Top 10 Hardest Female Musical Roles 

What about Trina and “CHICAGOoOoOoOoOo”

Christine Daae? Jenna Hunterson? Eliza Schyluer? Any of the Heathers?

Christine from phantom, Tracy from hair spray and Veronica Sawyer should have been in the top 8

Glinda should've been on here too. Elphaba is hard, yes, but any actress who portrays Glinda has got to have a very wide vocal range with emphasis on vibrato. Listen to these songs: No one Mourns the Wicked, Thank Goodness, and Popular. It's definitely a challenging role

And Christine from "The Phantom of the Opera" is not even in "Honorable mentions"? Oh, how dare you!

Some of the most demanding theatrical roles of all time were skipped... The Witch from Into the Woods Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd Amy from Company (Getting Married Today is CRAZY) Christine from Phantom (Most actresses have to lip sync pieces of her songs on Broadway) Kim from Miss Saigon

*Getting ready for #1 to come up* ‘Can it be, can it be Christine’ Aw no never mind It’s just professor Umbridge

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA?! GRIZABELLA FROM CATS?! ANYONE FROM CHICAGO, EVEN GLINDA FROM WICKED! SPINNING THAT WAND DOESNT LOOK EASY!!

How is Christine from Phantom of the Opera not even an honorable mention? Where is Fantine from Les Mis? Velma and Roxie from Chicago?

For singing chops alone, I was hoping Christine from Phantom was at least an honorable mention. Oh well.

Why is Professor Umbridge singing about having a dream? Shouldn’t she be in Azkaban?

How this whole comments section sounds: *CHRISTIIIIIIIIIIIIIINEEEEEEEEEEE-*

1939: *_WHAT HAVE YOU DONE YOU CURSED BRAT!!! I'M MELTING!!! WHAT A WORLD WHAT A WORLD!!!_* 2018: _Mr. Stark, I don't feel so good._

I'm actually surprised that Christine from Phantom of the opera is not here...

Why cant we all just agree that being in Theater itself is already hard? 😁😅

I guess everyone forgot Kim from Miss Saigon. That role is exhausting!

wheres christine from phantom? she should be at least an honorable mention

Christine didn’t not hit a E6 for this slander.... you will be getting a card from O.G. Soon....

I'm surprised Elphaba is so far down the list.

You guys need to stop doing musical lists. You guys have no idea what you are talking about.

I watched through all this to see no Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Les Miserables or Miss Saigon on here.

As a soprano with a good upper extension, and classically trained on top of that, it's very difficult to get a good E6, and in that song, you need several high C's and it goes down to a G3. Even if you pre-record it. getting a good one is so damn difficult. I confess that my lower register sucks big time and most sopranos have similar problems with their lower registers. The vocal range required for Christine is larger than many operatic roles (the infamous queen of the night only goes two octaves, when Christine gets about 2 1/2) and to top it all of, she doesn't get any chill time during both act one and two. Think about it - she's dancing at the start, then singing a lot, then singing some more, and she can only catch a little rest during Carlotta's little tirade. After that she's still on stage and she has to have extremely good acting skills to boot. Otherwise she's boring. Most of the roles here are definitely difficult, but Christine needs technique, acting, and sensitivity to boot. She also gets thrown around by the two male leads and her costumes are freakishly heavy (I heard the blue wishing dress weighs about forty pounds...no big deal...right?)

I LOVE HOW CHRISTINE IS ALL THE COMMENT SECTION IS TALKIN ABOUT CUZ WHOOPS ITS TRUE

Excuse me, where is Christine Da'ae? Where is my precious Angel of Music?!

Where's Christine Daaé from "The Phantom of the Opera?" Not only does that role require an amazing soprano voice, but the character has amazing development as the show goes on. "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" is an emotional song and in the title song the actress hits an E6.

So I guess Christine from phantom doesn’t matter even though you need an extremely talented gal for that role

You mention Angelica and not Christine *iS THaT eVeN LeaGaL?*

Ummm wtf Veronica should have been on this list not just an honourable mention like she’s always on stage always singing has to kill people and still male the audience like her and those notes she has to hit??? Dammm it’s a hard role for sure

Honestly, Angelica is an honorable mention? What about her strong sister, Eliza? Maybe not the hardest role vocally (*cough* Christine Daae *cough*) but emotionally, she has to project heartbreak after heartbreak and did anyone forget about Burn, Stay Alive Reprise, and Who Lives, ect.? Angelica’s portrayal is executed by the actress who plays her, not her character. While Eliza’s role is important and difficult. On stage for a good amount of the show, and has to have a happy side and a broken side which is most defined the by acts. Thank you for coming to Ted Talk.

Tracy Turnblad should be on this list, that girl barely gets any time off stage to breath. I agree about Christine from Phantom too. It's sad Glinda gets no love because she also has to do some crazy vocal work too.

How about Kim in Miss Saigon?, Eliza in Hamilton?, Fantine on Les Me?, The Heathers on Heathers?,

Seriously, Angelica is just an honourable mention!?!

I disagree with some of your choices. Loud and belting does not equal difficulty sometimes. Like others mentioned, Christine from Phantom of the Opera is difficult. Many roles that have to perform Stephen Sondheim are difficult, like Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd or Amy in Company. One role I personally played that is incredibly difficult to the amount of music the character sings is The Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

I feel bad for Idina's vocal cords.

Christine? And Mrs. Lovett? Both are much harder than most singing roles

Yeah, I think Christine Daae from Phanton of the Opera should have been somewhere on this list- have you heard those high notes she needs to hit? Taxing.

So where is Christine Daae?

Woah wait! Professor Umbridge can sing?! Get it girl!

Carrie? Christine?? Esmeralda??? Grizabella????

Where the heck was Christine Daae from The Phantom of the Opera???? Her vocal range is close to three octaves, and she is on stage for nearly the whole show, amongst other things which make it difficult.

You put Idina Menzel as your thumbnail? You can bet your jazz I'm gonna watch the video

I feel that Christine Daee needs to be on this list for a few reasons. Much like Evita, Phantom of the Opera is an ALW musical and all ALW scores go well beyond human limits. For this role, you need to be an extremely strong Soprano and able to hold notes for a long time and very few actresses have nailed this role perfectly. In, "think of me" you need to have a vocal pattern and sound of a cross between a trained opera singer and a songbird. Meanwhile, the title song has the infamous E6 note which is extremely hard to reach for even the most talented singers. As a result, 7/8 times the E6 is lip synced on Broadway because it also causes a ton of vocal chord damage if done too often. You also need to be able to move around in heavy dresses, which requires a ton of stamina. And you need to be able to sing 16 songs every night, which makes Christine a role that is not for the faint of heart. Second, I'm putting Regina George as an honorable mention. In Mean Girls, Regina's vocal range has to be outstanding, you can't just sing you have to BELT! I'm serious, in nearly every single song she does in the show, Regina is belting especially in World Burn. In fact, Regina's singing starts soft and sometimes sexy, but then throughout each song, it gets louder and that's when the belting starts. And acting wise is also just as hard because you need to be snobby during the first act and then act like you have a fractured spine in the second half. Not to mention you need to be carried around by other actors and move with the music constantly, making Regina a very demanding role. Third, is Cassie from A Chorus Line. This is the triple threat of all triple threat roles on Broadway. During music and the mirror, you have to hold out notes and move so well on stage while looking at a mirror. Acting in front of a mirror on stage is difficult enough but acting, dancing, and singing in front of one is a whole new beast. And don't even get me started on the choreography for music and the mirror. It's so physically demanding and technical, along with the monstrous notes to hit, that it earned the role of Cassie, the triple threat of all triple threats. Fourth, Elizabeth Schyuler from Hamilton. While the role requires a soprano vocal range, it's a very emotionally taxing role. In Hamilton, Eliza experiences love at first sight during the first half and it requires the singer to present excitement in Helpless. However, later on, she has this very soft sounding emotionally touching songs such as that would be enough. But then comes the second half where Eliza experiences the heartbreak of a cheating husband in "Burn", and the loss of her firstborn in "Its quiet uptown." But the real big kicker is in "Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story." Where she experiences the loss of her husband and has to live on for another 50 years to do what she can to revive her husband's name. Which makes the role incredibly difficult to act in. Oh and I forgot to mention you don't stop singing throughout the show, Hamilton is all sung through so there's no rest for your chords. Fifth, Tracy Turnblad from Hairspray. This role alone has you singing close to 11 songs. You've got that right 11. The actress for this role has to be a very refined triple threat with more of an emphasis on dancing and singing. Tracy is rarely off stage and has to keep up the energy of the show making the role very physically demanding. And on top of that, the actress carries the entire show on her shoulders and you have to sing and dance your heart out in You Can't Stop the Beat (the show's big finale number), which makes Tracy a role that is not for amateurs at all. Oh, and for the role, you also need to keep up your weight, yes this is one of the few roles where you have to sustain a higher weight. And from time to time there are reports of padding to create the appearance of an overweight teenager since the moves in the show can make you lose a ton of weight very fast.

Kim - Ms Saigon Christine Daea - Phantom of the Opera and that #9 should be in the top 5

Stop doing musical list without thorough research, please.

i'm glad elle woods and diana goodman got a shout, but veronica sawyer maybe should've been in the top ten based on the fact that, like elle, she hardly leaves the stage, and that belt needs to be HIGH. however the biggest joke is that jenna hunterson is nowhere to be seen. elle's stage time, diana's complex character and exhausting/demanding storyline, and elphaba'a vocals. anyone who's played her is a wizard, and how on earth jessie mueller managed it for two years, i'll never know. also trina from falsettos???? edit: thinking about it, regina george can't be easy either. maybe not one of the hardest bc idk, but it's definitely a hell of a role

The fact there is no mention of the Witch from Into the Woods or Christine Daae from Phantom has me upset. Christine is so hard they have some songs pre-recorded due to the sheer intensity, in addition to numerous swings.

Can I just say even as an honorable mention, I'm really glad heathers is getting noticed ❤️💚💛💙

Generally thought Christine daee was gonna be first 😊

the hardest role is obviously *and peggy*

okay but wheres kim from miss saigon, she has to be relatively young actress who has to belt, scream and act her ass off throughout the entire musical??

Imagine a Musical about the Hunger Games

I’m a simple 13 year old, I see Idina, and I click.

Christine Daae?

Hardest Male Musical Roles next?

Kim from Miss Saigon???

Each of these parts don't demand anything different from each other. They're all deep roles needing a lady who can belt and dance. I thought for sure Glinda from 'Wicked' should have been on here at least WITH Elphaba. Christine from 'Phantom' is alright to want included, but, the most demanding female role as far as singing goes in that musical would be Carlotta. She sings the higher notes for longer, and WAY faster than anything Christine does. I've played both; Carlotta gave me a set of abs by the end of that production's run. Other roles that deserved to be on this list that come to my mind at present are: Rosa Bud from 'Edwin Drood', Jane Eyre 'Jane Eyre', and Sarah from 'Ragtime'.

Millie Dillmount? Jenna Hunterson?? The Bakers Wife or The Witch (ITW)??? Christine Daae???? Velma Kelly????? Smh

AKA: how many of these roles has Patti Lupone smashed

this is late, i was really proud of myself when i hit the note at the end of “Defying Gravity”

There’s a difference between screaming and singing

Why was there nothing from Phantom of the Opera? I would have thought that those songs would be hard for the actress to sing.

This is a pretty good list but... *Where is Christine from Phantom of the Opera???*

I love how the icon Patti LuPone has played so many of these roles

Honourable mentions?: Angelica schuyler, why not Eliza?

What about Christine in Phantom of the Opera? That should be #1

Adele Dazeem has set an impossible standard for anyone playing Elphaba

I've never been to a broadway show, but just seeing these clips of these crazy performances just blows me away. How do they even get a chance to properly breathe? Like at 2:22, that's insane! And at 7:42, that girl is tiny but packs a hell of a punch! Wow!

I’m so happy that you guys included Next to Normal in here. That show needs more recognition

imho “And I’m Telling You” is the hardest song in all of musical theatre because of how hard the acting is in addition to the singing

Christine from Phantom definitely should have been here. Also there's so many characters that have difficult songs and yet have to evoke incredible amounts of emotion that I would have included (namely characters like Eponine, Jenna from Waitress, Fantine or Kim from Miss Saigon). Characters like Elle Woods and Veronica Sawyer also carry the damn show on their backs, especially Veronica who is on stage the majority of the musical. A fair list but I perhaps would have switched it around.

So apparently belting is the only style of singing that is difficult? Legit singing requires just as much, if not more technique. There are plenty of Sopranos that should have at least gotten honorable mention compared to the ones on this list: Christine and Carlotta from Phantom of the Opera (the only reason Christine doesn't sing the top E live anymore is because one of the actresses cracked ONCE because it's HARD, but Carlotta still sings one 9 times a week since she doesn't have an alternate. And having proper operatic training is more than just the legit style Christine uses) Also, Lily in the Secret Garden has the most stage time and singing of any character in that show, and most of her material falls later in the show when the actress's voice is tired (How Could I Ever Know is one of the most famous songs in the show and it's the penultimate number) plus she still has a top D to sing mid-act 2, while also having the emotional burden of playing a ghost who's character's death sets the entire plot in motion and has to watch the ones she love suffer from it Also Mary Poppins is such famous shoes to fill, and has to be able to sing both legit and with a mix in contemporary theatre songs, be an amazing dancer, and be able to hit a high C, while spending most of the show on stage in constant motion. Another lesser known part I would say is Marian Halcombe in the Woman in White. We all know ALW writes difficult scores, but Marian has some seriously demanding songs while going through quite an emotional journey (forcing her sister into what ends up being an emotionally abusive marriage and carrying the weight of her sister's death on her shoulders.) and that's just to name a few I think all the roles included in this video are certainly difficult, but I feel like not a lot of research actually went into the why, except for a few (Celie, Eva, Elphaba, and Diana are the only ones I think are truly justified)

I'm just really glad that next to normal made the list. It's my favorite musical and it never gets enough credit

If you make a part 2, can you please include Christen from Phantom of the opera

The part of Elphaba comes with some of the hardest songs on broadway. FACT. Defying Gravity, the Wizard and I, No Good Deed. These songs are hard to sing and have a lot of continuous high note belting. I think Elphaba should be put a little higher on the list just bc of the part vocally.

It's nice to see you all taking on deeper subjects here. May it continue through 2019!

Very, very rarely do you miss the mark so completely as you did with this one. The most difficult female role of all didn't even make your list: Aldonza/Dulcinea from "Man of La Mancha." The demands of this role are so severe, it caused Sheena Easton to collapse during a live performance. Vocally, that part is ALL over the place, from deep guttural notes in Aldonza and It's All the Same to notes so high that only dogs can hear them in Dulcinea (reprise), there are very, very, very few actresses that could successfully pull it off. So sorry, but by not even having this part make the list, you have thoroughly embarrassed yourselves.

Regina George from Mean Girls should be on this list! Talk about vocal range!

If there was a hardest male role video I am sure that Lafayette from hamilton would be in it

My sister sang "And I'm Tellin' Ya, I'm Not Goin'" at my wedding reception and blew everyone away......up until that moment, I hadn't had the opportunity to hear her sing as we lived apart. Phenomenal performance. She teaches voice lessons and mentors young singers!!!

Effie should be one of the top 3. The roles physically, vocal and EMOTIONALLY demanding. She beats Elphie because although elphies demanding, you can see the difference of how it’s more demanding if you see wicked live and Dreamgirls live it’s clear xxx

Carrie should have been at least on the honourable mentions. Acting wise, she is not only very damaged from the relentless bullying of her class mates but also the intense relationship she has with her mother. As far as singing goes, all of her solos have notes belted above C5 consistently and don’t even get me started on the stamina needed to sing the Destruction. The show in general is very emotionally taxing for Carrie. She is pushed around by the kids at school and her mother (who hits her repeatedly with a bible of all things and drags her into a closet), she kills basically her entire school and burns it to the ground and to top it off, she has to be stabbed by her mother and then kill her and then die with blood covering her entire body... if all of that ain’t hard then I don’t know what is 😂😂

And I’m telling you singlehandedly makes Effie number 1

Hard to believe Mrs. Lovett from “Sweeney Todd” didn’t make this list. It’s a goddamned BEAST and I found it more demanding than Reno Sweeney.

Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd should be on this list. Her song "By the Sea" has no place for her to breathe.

WHERE IS CHRISTINE FROM PHANTOM OF THE OPERA??? SHE WASENT EVEN IN HONOURABLE MENTIONS??? woahhh..

I was thinking Tracy Turnblad would at least get an honorable mention for being a triple threat and carrying the show but oh well

Christine, Mrs. Lovett, there’s a decent few that should’ve been on here.

I thought it was interesting that you showed a clip of Carolee Carmello before mentioning Mama Rose because I saw Carolee Carmello as Mama Rose in "Gypsy" last summer, AND saw her on Broadway in "Finding Neverland" two years ago! Yes, I'm lucky and i know it! You don't even want to know how many shows I've seen and the names I've seen in them!

What about the Narrator from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat? The songs may not be that difficult, but it's hours of nonstop singing and the whole show rests on you.

I just discovered "Caroline, or Change" and OH MY GOD! Have mercy on all the women past, present, and future playing the role of Caroline! One of the biggest endurance tests ever!!!

Miss Saigon says hello.

I’m glad Angelica from Hamilton is in honorable mentions!

Christine where you at?!?! Forshame

Everyone is saying Christine from Phantom of the Opera should be on here (and she should) but Big Alison from Fun Home should be too. She's on stage the entire show reacting to everything.

Thank you so much for including Diana in Next to Normal!

Everything else aside, the fact that this video had clips of both As Long As You're Mine AND I Miss the Mountains (my favourite songs from both shows, and tragically repeatedly overshadowed by other songs) is amazing

I honestly thought Christine from Phantom would be on the list. Considering the singing the actress has to do in the end of the Phantom of the Opera song

Do not ever compare Patti LuPone to Madonna

When they do the hardest male roles, Billy Elliot should be on the list! That kid is almost always on stage. AND those dance numbers are crazy. AND that's a lot of emotional weight.

A couple of issues here. 1) Glinda is a tougher role than Elphaba. The vocal range is much larger AND you need to be able to do light comedy and serious drama. Chenoweth had much bigger shoes to fill than Menzel. And Eliza Dolittle deserves a spot on this list. Not only a lot of musical numbers, but comedy, some drama, and has to master two accents every night and not mix them up.