Casting

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Cast Size: Flexible Cast Size
Cast Type: Ensemble Cast
Dance Requirements: None

Character Breakdown

Joe
Annie's older brother. Takes his role as the man of the family seriously, even though he is a kid. Has bad luck avoiding trouble in his attempt to protect his sister. Kind, prideful, honest.
Gender: male
Age: 12 to 15
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Leary
A poor, young pickpocket. He is mean and jealous of any success others might have and has a particular vendetta against Joe. Tries to set him up and then lies to get him arrested.
Gender: male
Age: 12 to 15
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Crossing Sweeper
A genial man. Trustworthy, transparent, and honest. He is the connector between the rich and the poor, and between the living and the dead.
Gender: male
Age: 18 to 25
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Patterer
Although one of the poor, he acts as the Narrator moving the plot along through his songs. Frequently claims to have no voice just before he sings.
Gender: male
Age: 20 to 30
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Syd
One of the poor who tries to make an honest living. Calm and genuine, with an underlying desire for change. He leads a movement to combat the squalid lifestyle.
Gender: male
Age: 18 to 25
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Sam
One of the poor. He becomes part of the shoe shining brigade. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but unafraid to ask questions and explore. Honest and outspoken.
Gender: male
Age: 8 to 12
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Annie
Joe's little sister, she happily takes care of him and feels lost without him. Longs to escape her imprisoned life and head to America or Australia.
Gender: female
Age: 10 to 13
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Alice
Bill's mother and Charlie's wife. Though she isn't actually Joe and Annie's mother, she acts motherly and treats them as her own. Kind and inherently wisdom. She cares for Annie and protects her from the others.
Gender: female
Age: 35 to 45
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Shaftesbury
The Earl of Shaftesbury, he is Francis and Anthony's father. Not afraid to ruffle feathers in the aristocracy. A brave and upstanding citizen. Somewhat regal and heroic.
Gender: male
Age: 35 to 45
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: A3
Lord Ganlian
A snobbish member of the aristocracy who is resistant to change and believes the poor have rightfully earned their place. Greedy, pompous, ignorant.
Gender: male
Age: 50 to 70
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: A3
Lady Shaftesbury
The Earl of Shaftesbury's wife. She is stately and supportive of her husband. A motherly woman devastated when her youngest son dies.
Gender: female
Age: 35 to 45
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: A3
Giles
A cobbler by trade, he opens up a school to help educate the children of the lower class. Gentle, authoritative, sincere. Cares for his students.
Gender: male
Age: 30 to 45
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Mcgregor
Introduces the boys of the Ragged School to shoe-shining. Cares for and is proud of the students. An eloquent man and speaker.
Gender: male
Age: 35 to 45
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Crimple
The innkeeper. All about the bottom-line, which is getting lodgers and taking their money. No leniency about paying rent, but she does reveal a softer side.
Gender: female
Age: 40 to 60
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Ensemble
The Rich; The Poor; Prostitutes; Drunks; Policemen; Sailors; Emigrants; Maidservants
Dykewater
A friend of Lord Ganlian's. He is a member of the old guard of the aristocracy. Speaks in sound bites and believes things should remain as they are, because they are that way for a reason.
Gender: male
Age: 45 to 60
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: A3