Some of the Best Broadway Dads; What Names Would You Add to the Top Ten?
By Lauren Yarger
In honor of Father's Day, and my own father who introduced me to Broadway, here are a few of the best dad characters from Broadway shows. What name would you add to fill out this Top-Ten list?
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| Ramin Karimloo as Jean Valjean in the current Broadway Revival of Les Miserables. Photo: Matthew Murphy |
- Jean Valjean from Les Mis: Jean adopts Cosette when her mother, Fantine, dies, freeing her from the tyranny of the innkeepers who were charged with her care. He loves her as his own and risks his life to save Marius when he discovers that the young boy has won Cosette's heart.
- Charlie Anderson from Shenandoah. Widower Charlie raises a brood of boys and a daughter and tries to keep his family out of the Civil War. His strong patriarchal presence is tempered with softness as he comforts his daughter, worried about her new husband's fate as a soldier and shoulder's a parent's worst nightmare when his youngest son is taken prisoner.
- Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof. Putting his children first, no matter how difficult, he supports his daughters' desires to marry for love rather than tradition. He also conveys love for his wife.
- Oliver Warbucks from Annie. The guy's got millions and FDR in his pocket and he is willing to share it all with a little orphan girl and her dog.
- The Founding Fathers of the musical 1776. The Sherman Edwards musical still gives goosebumps when the roll is called at the end to form a new nation.
- Father, from Life with Father, still Broadway's longest running play. The banker who runs his home like a drill sergeant masks a deep love for his wife and children.
- Jack Crystal, the father of comedian Billy Crystal, immortalized in memories that form the one-man play 700 Sundays. His busy, jazz promoter dad always made time for his family. You can catch this show on HBO http://www.hbo.com/comedy/billy-crystal-700-sundays#/
- Guy's father in Once. Moved by his son's musical talent, Da gives him the financial backing needed to pursue a career in the USA.
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| Emily Weiner as Tiny Tim and Robert Hannon Davis as Bob Cratchit in Hartford Stage's A Christmas Carol. Photo: T. Charles Erickson |
- Bob Cratchit from A Christmas Carol. Whether we see this is play or musical form, Bob always takes Top Father honors as he puts up with Scrooge to provide for his struggling family. He never holds back showing his affection for his wife and children, especially when hoisting Tiny Tim up on his capable shoulders.
- Which dad would you put in this slot?
Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.
** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.
My Bio
Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York.
Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run.
She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at
http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.
She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (
http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.
She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.
She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter.
Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.
Copyright
All material is copyright 2008- 2024 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com
Key to Content Notes:
God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.
Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.
Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.
Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.
Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.
Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.
Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.
Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.
Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.
Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.
Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.
Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.
Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.
Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.
Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women
or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.
Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.
The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.
Reviewing Policy
I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.
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