes? As a director, I hope to break cast types in my casting, making roles available to anyone who wants to give it a shot! On the note of gender bent Company: I am not a fan. Not because Bobby’s a woman, but because they change all of her love interests to be guys, ultimately abolishing the poetic ending. When are we going to get a lesbian or bi Bobby? Please!
I really liked this article!! I think it did a really good job in showcasing how Broadway is shaking and has been things up with gender-bending casting, and I really love that. It’s cool to see roles that were traditionally gendered being played by performers of different genders, like Whoopi Goldberg taking on Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum or Ryann Redmond stepping into Olaf's shoes in Frozen. It’s not about changing the character, just letting more people take on these iconic roles, and I think that’s pretty awesome. I also like how some shows, like Hadestown and Once On This Island, seem to embrace this shift even more by casting people of all genders in roles without making a big deal about it.I feel like there doesn't have to be some big publicity of gender bending a role it should almost just be socially acceptable. It feels fresh and exciting, and honestly, it just makes sense in today’s world. The whole thing just shows how the theater is evolving and becoming more inclusive, and I’m here for it.
Reading this article about gender-swapping roles in Broadway productions got me thinking about how fluid and transformative storytelling can be. It’s like watching an artist take a classic painting and tweak the colors, shifting perspectives to make you see it in an entirely new way. What really stands out to me is how casting choices can completely reshape a character’s presence on stage. It’s not just about swapping genders; it’s about exploring new nuances in a role. Take Whoopi Goldberg as Pseudolus—she didn’t just step into the part, she reinvented it. It reminds me of when an actor in a drama production reinterprets a famous monologue, making it resonate differently depending on their energy, their cadence, their personal history. And the beauty of it? Audiences are often totally on board with it! It proves that people aren’t really looking for strict adherence to tradition; they’re looking for performances that move them, make them think, and, ultimately, entertain them. It’s like jazz improv—breaking the rules in just the right way makes the experience even better.
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