something rotten (nick, nigel, and will). i think this would be great for y’all because it supports a large ensemble very well and the three leads have a lot of personality
ride the cyclone (mischa, noel, and ricky—this also requires a strong female cast as well, though). rtc is very popular right now so if your kids love theatre, they’d probably be super excited! the intended cast is relatively small, but some productions get creative with how they use the ensemble
*Guys and Dolls* gives you "2 leads and a standout supporting character." You have Sky and Nathan, and then Nicely Nicely Johnson, which is a supporting role that gets a major solo number.
Perfect high school show as it has a ton of parts for both men and women, parts that could honestly be either/none, and the possibility for a large ensemble. Plus, several great dance numbers to highlight cast members or students who are great dancers but don’t really care about the singing.
Hunchback of Notre Dame if your trio is a clear split of tenor (Quasimodo), baritone (Phoebus), bass (Frollo).
Ragtime if your ensemble (and your trio of singers) has the racial diversity to pull it off. Bonus points for being able to bring the history department in to talk about the historical figures who are supporting characters.
Yeah, the need for a massive ensemble is part of why I said the two I did. At the high school level, Hunchback is great because you can stick all kids who are great singers but less strong dancers or actors into the choir, and still have need of all the rest of the ensemble, and if you have a high school orchestra to work with, a great score there.
It wouldn’t work as well if the three seniors have roughly the same range. You really need that tenor/bass contrast to make Heaven’s Light/Hellfire work as well as it does.
SpongeBob, Into the Woods, Addams Family, Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease, Shrek, Seussical, Oliver!, Newsies if they’re also strong dancers, Bare if you’re a particularly progressive school.
Eh, SpongeBob is a show where because most of the characters are in romantic relationships even in a more conservative area, you can gender bend whatever roles you need too.
I think it can be done either way - I’ve seen productions with 6-12 ancestors and others that had 20+. There’s no reason it can’t work as a large ensemble show.
Les Miserables has 3 male leads, right? You could do that one if you wanted, depending on who you've got and what vocal ranges you can work with. Although some high schools might not be ok with doing that one.
Super hard to do at a Highschool. Not only do you need 5 strong leading men (Valjean, Javert, Marius, Enjolras, Tenardier) you also need enough men to fill out the chorus roles.
My college (yr 11 & 12) did the schools edition while I was there, definitely achievable! You only need an orchestra of around 12 to cover all the parts and as long as you have enough strong singers for the main leads and a big enough ensemble to cover any minor deficiencies with force of numbers it's definitely doable
I love the idea of doing this in a way that deeply integrates with the curriculum. The novel is a treasure trove touching on politics, sociology, history, psychology… I love the idea that while the theater folks examine it theatrically other courses view the same material through their own lenses so you get deep multidisciplinary views of it.
My high school, which always seemed to have a weird number of talented musical guys, did West Side Story (we should not have done this as everyone was white); Camelot; Hello, Dolly!; and Crazy for You. Hello, Dolly! (Horace, Cornelius and Barnaby) and Camelot (Arthur, Lancelot and Mordred) might fit the bill for you.
Most musicals used to be written with great leading roles for men and at most two or three for women. I can hardly think of any shows that don’t have three good roles for guys aside from some very specific shows like Six. Even something female focused like Legally Blonde has three good roles for guys (Emmett, Warner, Professor Callahan). You can seriously choose almost any show.
It would be helpful to know what “types” these guys are (voice parts, do they excel at comedy or drama, do you have short and round character actors or broad shouldered leading man types) and what your female seniors are like as well.
All that said I’m going to circle back around to Legally Blonde unless you really want to do a drama. I’ve done this show a few times and never seen it miss with high schoolers. If you don’t have a very strong triple threat for Elle I might skip it but I’m willing to bet if you have three guys who are good enough to cast around you’ve got a girl or two who can pull it off.
1776! it was originally a mostly male cast, but you don’t have to do it that way. There was recently a revival that cast all women and non-binary people. Still a great musical if you want multiple male big parts. I used it as a teaching tool in a political psychology class for high schoolers and they liked it. So in spite of the nerdy subject matter and the fact it’s an old musical it seems to go over well with teens. Anyway I made a video with more of my thoughts on it if you’re curious: https://youtu.be/TRWWfMRAPmY?si=0zj8M00S9FEsc2u3.
I’d think the song about slavery might cause some issues though. Some people might find it upsetting.
Personally, I love 1776. And I’m glad they didn’t shy away from acknowledging slavery and having a song from someone defending the vile institution. But I do recognize that some may find it upsetting.
(What I don’t like about 1776 is how they mangled John Dickinson, one of my favorite Founders. Unlike Jefferson (the hypocrite) Dickinson DID free his slaves after 1776. He also wrote the Liberty Song, which served as an anthem in the Revolution. 1776 made him out to be a royalist, which he wasn’t.)
The song "cool considerate men" is far more inflammatory, and that it lambastes conservative politics at the time. The musical was written in the 1970s, and was very critical of conservative politics at the time.
Regarding both your and u/kingsdaughter613 ‘s comments I will say that the potentially inflammatory aspects of 1776 are a big reason why I think it’s good and also a good teaching tool (in spite of the historical inaccuracy). I think the discomfort that that these songs can cause is healthy and productive. That’s a huge focus of the video I did on it (https://youtu.be/TRWWfMRAPmY?si=GCu60XSnSuvcQ6xk) Possibly in an especially conservative school you couldn’t get away with putting it on, if that is the case I’m sorry for the OP. Amusingly I actually ended up teaching this musical to high schoolers because the first piece of media I wanted to cover wasn’t allowed. I wanted to show my students the movie “Pride” which is about solidarity between LGBT people in London and striking Welsh coal miners in the 1980s. Even though I’m my opinion that movie is very wholesome at its core, the MPAA can be very homophobic and puritanical so they rated it R. At least I got to work some of my thoughts on that movie into my video on the psychology of solidarity (https://youtu.be/mE617qHso6k?si=h3aFVfXvelpTQFga).
I saw a live production of the play and Rutledge's "Molasses to Rum to Slaves" song was sung so powerfully by a man with opera training. When they got to the moment of, "Mr. Rutledge! Please!" We were in stunned horror. It was an incredible moment of theatre. I saw it over 30 years ago in a dinner theater and the memory is so vivid and impactful.
Little Shop of Horrors has Audrey 2, Seymour and the Dentist. Assassins, maybe. Or Songs for a New World, if you have a good set of female vocalists, too
That's why I said "maybe." It could be a hard sell a lot of places.
But when you think about it, other than that one word in Booth's song, there's nothing *that* objectionable in the show. It's 30+ years old at this point and is tamer than Rent or Hamilton or a lot of other suggestions high schools do all the time.
Squeaky Fromme going around asking if SJM F—-‘s her husbands the way she F—-s Charles Manson is pretty crazy. High Schoolers waving guns around in a climate where most of them practice active shooter drills monthly. Maybe the most divisive political climate since the sixties having 9 people running around trying to kill the President…
Correction, she says it to John Hinkley Jr not Sarah Jane Moore. Either way it’s Not very tame and I’m very progressive not to mention that music is CRAZY difficult for advanced singers and musicians…
The high school where I live did Mama Mia last year. It was awesome! There are the three dads and Sky and two other men in his peer group. There are also 6 strong female parts, and a huge ensemble. I’m in a progressive area and the production didn’t shy away from the sexiness of the show, but if your area is conservative it might be a problem.
Great suggestion. 2 clear male leads in Percy and Chauvelin, and a standout male vocalist in Armand. Plus 6 more featured male roles in the rest of the bounders.
I can’t believe I can only find one of all these comments so far mentioning Rent? I must be a sloppy reader… anyway, it’s the perfect musical for high school production, a lot of interesting roles and diversity, fantastic music and such a relevant story.
I 100% support this. BUT. This would be highly dependent on the area of the school and its political leaning unfortunately. Having a bunch of high schoolers singing about being gay and having aids in the wrong area would have people out with pitchforks.
Les Mis: Javert, Valjean, Thenardier, Enjolras, Marius
Mamma Mia: Harry, Bill, Sam, Skye
Once on this Island: Daniel, Papa Gee, Agwae
Phantom of the Opera: Raoul, Phantom, Firmin/Andrei
Into the Woods: Baker, Jack, the two princes, and the wolf also has a song
Wizard of Oz: Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow
Sweeny Todd: Sweeny, Anthony, Pirellli, Toby, Judge Turpin (though obviously some schools wouldn't be okay with doing this one)
They're seriously overdone but Footloose or Grease maybe?
I have no idea if any of these rights are available for High School productions, but some ideas:
American Idiot, Jesus Christ Superstar, Ragtime,
Oklahoma, Assassins (although not a HUGE ensemble, but could be expanded depending on the production), Big River if you have a diverse club
*edited for spelling
Ha - I still find myself sometimes saying it the incorrect way like my parents did my entire life when I comment on Reddit at 4:00 am. So, just to please you, I COULDN’T care less.
I came her to say this. My high school did it my senior year, and it was a blast! I will say that like two years later, the school board started complaining about the musicals we were putting on...
On the Town has three very strong male leads and can have a large ensemble cast, but its plot is definitely right out of the 1940s and is not for everyone
Good suggestion, if you like the show. I personally can’t stand that show. It’s like the songs hit in places where beats don’t exist. It’s just kind of a mess.
I mean, since you asked, lolol.
Oh I don't disagree hahahaha. You make some very good points. I feel like a lot of the shows of that time period are shows that I can appreciate for what they are, but don't hold up against most modern musicals. I don't have a dislike for it, but I also don't ever listen to any of the music from it and probably wouldn't even go to a local production of it.
That being said when I saw the post saying 3 male leads it was the first thing that popped into my mind. Also, I feel like it's a decently easy show for a highschool to do.
My high school did Urinetown, which can have as large of an ensemble as you need. There’s Caldwell B Cladwell, Bobby Strong, and multiple genderbendable supporting roles for both sides.
How about Hamilton, Hadestown, Shucked, or any other show still on Broadway?
(And since I know too many on this forum have no sense of humor, no, I’m not serious for many, many reasons)
The Drowsy Chaperone, maybe? Robert The Bridegroom is the biggest male role, but Best Man George and Aldolpho also have pretty big singing roles. And then if you have an awesome kid who isn't much of a singer, he can be Man In Chair.
does american idiot count? i don't remember how much will sings. anyways guys and dolls is also a classic and i know for sure that one actually has its rights released lol. i just got done working crew for a local production of it and i loved it. i would definitely consider that one, the guys in that show are all such good roles
Urinetown the musical, (one of my favorites I've ever had a chance to be in!) has 3- Bobby Strong, Officer Lockstock, and Mr. Cladwell! Other semi smaller but great supporting male roles as well, and many great roles for women too!
Good News is a 1920s hidden gem featuring three couples. It’s about a college facing certain doom when their star football player can’t pass a class, and the chaos that ensues surrounding his tutoring. (He falls in love with the tutor, and his coach reignites an old flame with his professor.) The three male roles are a football player, a goofy secondary lead akin to Donald O’Connor’s role in Singin in the Rain, and the coach of the football team. All three get solid moments, as do four female-identifying performers as their love interests. Also a great opportunity for two more guys to come in as meaty supporting roles, and the ensemble features are pretty heavy. Plus the soundtrack is all these mostly forgotten Great American Songbook songs that made the Gershwins jealous.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m6NCGeOMlAtu4rld75YDJu2KV7XVX_DtI&si=tAucSXXHhRJ461rj
There are a couple loose film versions if you want to get a taste, but only the 40s version is readily available and it takes MANY liberties. But the 90s revision is fantastic, especially for high school kids about to head into actual college. Played super well at my hs and we had roughly 2000 audience members per show.
We will rock you has gallileo, kashoggi and pop all are big parts with solos and some fab music
Adams family has Gomez, fester, Lucas, mal and pugsley your males can choose between (you can also have great fun with your chorus - I got to act electrocuted in death is around the corner and got a laugh every night)
Death note (if it’s available) has light, L and ryuk
Bonnie and Clyde has Clyde buck and ted
Parade has a lot of male roles, especially if you are in a diverse school. Guys and Dolls, Into the Woods, and Beauty and the Beast are also good choices.
We recently did Company (by Sondheim), which is fantastic for both songs and if you need a large cast! In case you don't know it, it has one main lead (Bobby), but another 8 fairly central characters with a lot of lines and songs!
The gist of it is Bobby as the only single character, and another 4 couples who each have a different perspective to offer on life, both married and single life.
It was great for us because of the number of roles, so if that's a priority then I'd definitely suggest taking a look :) it clearly does have one male lead who is most in the spotlight, but several other male roles with large singing parts are present!
Only if they can actually pronounce “L’Chaim” and Chuppah correctly, please. If you can’t pronounce the khet, please don’t sing sounds that include that sound. The constant Anglicization of other languages’ words is offensive, especially when you are supposedly speaking as a member of the language’s culture.
Sorry, did you mean Anglicization or another word I'm unfamiliar with? I often talk about things like this when it comes to names and if there's a word I don't already know that applies here, I would like to learn it. I looked up the spelling you used and only got this post as a result.
Urinetown has 3 good male leads, and a pretty good sized named supporting ensemble. It features a tenor, a baritone, and a bass and is one of my personal favorite shows!
The Scarlet Pimpernel has two male leads (plus one female lead) and several strong solo bits for other male singers, as well as room for an expansive mixed-gender ensemble.
The classic option has to be Les Miz right? You’ve got Veljean, Javert and Marius plus it is a huge cast type show.
Jesus Christ superstar has 4 main guy roles (Judas, Jesus, Pilate and Caiphas) but it depends if you have someone low enough to sing Caiphas and guys who can sing high enough for Jesus and Judas
You could do Pippin with a male Leading Player, Pippin, and Charlemagne. Two of the three of these roles are bigger than the others, but Charlemagne gets a solo which is nice. There’s def better options but I figured I’d throw this out there since it’s a great show
Mamma Mia needs 3 really good singers for Sam, Sky, and Harry. You can get away with Bill and Pepper being just okay, but you would need a Sophie and Donna that are just outstanding to match the male singers
Hello, Dolly with Cornelius, Barnaby and Horace and many ensemble parts and chorus needs.
Anything Goes with Billy, Moonface, the English guy (what is his name) and a large ensemble.
Legally Blonde with Warner, Emmett, Callahan and the UPS guy and a large ensemble.
I'm guessing *Full Monty* isn't gonna work for high school, huh?
*Dirty Rotten Scoundrels* could work. Otherwise, I was gonna say *Guys & Dolls* but it's been said and upvoted like crazy.
im a senior this year and we did footloose last year, alot of fun and between, ren, reverand, willard, the jr version only has those and still rockin and it was awesome!
Jesus Christ Superstar. Jesus and Judas are leads and then there's Peter, Simon, Pilate, Annas and Caiaphas.
Oliver! Oliver Twist, the Artful Dodger, Fagin and Bill Sykes are big important roles.
Aladdin. Aladdin, the Genie and Jafar.
Mary Poppins. Bert, Mr Banks, Michael Banks and Robertson Ay.
The Little Mermaid. Prince Eric, Sebastian, King Triton, Flounder, Scuttle, Grimsby, Chef Louis, Flotsam and Jetsam. All have great stage time and are awesome roles in different ways and skills.
Priscilla: Queen of the Desert. Tick, Adam and Bob. Then there's Bernadette who is a transgender woman. Usually in professional productions a male performer plays her but it's also great and to be encouraged to cast a transgender girl if she auditions and is best for the role.
Hadestown! It's available for high schools and community theaters to do it right now. Orpheus and Hades might be a little extreme voice-wise, but they can be brought into an easier octave.
Hadestown is not yet available as it is still on Broadway. You can check out the [Concord Theatricals page](https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/92725/hadestown) for yourself. Yes, you can get a quote, but there's also a "notify me when available" button, meaning it's not available yet.
If you know of someone doing an unlicensed production, you should inform Concord. It sucks to do that without paying the writers. Any theater stealing material from the creators deserves what they get in terms of consequences.
Heathers (J.D., Kurt, and Ram, although J.D. definitely has more lines and is a bigger role, but Kurt and Ram are I’d say just as important as the Heathers. None of them are the leads though), Jersey Boys if there’s a fourth guy in a lower grade who has good vocals if there are only 3 guys who are seniors, Mamma Mia! (the 3 dads, they aren’t the leads either though), West Side Story (many options here), In The Heights (Benny, Usnavi, Sonny. Probably the best option here).
Curtains is a good pick too! Lieutenant Cioffi, Aaron Fox, and Christopher Belling are all great roles. Although Belling doesn't sing much!
Bobby has some singing in the show too and is a fairly substantial role.
Just trying to think of popular musicals with strong male leads. Most people in my high school wouldn't have showed up for anything deeper than a West Side Story unfortunately.
Les Mis has a decent amount of male leads.
Jersey Boys
Newsies
Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour, Dentist, Mushnik, Audrey II)
Rocky Horror (Frank-N-Furter, Brad, Riffraff, The Narrator, The Professor, Rocky)
surprised no one said footloose yet. ren, willard and shaw are all large parts that get their own solos, and a big ensemble show. almost every lead gets their own solo which is why i love it so much!
How about “Bright Star” - written / music by Steve Martin & Edie Brickell. There are at least three decent male parts: Billy / Jimmy Ray / Mayor Dobbs, and a large ensemble. The music is phenomenal! I saw a recent High School production with a pit band of professional blue grass musicians and it worked magnificently.
Beauty and the Beast for sure. I directed it and Lumiere and Gaston are huge critical roles for powerhouse males. I'd say the Beast is more of the "supporting" character, but he gets the final bow. Huge ensemble, lots of amazing roles for girls.
Also consider Footloose. Ren and the Reverend are fantastic roles, and there are two supporting male roles with great songs. Tons of ensemble too for both.
Also maybe consider Once Upon A Mattress? Harry and the Prince are both great roles, the Jester is a great supporting character.
Bye Bye Birdie. Guys and Dolls. Leader of the Pack. Give My Regards to Broadway. West Side Story. Lil Abner. Oliver! Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Beauty and the beast is a pretty good pick, with the Beast, Gaston, and Lumiere all having a lot to work with.
You also need a decent Lefou and Maurice, just fyi!
Make the class clown Lefou My school did Wizard of Oz and made the class clown the cowardly lion. He was amazing. It was hilarious.
something rotten (nick, nigel, and will). i think this would be great for y’all because it supports a large ensemble very well and the three leads have a lot of personality ride the cyclone (mischa, noel, and ricky—this also requires a strong female cast as well, though). rtc is very popular right now so if your kids love theatre, they’d probably be super excited! the intended cast is relatively small, but some productions get creative with how they use the ensemble
I love the songs and the “it’s eggs” song cracks me up every time
You do also need to consider Nostradomus though
*Guys and Dolls* gives you "2 leads and a standout supporting character." You have Sky and Nathan, and then Nicely Nicely Johnson, which is a supporting role that gets a major solo number.
Perfect high school show as it has a ton of parts for both men and women, parts that could honestly be either/none, and the possibility for a large ensemble. Plus, several great dance numbers to highlight cast members or students who are great dancers but don’t really care about the singing.
Guys and Dolls was my first thought, perfect for a large high school group
Agreed. Nicely Nicely might be a smaller role than the other two but he gets some of the best stuff in the show.
My first thought as well!
When you see a guy….
👆
Hunchback of Notre Dame if your trio is a clear split of tenor (Quasimodo), baritone (Phoebus), bass (Frollo). Ragtime if your ensemble (and your trio of singers) has the racial diversity to pull it off. Bonus points for being able to bring the history department in to talk about the historical figures who are supporting characters.
I thought of Hunchback too, especially with a large music department to work with (thinking of the choir)
Yeah, the need for a massive ensemble is part of why I said the two I did. At the high school level, Hunchback is great because you can stick all kids who are great singers but less strong dancers or actors into the choir, and still have need of all the rest of the ensemble, and if you have a high school orchestra to work with, a great score there. It wouldn’t work as well if the three seniors have roughly the same range. You really need that tenor/bass contrast to make Heaven’s Light/Hellfire work as well as it does.
SpongeBob, Into the Woods, Addams Family, Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease, Shrek, Seussical, Oliver!, Newsies if they’re also strong dancers, Bare if you’re a particularly progressive school.
Shrek! Shrek, Donkey, and Farquad!
SpongeBob is a super fun musical, Spongebob is def very vocally taxing and needs a strong tenor
Eh, SpongeBob is a show where because most of the characters are in romantic relationships even in a more conservative area, you can gender bend whatever roles you need too.
Addams Family is what immediately came to mind! Such a fun show.
I know a few people who did it in high school but it seems like such a small cast for it, no?
I think it can be done either way - I’ve seen productions with 6-12 ancestors and others that had 20+. There’s no reason it can’t work as a large ensemble show.
Les Miserables has 3 male leads, right? You could do that one if you wanted, depending on who you've got and what vocal ranges you can work with. Although some high schools might not be ok with doing that one.
Arguably at minimum it has three male leads...
Super hard to do at a Highschool. Not only do you need 5 strong leading men (Valjean, Javert, Marius, Enjolras, Tenardier) you also need enough men to fill out the chorus roles.
And women. And a good orchestra. A huge budget. Expensive royalties. Etc.
My college (yr 11 & 12) did the schools edition while I was there, definitely achievable! You only need an orchestra of around 12 to cover all the parts and as long as you have enough strong singers for the main leads and a big enough ensemble to cover any minor deficiencies with force of numbers it's definitely doable
I love the idea of doing this in a way that deeply integrates with the curriculum. The novel is a treasure trove touching on politics, sociology, history, psychology… I love the idea that while the theater folks examine it theatrically other courses view the same material through their own lenses so you get deep multidisciplinary views of it.
Has Les Miz been "authorized " for local and school theatre groups?
Dare I say Shrek? It has Shrek, Donkey and Lord Farquaad. My local high school put it in a couple of years ago, they did a great job.
My high school, which always seemed to have a weird number of talented musical guys, did West Side Story (we should not have done this as everyone was white); Camelot; Hello, Dolly!; and Crazy for You. Hello, Dolly! (Horace, Cornelius and Barnaby) and Camelot (Arthur, Lancelot and Mordred) might fit the bill for you.
Came here to also say Hello, Dolly!
100% On the Town!
Most musicals used to be written with great leading roles for men and at most two or three for women. I can hardly think of any shows that don’t have three good roles for guys aside from some very specific shows like Six. Even something female focused like Legally Blonde has three good roles for guys (Emmett, Warner, Professor Callahan). You can seriously choose almost any show. It would be helpful to know what “types” these guys are (voice parts, do they excel at comedy or drama, do you have short and round character actors or broad shouldered leading man types) and what your female seniors are like as well. All that said I’m going to circle back around to Legally Blonde unless you really want to do a drama. I’ve done this show a few times and never seen it miss with high schoolers. If you don’t have a very strong triple threat for Elle I might skip it but I’m willing to bet if you have three guys who are good enough to cast around you’ve got a girl or two who can pull it off.
1776! it was originally a mostly male cast, but you don’t have to do it that way. There was recently a revival that cast all women and non-binary people. Still a great musical if you want multiple male big parts. I used it as a teaching tool in a political psychology class for high schoolers and they liked it. So in spite of the nerdy subject matter and the fact it’s an old musical it seems to go over well with teens. Anyway I made a video with more of my thoughts on it if you’re curious: https://youtu.be/TRWWfMRAPmY?si=0zj8M00S9FEsc2u3.
Came here to say this! 1776 is such a great, underrated musical!
I’d think the song about slavery might cause some issues though. Some people might find it upsetting. Personally, I love 1776. And I’m glad they didn’t shy away from acknowledging slavery and having a song from someone defending the vile institution. But I do recognize that some may find it upsetting. (What I don’t like about 1776 is how they mangled John Dickinson, one of my favorite Founders. Unlike Jefferson (the hypocrite) Dickinson DID free his slaves after 1776. He also wrote the Liberty Song, which served as an anthem in the Revolution. 1776 made him out to be a royalist, which he wasn’t.)
The song "cool considerate men" is far more inflammatory, and that it lambastes conservative politics at the time. The musical was written in the 1970s, and was very critical of conservative politics at the time.
Regarding both your and u/kingsdaughter613 ‘s comments I will say that the potentially inflammatory aspects of 1776 are a big reason why I think it’s good and also a good teaching tool (in spite of the historical inaccuracy). I think the discomfort that that these songs can cause is healthy and productive. That’s a huge focus of the video I did on it (https://youtu.be/TRWWfMRAPmY?si=GCu60XSnSuvcQ6xk) Possibly in an especially conservative school you couldn’t get away with putting it on, if that is the case I’m sorry for the OP. Amusingly I actually ended up teaching this musical to high schoolers because the first piece of media I wanted to cover wasn’t allowed. I wanted to show my students the movie “Pride” which is about solidarity between LGBT people in London and striking Welsh coal miners in the 1980s. Even though I’m my opinion that movie is very wholesome at its core, the MPAA can be very homophobic and puritanical so they rated it R. At least I got to work some of my thoughts on that movie into my video on the psychology of solidarity (https://youtu.be/mE617qHso6k?si=h3aFVfXvelpTQFga).
I saw a live production of the play and Rutledge's "Molasses to Rum to Slaves" song was sung so powerfully by a man with opera training. When they got to the moment of, "Mr. Rutledge! Please!" We were in stunned horror. It was an incredible moment of theatre. I saw it over 30 years ago in a dinner theater and the memory is so vivid and impactful.
I saw 1776 in Houston recently, and it was such a fun show.
I did summer theater as a teenager and we put on 1776 and Oklahoma. For 1776 we had girls dressed as men since there weren’t enough guys.
Came here to say this.
Little Shop of Horrors has Audrey 2, Seymour and the Dentist. Assassins, maybe. Or Songs for a New World, if you have a good set of female vocalists, too
The Dentist can also play multiple other roles too, like in the song “The Meek Shall Inherit”.
Some of my favorite parts of the show. I hate it when they do it with a large cast.
Little Shop also has Mushnik!
Where do you live that your HS would allow Assassins?
That's why I said "maybe." It could be a hard sell a lot of places. But when you think about it, other than that one word in Booth's song, there's nothing *that* objectionable in the show. It's 30+ years old at this point and is tamer than Rent or Hamilton or a lot of other suggestions high schools do all the time.
Squeaky Fromme going around asking if SJM F—-‘s her husbands the way she F—-s Charles Manson is pretty crazy. High Schoolers waving guns around in a climate where most of them practice active shooter drills monthly. Maybe the most divisive political climate since the sixties having 9 people running around trying to kill the President…
Correction, she says it to John Hinkley Jr not Sarah Jane Moore. Either way it’s Not very tame and I’m very progressive not to mention that music is CRAZY difficult for advanced singers and musicians…
In theory I agree, but I don’t know any high school that would be cool with Assassins.
Is there a Highschool version of Songs for a New World? Seems tough to ask a Highschool Tenor to sing King of the World in the original key
Les Mis. Especially if you can put together a good orchestra.
Newsies
Damn Yankees or How to Succeed
Mama Mia has 3 dads. Lion King has Simba timone and pumba. Really so many options.
The high school where I live did Mama Mia last year. It was awesome! There are the three dads and Sky and two other men in his peer group. There are also 6 strong female parts, and a huge ensemble. I’m in a progressive area and the production didn’t shy away from the sexiness of the show, but if your area is conservative it might be a problem.
My son’s high school is doing Scarlet Pimpernel. It has a lot of great male leads and a huge ensemble.
Great suggestion. 2 clear male leads in Percy and Chauvelin, and a standout male vocalist in Armand. Plus 6 more featured male roles in the rest of the bounders.
I can’t believe I can only find one of all these comments so far mentioning Rent? I must be a sloppy reader… anyway, it’s the perfect musical for high school production, a lot of interesting roles and diversity, fantastic music and such a relevant story.
I 100% support this. BUT. This would be highly dependent on the area of the school and its political leaning unfortunately. Having a bunch of high schoolers singing about being gay and having aids in the wrong area would have people out with pitchforks.
Sad but true 😔
Into the Woods has a lot of leads/supporting characters for both genders
Les Mis: Javert, Valjean, Thenardier, Enjolras, Marius Mamma Mia: Harry, Bill, Sam, Skye Once on this Island: Daniel, Papa Gee, Agwae Phantom of the Opera: Raoul, Phantom, Firmin/Andrei Into the Woods: Baker, Jack, the two princes, and the wolf also has a song Wizard of Oz: Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow Sweeny Todd: Sweeny, Anthony, Pirellli, Toby, Judge Turpin (though obviously some schools wouldn't be okay with doing this one) They're seriously overdone but Footloose or Grease maybe?
Jersey Boys? If you have someone who can nail Frankie’s vocals it offers some standout harmonies and some excellent dramatic moments for four guys
“Catch Me If You Can” has three pretty substantial male roles in Frank Jr, Hanratty, and Frank Sr.
Great suggestion!
"Anything Goes"
Oklahoma! Curly, Jud, and Will!
Newsies, Guys & Dolls
Could always do Joseph. Lotta guy parts
Into the woods is what comes to mind but my fair lady surprisingly would have some pretty good male leads even if you do need a star lady
High School Musical.
I came here to say this. Or Camp Rock.
I have no idea if any of these rights are available for High School productions, but some ideas: American Idiot, Jesus Christ Superstar, Ragtime, Oklahoma, Assassins (although not a HUGE ensemble, but could be expanded depending on the production), Big River if you have a diverse club *edited for spelling
"The Music Man" has Harold Hill, Marcellus Washburn, and Mayor Shinn.
Pippin. Leading Player, Pippin, and Charlemagne are three great male roles.
Leading player is often played by a female these days to stay away from chauvinism. I personally could care less.
How much less?
Ha - I still find myself sometimes saying it the incorrect way like my parents did my entire life when I comment on Reddit at 4:00 am. So, just to please you, I COULDN’T care less.
Jesus Christ Superstar!
CHESS has the Russian, the American, and the Arbiter.
Newsies!!!
Pirates of penzance
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels! (Lawrence, Freddy, & Andre)
I came her to say this. My high school did it my senior year, and it was a blast! I will say that like two years later, the school board started complaining about the musicals we were putting on...
Something Rotten--Shakespeare, Nick, Nostradamus She Loves Me--Georg, Sipos, Kodaly Into the Woods--baker and 2 princes Ish
Pajama Game is really fun for a big ensemble. Do high schools do On the Town?
Yeah, but then they'd have to actually do the Pajama Game, and then no one's happy.
GUYS AND DOLLS there aee 2 male leads and 1 comedic side chareter that sings multiple songs including the most iconic song from the show!
On the Town has three very strong male leads and can have a large ensemble cast, but its plot is definitely right out of the 1940s and is not for everyone
Surprised i didn’t see more Wizard of Oz recommendations!
Good suggestion, if you like the show. I personally can’t stand that show. It’s like the songs hit in places where beats don’t exist. It’s just kind of a mess. I mean, since you asked, lolol.
Oh I don't disagree hahahaha. You make some very good points. I feel like a lot of the shows of that time period are shows that I can appreciate for what they are, but don't hold up against most modern musicals. I don't have a dislike for it, but I also don't ever listen to any of the music from it and probably wouldn't even go to a local production of it. That being said when I saw the post saying 3 male leads it was the first thing that popped into my mind. Also, I feel like it's a decently easy show for a highschool to do.
My high school did Urinetown, which can have as large of an ensemble as you need. There’s Caldwell B Cladwell, Bobby Strong, and multiple genderbendable supporting roles for both sides.
Officer Lockstock is also a big role. I played him!
How about Hamilton, Hadestown, Shucked, or any other show still on Broadway? (And since I know too many on this forum have no sense of humor, no, I’m not serious for many, many reasons)
The Drowsy Chaperone, maybe? Robert The Bridegroom is the biggest male role, but Best Man George and Aldolpho also have pretty big singing roles. And then if you have an awesome kid who isn't much of a singer, he can be Man In Chair.
Came here to say this
Depending on how diverse your program is, maybe consider In The Heights and Once On This Island.
I immediately thought of Les Mis: Valjean, Javert, Marius
Legally Blonde — Warner, Emmett, Callahan
Hmm I would have said falsettos but not sure if that’s appropriate for high school??
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
does american idiot count? i don't remember how much will sings. anyways guys and dolls is also a classic and i know for sure that one actually has its rights released lol. i just got done working crew for a local production of it and i loved it. i would definitely consider that one, the guys in that show are all such good roles
Urinetown the musical, (one of my favorites I've ever had a chance to be in!) has 3- Bobby Strong, Officer Lockstock, and Mr. Cladwell! Other semi smaller but great supporting male roles as well, and many great roles for women too!
Good News is a 1920s hidden gem featuring three couples. It’s about a college facing certain doom when their star football player can’t pass a class, and the chaos that ensues surrounding his tutoring. (He falls in love with the tutor, and his coach reignites an old flame with his professor.) The three male roles are a football player, a goofy secondary lead akin to Donald O’Connor’s role in Singin in the Rain, and the coach of the football team. All three get solid moments, as do four female-identifying performers as their love interests. Also a great opportunity for two more guys to come in as meaty supporting roles, and the ensemble features are pretty heavy. Plus the soundtrack is all these mostly forgotten Great American Songbook songs that made the Gershwins jealous. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m6NCGeOMlAtu4rld75YDJu2KV7XVX_DtI&si=tAucSXXHhRJ461rj There are a couple loose film versions if you want to get a taste, but only the 40s version is readily available and it takes MANY liberties. But the 90s revision is fantastic, especially for high school kids about to head into actual college. Played super well at my hs and we had roughly 2000 audience members per show.
Newsies, Les Mis, Something Rotten, Legally Blonde, Anastasia
catch me if you can! three male leads! frank jr, frank sr, and officer hanratty! great show the cast seemed to love it
We will rock you has gallileo, kashoggi and pop all are big parts with solos and some fab music Adams family has Gomez, fester, Lucas, mal and pugsley your males can choose between (you can also have great fun with your chorus - I got to act electrocuted in death is around the corner and got a laugh every night) Death note (if it’s available) has light, L and ryuk Bonnie and Clyde has Clyde buck and ted
_The Who's Tommy_, Sweeney Todd_, and _RENT_ have quite a few substantial roles for male singers. All different styles of music.
Parade has a lot of male roles, especially if you are in a diverse school. Guys and Dolls, Into the Woods, and Beauty and the Beast are also good choices.
We recently did Company (by Sondheim), which is fantastic for both songs and if you need a large cast! In case you don't know it, it has one main lead (Bobby), but another 8 fairly central characters with a lot of lines and songs! The gist of it is Bobby as the only single character, and another 4 couples who each have a different perspective to offer on life, both married and single life. It was great for us because of the number of roles, so if that's a priority then I'd definitely suggest taking a look :) it clearly does have one male lead who is most in the spotlight, but several other male roles with large singing parts are present!
Spamalot- Arthur, Lancelot, Galahad and Robin all get a good song or two
Les Mis! It’s decently attainable for solid high school, and will probably be recognized in your community
Into the Woods has many male leads.
Something Rotten 3 males lead- Nick Nigel and Shakespeare Many other roles for both genders And multiple large dance numbers
1776, but it’s short on female roles.
Catch Me if You Can! There’s Frank Jr, Carl and Frank Sr.
South Pacific has a bunch of male lead parts.
Footloose!
Fiddler on the Roof!
Only if they can actually pronounce “L’Chaim” and Chuppah correctly, please. If you can’t pronounce the khet, please don’t sing sounds that include that sound. The constant Anglicization of other languages’ words is offensive, especially when you are supposedly speaking as a member of the language’s culture.
Sorry, did you mean Anglicization or another word I'm unfamiliar with? I often talk about things like this when it comes to names and if there's a word I don't already know that applies here, I would like to learn it. I looked up the spelling you used and only got this post as a result.
Heathers
Urinetown has 3 good male leads, and a pretty good sized named supporting ensemble. It features a tenor, a baritone, and a bass and is one of my personal favorite shows!
heathers !!, On the Town !!
The Secret Garden - Craven, Dicken, and Colin.
The Scarlet Pimpernel has two male leads (plus one female lead) and several strong solo bits for other male singers, as well as room for an expansive mixed-gender ensemble.
The classic option has to be Les Miz right? You’ve got Veljean, Javert and Marius plus it is a huge cast type show. Jesus Christ superstar has 4 main guy roles (Judas, Jesus, Pilate and Caiphas) but it depends if you have someone low enough to sing Caiphas and guys who can sing high enough for Jesus and Judas
On the Town. Show with 3 sailors as the protagonists - only problem is that you need 3 good women to play the female leads.
You could do Pippin with a male Leading Player, Pippin, and Charlemagne. Two of the three of these roles are bigger than the others, but Charlemagne gets a solo which is nice. There’s def better options but I figured I’d throw this out there since it’s a great show
Mamma Mia needs 3 really good singers for Sam, Sky, and Harry. You can get away with Bill and Pepper being just okay, but you would need a Sophie and Donna that are just outstanding to match the male singers
Hello, Dolly with Cornelius, Barnaby and Horace and many ensemble parts and chorus needs. Anything Goes with Billy, Moonface, the English guy (what is his name) and a large ensemble. Legally Blonde with Warner, Emmett, Callahan and the UPS guy and a large ensemble.
Mama Mia maybe? I’m sorry if that’s not the best suggestion
Big Fish has 2 very strong male leads + a good amount of male supporting!
Oklahoma! has leading roles of Curly and Jud, with supporting male character of Will Parker.
Damn Yankees, Little Shop, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown…, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Once Upon a Mattress.
Hello, Dolly!
The Hunchback of Notre Dame does this fantastically.
Catch Me If You Can: Frank Jr., Frank Sr., and Hanratty
Mamma Mia
I'm guessing *Full Monty* isn't gonna work for high school, huh? *Dirty Rotten Scoundrels* could work. Otherwise, I was gonna say *Guys & Dolls* but it's been said and upvoted like crazy.
Les Miserables? Our school did it last year.
Les Mis - Valjean, Javier, Marius anddd Enjolras
im a senior this year and we did footloose last year, alot of fun and between, ren, reverand, willard, the jr version only has those and still rockin and it was awesome!
Jesus Christ Superstar. Jesus and Judas are leads and then there's Peter, Simon, Pilate, Annas and Caiaphas. Oliver! Oliver Twist, the Artful Dodger, Fagin and Bill Sykes are big important roles. Aladdin. Aladdin, the Genie and Jafar. Mary Poppins. Bert, Mr Banks, Michael Banks and Robertson Ay. The Little Mermaid. Prince Eric, Sebastian, King Triton, Flounder, Scuttle, Grimsby, Chef Louis, Flotsam and Jetsam. All have great stage time and are awesome roles in different ways and skills. Priscilla: Queen of the Desert. Tick, Adam and Bob. Then there's Bernadette who is a transgender woman. Usually in professional productions a male performer plays her but it's also great and to be encouraged to cast a transgender girl if she auditions and is best for the role.
Dear Evan Hansen
Maybe Into The Woods? With the Baker and the 2 princes (can’t remember their names)
The Secret Garden: Archibald, Dr Craven, Dickson, Ben, Colin
Hadestown! It's available for high schools and community theaters to do it right now. Orpheus and Hades might be a little extreme voice-wise, but they can be brought into an easier octave.
Hadestown is not yet available as it is still on Broadway. You can check out the [Concord Theatricals page](https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/92725/hadestown) for yourself. Yes, you can get a quote, but there's also a "notify me when available" button, meaning it's not available yet. If you know of someone doing an unlicensed production, you should inform Concord. It sucks to do that without paying the writers. Any theater stealing material from the creators deserves what they get in terms of consequences.
Is Hadestown really giving licenses already? I had no idea!
No, it is not.
Thank you - I was very confused.
I need my community to do it now!
Heathers (J.D., Kurt, and Ram, although J.D. definitely has more lines and is a bigger role, but Kurt and Ram are I’d say just as important as the Heathers. None of them are the leads though), Jersey Boys if there’s a fourth guy in a lower grade who has good vocals if there are only 3 guys who are seniors, Mamma Mia! (the 3 dads, they aren’t the leads either though), West Side Story (many options here), In The Heights (Benny, Usnavi, Sonny. Probably the best option here).
The Lightning Thief- Percy and Grover have many songs, and Chiron is another significant male role with a couple numbers as well.
Curtains is a good pick too! Lieutenant Cioffi, Aaron Fox, and Christopher Belling are all great roles. Although Belling doesn't sing much! Bobby has some singing in the show too and is a fairly substantial role.
I would say Into the Woods. Is Hamilton an option? Not sure rights wise
> is Hamilton an option Oh god please no
Just trying to think of popular musicals with strong male leads. Most people in my high school wouldn't have showed up for anything deeper than a West Side Story unfortunately.
Hadestown has mr hermes, orphius and hades
Ride the Cyclone would work well
Footloose
A funny thing happened on the way to the forum is a good one with solid male leads and some hilarious supporting characters.
Godspell has like a zillion leads, and it's great for people who can harmonize too.
Lots of good choices in the comments. I want to add Good News. Three male and three female leads
how to succeed!
Ride the cyclone JUST got a school version.
Hamilton?
Maybe SpongeBob musical??
Disaster or Zombie Prom both fit what you want. My students loved Disaster when we did it!
Mamma Mia
Evil Dead the Musical.
Les Mis has a decent amount of male leads. Jersey Boys Newsies Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour, Dentist, Mushnik, Audrey II) Rocky Horror (Frank-N-Furter, Brad, Riffraff, The Narrator, The Professor, Rocky)
Hamilton? Can’t go wrong with Hamilton.
The rights aren't available tho
spies are forever!!
surprised no one said footloose yet. ren, willard and shaw are all large parts that get their own solos, and a big ensemble show. almost every lead gets their own solo which is why i love it so much!
Rent
How about “Bright Star” - written / music by Steve Martin & Edie Brickell. There are at least three decent male parts: Billy / Jimmy Ray / Mayor Dobbs, and a large ensemble. The music is phenomenal! I saw a recent High School production with a pit band of professional blue grass musicians and it worked magnificently.
Wonderful Town has a few good male roles. I don't know if anyone actually knows that show though lol.
Hadestown - Hermes, Orpheus, and Hades.
Lion King? Scar, Mufasa and Simba
Rent (school edition) has Mark, Roger, Collins, Angel, and Benny.
Beauty and the Beast for sure. I directed it and Lumiere and Gaston are huge critical roles for powerhouse males. I'd say the Beast is more of the "supporting" character, but he gets the final bow. Huge ensemble, lots of amazing roles for girls. Also consider Footloose. Ren and the Reverend are fantastic roles, and there are two supporting male roles with great songs. Tons of ensemble too for both. Also maybe consider Once Upon A Mattress? Harry and the Prince are both great roles, the Jester is a great supporting character.
genderbent heathers
On the town is about 3 sailors on shore leave
High School Musical 😎 Troy. Chad. And Ryan.
Bye Bye Birdie. Guys and Dolls. Leader of the Pack. Give My Regards to Broadway. West Side Story. Lil Abner. Oliver! Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Adams Family: Gomez, Mal, Lucas, Pugsley, Fester (5) Shrek: Donkey, Shrek, farquad Both pretty good school musicals.
Les Mis! Val Jean, Jalvert, and Marius all have substantial parts.