Every year on 8 March, we celebrate International Women’s Day, which shines a light on women’s achievements in various industries. It also serves as a powerful reminder of the fact that the fight for women’s rights is far from over as gender-based inequalities and discrimination are still a reality for many. During International Women’s Day, we want to celebrate the strong independent women both in our lives and on the stage. It seems only natural, then, that the spotlight would be on the musicals that celebrate women through their characters and songs.
Wicked
With more than 6,500 performances, Wicked is one of the longest-running shows in the West End. This makes its two leads, Glinda and Elphaba, two characters that audiences have seen on stage for a very long time. Despite opening in Broadway over than 20 years ago, it is still a very timely musical, particularly in the way it depicts its complex and independent female characters. They are undoubtedly all different, but that does not mean that their actions or plots matter any less, just because they do not fit into a mould of what women are supposed to be. These are the very expectations that Elphaba herself is the first to defy in the musical.
Waitress
Waitress is the first musical I think of when I imagine a feminist musical. Significantly, the musical was created entirely by women, with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles and the book by Jessie Nelson. It also features Jenna, an ambitious and talented female lead who, with the help of her supportive friends, escapes her abusive husband as she does everything in her power to give her unborn baby a better life. Therefore, Waitress also touches on the very important topic of domestic violence, which is still rampant in many countries and not discussed nearly enough or properly in mainstream media.
Mamma Mia
Mamma Mia has always been one of my favourite musicals growing up, and I think that is because of its depiction of female characters. Once again, we see many different women on screen: Sophie has chosen to get married young, Donna is a young mother and single woman, Tanya has married multiple times, and Rosie is a self-declared lone wolf. Despite their different choices in life, all of them appear happy with their lives. This is an incredibly important example to look up to, particularly in an area in which women are constantly policed like motherhood and marriage.
& Juliet
Another jukebox musical, although maybe not as famous as the previous one, is & Juliet. Inspired by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, this musical is a modern feminist retelling of the classical story. The very premise of the musical puts the attention on Juliet, rather than Romeo, by asking its audience: what would have happened if Juliet had not died by suicide upon finding Romeo dead? And so, we see Juliet’s journey of self-discovery and empowerment as she learns how to make her own way in the world, all accompanied by iconic songs the audience will already know and love.
Six
What could be better than a strong female character as the lead in a musical? Six of them, of course! Six rewrites history in pop songs by shining a light on some of the most mistreated women historically: the six wives of Henry VIII. Much of history may focus on the British king who had six wives, but Six finally tells their story, allowing the audience to get to know these women for a lot more than being the six wives who were divorced, beheaded, or died.
Words by Clotilde Chinnici
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