ificannnotfly:
That's awesome! I have another question for you, if you're interested. I am in a wheelchair. What are some parts in musicals that you think would be interesting if one of the characters was in a wheelchair? I saw a video of an Aldonza in ‘Man of La Mancha’ who was in a wheelchair, and my heart exploded, ring of keys style, from the awesomeness!
Um, all of them? To quote myself:
“Or diversity can just exist without “adding to” the story or being the focus. Like differently abled people just exist. There's no particular reason for, say, Horatio to be Deaf, but there's also no reason for him not to be. A blind Cosette doesn't "add" much, but she also doesn't detract. Why not have Anita or Orpheus in a wheel-chair? We do not have to justify diversity or inclusion.”
Seriously. I think you should be able to audition for any role you want. I can think of very, very few roles that specifically CAN’T be played by actors in wheelchairs due to some plot point (like, I dunno, Elphaba because the whole thing is that her sister is the one who can’t walk).
However, in the spirit of answering your question...Some roles that immediately come to my mind that could specifically do interesting things if played by an actor in a wheelchair...
*Eliza in “My Fair Lady” -- Prof. H has this desire to “save” her and “fix” her and make her able to survive in a high class world, so I think having a chair-bound actress play the role would add to this idea of him perceiving vulnerability and trying to make it more palatable to the mainstream. Like, I can see him trying to teach her to move more gracefully and unobtrusively around the room, and adapt the dances for her so she can still fit in. She ultimately says “I could be like them, but I don’t have to be to be happy.”
*Mrs. Lyons in “Blood Brothers” -- Her delicate health and confinement to the home is referenced often in the musical, as well as her desire for more control over the things happening outside of her home. The musical at large also deals a lot with different types of stigma, and I feel like the way people brush off Mrs. L could be a way of showing how abled people often ignore or undervalue those who aren’t.
*Captain Von Trapp in “Sound of Music” -- I mean, he is a war hero. We could add injury and trauma from battle to the reasons he’s become closed off and takes long holidays to recuperate. And he’s very anti-Nazi, a group which sent many disabled people to death camps if they didn’t feel they had useful skill-sets, so...that could be a bit of an added layer? Also, that dance scene where he’s teaching Maria and all “I haven’t done this since I was a boy” would be very emotional.
*Motel in “Fiddler on the Roof” -- He’s perceived as not being good enough because he’ll be unable to provide sufficiently for a family. Early in the musical, he’s so used to being ignored or overlooked that he’s afraid to speak up or defend himself. By the end of the musical, he’s overcome his fear to stand up for himself and for what he wants, and he proves that he’s as capable as anyone else of making Tzeitel happy and taking care of her.
*Maureen in “RENT” -- It would just be cool to see a differently abled radical activist who’s still really strong and sexy, fighting for what’s right but also fighting to make a place for herself in the world.
*Johanna in “Sweeney Todd” -- The judge is super protective of her and doesn’t allow her to leave the house because it’s “unsafe”, which I feel like is frequently a problem for wheelchair-bound kids whose parents don’t want them to get hurt where there aren’t sufficient accommodations (like, I dunno, all of Edwardian England).
*Any company member in “Godspell” because the show is about being inclusive to all kinds of people. It’s about people who are very different, with different stories and struggles and successes, coming together to build a community and a family.
If anyone submits more, I will publish them!