Welcome to “Broadway’s Biggest Baddies,” a special Halloween feature where we’re picking some of the most iconic musical theatre villains and exploring how they earned their reputation. Today, we’re going to pinpoint their first and worst moments of monstrosity, then judge them for what they’ve done. Are they wicked, wronged or misunderstood? So without further ado, let the countdown begin!
10. The Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera
Broadway’s most notorious masked maestro makes his villainous intentions clear with his threatening notes, which he follows up with a few theatrical mishaps at the Paris Opera House. Many of us chortled as Carlotta belched out “Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh,” so the Phantom doesn’t act without wit or any sense of poetic justice at all. But his worst offences – murdering an innocent, albeit creepy, stagehand and terrorising Christine into a marriage proposal with rather deadly consequences if she refuses – are a little more serious. On the other hand, the Phantom was rejected by society – his own mother included – because of his disfigurement, so he has certainly been wronged. Nonetheless, kidnapping and murder aren’t exactly the best ways to win someone’s heart. Even so, although he has plenty to answer for, we’re going to say that he falls more towards the “wronged” side of our scale.
9. Carrie White from Carrie
Poor Carrie White just can’t catch a break. Bullied mercilessly by her classmates and terrorised by her fanatically religious mother, this shy teenager discovers that she possesses telekinetic powers. Her first taste of villainy comes when she begins using those powers to lash out at her tormentors, but her worst moment arrives at the school prom. Humiliated by a cruel prank involving a bucket of pig’s blood, Carrie unleashes a devastating wave of destruction that leaves a trail of death in its wake. But is Carrie really the monster of this story? Or does that title belong to her mother, Margaret, whose twisted understanding of love and religion has helped push her daughter to breaking point? Our verdict for Carrie is “misunderstood”. Perhaps the real horror isn’t Carrie’s supernatural powers, but the cruelty of the people around her.
8. Frank-N-Furter from The Rocky Horror Show
No Halloween list is going to be complete without a certain “Sweet Transvestite” from Transsexual, Transylvania. Frank-N-Furter makes quite a fabulously memorable entrance, but the warning signs of his villainy are there from the moment he unveils his latest creation, Rocky. His worst offence comes when he murders Eddie with an ice pick, apparently because the poor fellow has outlived his usefulness. Throw in a little coercion, manipulation and imprisonment, and Frank’s fabulous exterior starts to look rather sinister. We love the fishnets and the heavily layered pathos of “I’m Going Home” gets us every time – but “wicked” is the only verdict that fits here.
7. Count von Krolock from Dance of the Vampires
Let’s head into the world of a cult flop – at least in its Broadway version – for our next villain. The aristocratic Count von Krolock is a master of Gothic seduction, drawing the innocent Sarah towards his castle with promises of pleasure and eternal life. His worst moment comes when those promises reveal their true meaning: Sarah is destined to become another member of his undead family. And he’s hardly content with one victim when there’s a whole world of humanity waiting to be consumed. An impressive cape and a magnificent singing voice can only get you so far. We may need to go into hiding, but our verdict for the good count is that he’s simply “wicked.”
6. David from The Lost Boys
Leather-clad, charismatic and dangerously cool, David makes vampirism look like the ultimate teenage rebellion. His first major offence is luring Michael into the gang and tricking him into drinking vampire blood. His worst? Helping perpetuate a predatory cycle that turns vulnerable young people into creatures who must feed on others. In preparing to play David in the original Broadway production of the show, which is currently running on the Main Stem, Ali Louis Bourzgui created an extraordinary 90-page backstory for the character, imagining him as a First World War veteran. It’s an intriguing layer of history that potentially complicates his villainy. Bourzgui won a Tony Award for his efforts, but we still can’t let David off the hook. Even if he was arguably made into a monster rather than simply becoming one, we’re still going to embrace his “wicked” status as a musical theatre villain.
5. Edward Hyde from Jekyll & Hyde
When Dr Henry Jekyll’s experiments unleash his murderous alter ego, Edward Hyde wastes little time exploring the darker side of human nature. His first major act of villainy is the murder of the Bishop of Basingstoke, while his subsequent killing spree culminates in the brutal murder of Sir Danvers Carew. Hyde may be the product of a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong, but he positively revels in his freedom to indulge humanity’s worst impulses. Even though there’s nothing quite as camp as David Hasselhoff’s performance of Hyde and Jekyll’s “Confrontation,” our verdict is a solid “wicked”. The question is how much blame belongs to Jekyll.
4. Sweeney Todd from Sweeney Todd
The demon barber of Fleet Street begins his murderous career by slitting the throat of the unfortunate Adolfo Pirelli, but things really get out of hand when he has an “Epiphany” and decides that the entire human race deserves to die. His worst moment comes when his indiscriminate killing claims the life of the very woman he has been trying to avenge – without even recognising her. That is the moment when Sweeney Todd transcends horror to become tragedy. Falsely imprisoned and robbed of his family, Benjamin Barker has every reason to be furious. Unfortunately, he takes his grievances rather too far. Even so, is he the real villain? Keep scrolling to find out – but our verdict is that he has been “wronged,” albeit with a body count that makes sympathy increasingly difficult.
3. Patrick Bateman from American Psycho
Patrick Bateman appears to have everything: money, status, impeccable grooming and an enviable collection of designer suits. Unfortunately, he also has a taste for violence. His murderous impulses emerge from beneath his polished exterior, with his attack on colleague Paul Owen among his most notorious offences. Whether every killing takes place outside Patrick’s imagination is another matter entirely. But his narcissism, misogyny and complete disregard for human life leave little room for sympathy. We’re going to go with a verdict of “wicked” – and no, a reservation at Dorsia won’t change our minds.
2. Mrs Lovett from Sweeney Todd
When Mrs Lovett discovers that her upstairs neighbour has developed a habit of murdering his customers, she sees not a moral crisis but a business opportunity. Her first truly monstrous act is suggesting that the bodies be baked into pies, and her worst is concealing the truth about Sweeney’s wife, with devastating consequences for everyone involved. Given that this happens quite early on in the show, is her worst moment of villainy actually also her first? She’s resourceful, romantic and undeniably entertaining, but there’s something particularly chilling about how cheerfully she turns murder into a thriving enterprise. Our verdict is that she’s 100% “wicked,” making the worst pies in London suddenly sound like a very safe option indeed.
1. Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors
What begins as an unusual little plant with a taste for blood quickly becomes a manipulative monster with an appetite for world domination. Audrey II’s first villainous move is persuading Seymour that a little human blood is a small price to pay for fame and fortune. Its worst? Devouring its victims, including Seymour, and setting the stage for a botanical apocalypse – in the stage version at least, with the great movie adaptation having adjusted the ending. There’s no tragic backstory, no misunderstood motivation and certainly no redemption arc. Just an extraterrestrial killing machine with a magnificent voice and an insatiable appetite. It’s a “wicked” from us; whatever you do, don’t feed the plants!
We hope you enjoyed our Halloween celebration of all things wicked – except, funnily enough, Wicked, given the horror bent of this feature – on Broadway. Who are your favourite musical theatre villains? Did we get our verdicts right? Head to the comment section and let us know!
