History LargeHam / Theater

** Judge Turpin can get pretty porky as well in his off-cut song "Johanna (Mea Culpa)."

* Whoever plays Sweeney Todd simply ''must'' ham it up during "Epiphany." It's Todd's big moment, after all.
** Judge Turpin gets pretty porky as well in his oft-cut song "Johanna (Mea Culpa)."
** "BENJAMIN BAAAAAAARKERRRRR!!!"

*** Even ''outside'' of HamToHamCombat with Jean Valjean, Javert's a '''huge''' ham, probably because he takes everything so seriously. Just look at this passage from "Stars": And If you faall, as Luuciifeer feel, you faaaaal in flaaaaames... AAAAAAND SOOO IIIIIT MUUUST BE!!!!!!! Foooor soooo iit is wriiteen, ooon the '''''DOOORWAY TOOOO PAAAA-RAAAAA-DIIIIIIIISE!!!!!!!!!!''''' Thaaaaat those who falter and those that faaaal must paaa-aay the priiiiiiice. Lord, let me find him, THAAAAT I MAAAY SEE HIM SAAAAFE BEHIIIND BAAAAAARS!!!!!! IIIIIII WIIIIL NEEEVER REEEST TIIIILL THEEEEN, THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR, '''''THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR BYYYY... THEEEEEE STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!!!!!!!''''' [[spoiler: And if you thought that was [[{{Melodrama}} melodramatic]], his death is even hammer. I AM REACHING BUT I FALL/AND THE STARS ARE BLACK AND COLD/AS I STARE INTO THE VOID/OF A WORLD THAT CANNOT HOLD/I'LL ESCAPE NOW FROM THE WORLD/FROM THE WORLD OF JEAN VALJEAN/THERE IS NOWHERE I CAN TURN/THERE IS NO! WAY! TO! GO! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then, holding the last note for an absurdly long period of time, he throws himself into the Seine.]]

*** Even ''outside'' of HamToHamCombat with Jean Valjean, Javert's a '''huge''' ham, probably because he takes everything so seriously. Just look at this passage from "Stars": And If you faall, as Luuciifeer feel, you faaaaal in flaaaaames... AAAAAAND SOOO IIIIIT MUUUST BE!!!!!!! Foooor soooo iit is wriiteen, ooon the '''''DOOORWAY TOOOO PAAAA-RAAAAA-DIIIIIIIISE!!!!!!!!!!''''' Thaaaaat those who falter and those that faaaal must paaa-aay the priiiiiiice. Lord, let me find him, THAAAAT I MAAAY SEE HIM SAAAAFE BEHIIIND BAAAAAARS!!!!!! IIIIIII WIIIIL NEEEVER REEEST TIIIILL THEEEEN, THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR, '''''THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR BYYYY... THEEEEEE STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!!!!!!!''''' [[spoiler: And if you thought that was [[{{Melodrama}} melodramatic]], his death is even hammer. I AM REACHING BUT I FALL/AND THE STARS ARE BLACK AND COLD/AS I STARE INTO THE VOID/OF A WORLD THAT CANNOT HOLD/I'LL ESCAPE NOW FROM THE WORLD/FROM THE WORLD OF JEAN VALJEAN/THERE IS NOWHERE I CAN TURN/THERE IS NO! WAY! TO! GO! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then, holding the last note for an absurdly long period of time, he throws himself into the Seine.]] It's almost like he has a personal spotlight.

*** Even ''outside'' of HamToHamCombat with Jean Valjean, Javert's a '''huge''' ham, probably because he takes everything so seriously. Just look at this passage from "Stars": And If you faall, as Luuciifeer feel, you faaaaal in flaaaaames... AAAAAAND SOOO IIIIIT MUUUST BE!!!!!!! Foooor soooo iit is wriiteen, ooon the '''''DOOORWAY TOOOO PAAAA-RAAAAA-DIIIIIIIISE!!!!!!!!!!''''' Thaaaaat those who falter and those that faaaal must paaa-aay the priiiiiiice. Lord, let me find him, THAAAAT I MAAAY SEE HIM SAAAAFE BEHIIIND BAAAAAARS!!!!!! IIIIIII WIIIIL NEEEVER REEEST TIIIILL THEEEEN, THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR, '''''THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR BYYYY... THEEEEEE STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!!!!!!!! [[spoiler: And if you thought that was [[{{Melodrama}} melodramatic]], his death is even hammer. I AM REACHING BUT I FALL/AND THE STARS ARE BLACK AND COLD/AS I STARE INTO THE VOID/OF A WORLD THAT CANNOT HOLD/I'LL ESCAPE NOW FROM THE WORLD/FROM THE WORLD OF JEAN VALJEAN/THERE IS NOWHERE I CAN TURN/THERE IS NO! WAY! TO! GO! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then, holding the last note for an absurdly long period of time, he throws himself into the Seine.]]

* Eva and Che in Theatre/{{Evita}} are both LargeHams, but especially Eva. DOOOOOON'T CRYYYYY FOOOOR MEEE AAAAAAAAAAAAAR-GEEEEN-TIIIIIIIII-IIIIN-NAAAAAA! THEE TRUUTH IIS, IIIIII NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVEEEER LEFT YOU!!!!!!

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* The French Ambassador in ''OfTheeISing''. "My country, she is deeply hurt. Not since the days of Louis the Seventh, the Eighth, the Ninth, the Tenth, and possibly the Eleventh has such a thing happened!"

* Count Fosco of ''The Woman in White''. It's another {{Melodrama}} so everybody hams it up, but as the show's primary comic relief ''and'' a villain, he's a lot more fun than the other characters.

** Elphaba's a LargeHam too, especially in "No Good Deed" ( No! Good! Deeeeed! Goes unpunished! All helpful urges should be "circumvented!" No! Good! Deed go-oes UNPUNISHED! Sure I meant well- '''well look what well meant did!!!''') and "Defying Gravity". ( So if you care to find me, LOOK TO THE WESTERN SKY! As someone told me lately, "Ev'ryone deserves the chance to fly!" And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free... To those who'd ground me, TAKE A MESSAGE BACK FROM MEEEEE... TELL THEM... HOW IIIIIIIII!!!!!!! AM DEEEEFYYYYING! GRA-VIITYYYYY!)

*** Even ''outside'' of HamToHamCombat with Jean Valjean, Javert's a '''huge''' ham, probably he takes everything so seriously. Just look at this passage from "Stars": And If you faall, as Luuciifeer feel, you faaaaal in flaaaaames... AAAAAAND SOOO IIIIIT MUUUST BE!!!!!!! Foooor soooo iit is wriiteen, ooon the '''''DOOORWAY TOOOO PAAAA-RAAAAA-DIIIIIIIISE!!!!!!!!!!''''' Thaaaaat those who falter and those that faaaal must paaa-aay the priiiiiiice. Lord, let me find him, THAAAAT I MAAAY SEE HIM SAAAAFE BEHIIIND BAAAAAARS!!!!!! IIIIIII WIIIIL NEEEVER REEEST TIIIILL THEEEEN, THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR, '''''THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR BYYYY... THEEEEEE STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!!!!!!!! [[spoiler: And if you thought that was [[{{Melodrama}} melodramatic]], his death is even hammer. I AM REACHING BUT I FALL/AND THE STARS ARE BLACK AND COLD/AS I STARE INTO THE VOID/OF A WORLD THAT CANNOT HOLD/I'LL ESCAPE NOW FROM THE WORLD/FROM THE WORLD OF JEAN VALJEAN/THERE IS NOWHERE I CAN TURN/THERE IS NO! WAY! TO! GO! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then, holding the last note for an absurdly long period of time, he throws himself into the Seine.]]

*** Even ''outside'' of HamToHamCombat with Jean Valjean, Javert's a '''huge''' ham. Just look at this passage from "Stars": And If you faall, as Luuciifeer feel, you faaaaal in flaaaaames... AAAAAAND SOOO IIIIIT MUUUST BE!!!!!!! Foooor soooo iit is wriiteen, ooon the '''''DOOORWAY TOOOO PAAAA-RAAAAA-DIIIIIIIISE!!!!!!!!!!''''' Thaaaaat those who falter and those that faaaal must paaa-aay the priiiiiiice. Lord, let me find him, THAAAAT I MAAAY SEE HIM SAAAAFE BEHIIIND BAAAAAARS!!!!!! IIIIIII WIIIIL NEEEVER REEEST TIIIILL THEEEEN, THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR, '''''THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR BYYYY... THEEEEEE STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!!!!!!!! [[spoiler: And if you thought that was [[{{Melodrama}} melodramatic]], his death is even hammer. I AM REACHING BUT I FALL/AND THE STARS ARE BLACK AND COLD/AS I STARE INTO THE VOID/OF A WORLD THAT CANNOT HOLD/I'LL ESCAPE NOW FROM THE WORLD/FROM THE WORLD OF JEAN VALJEAN/THERE IS NOWHERE I CAN TURN/THERE IS NO! WAY! TO! GO! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then, holding the last note for an absurdly long period of time, he throws himself into the Seine.]]

*** Even ''outside'' of HamToHamCombat with Jean Valjean, Javert's a '''huge''' ham. Just look at this passage from "Stars": And If you faall, as Luuciifeer feel, you faaaaal in flaaaaames... AAAAAAND SOOO IIIIIT MUUUST BE!!!!!!! Foooor soooo iit is wriiteen, ooon the '''''DOOORWAY TOOOO PAAAA-RAAAAA-DIIIIIIIISE!!!!!!!!!!''''' Thaaaaat those who falter and those that faaaal must paaa-aay the priiiiiiice. Lord, let me find him, THAAAAT I MAAAY SEE HIM SAAAAFE BEHIIIND BAAAAAARS!!!!!! IIIIIII WIIIIL NEEEVER REEEST TIIIILL THEEEEN, THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR, '''''THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR BYYYY... THEEEEEE STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!!!!!!!! [[spoiler: And if you thought that was [[{{Melodrama}} melodramatic]], his death is even hammer. I AM REACHING BUT I FALL/AND THE STARS ARE BLACK AND COLD/AS I STARE INTO THE VOID/OF A WORLD THAT CANNOT HOLD/I'LL ESCAPE NOW FROM THE WORLD/FROM THE WORLD OF JEAN VALJEAN/THERE IS NOWHERE I CAN TURN/THERE IS NO! WAY! TO! GO! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then, holding the last note for an absurdly long period of time, he throws himself into the Seine.]]

*** Even ''outside'' of HamToHamCombat with Jean Valjean, Javert's a '''huge''' ham. Just look at this passage from "Stars": And If you faall, as Luuciifeer feel, you faaaaal in flaaaaames... AAAAAAND SOOO IIIIIT MUUUST BE!!!!!!! Foooor soooo iit is wriiteen, ooon the '''''DOOORWAY TOOOO PAAAA-RAAAAA-DIIIIIIIISE!!!!!!!!!!''''' Thaaaaat those who falter and those that faaaal must paaa-aay the priiiiiiice. Lord, let me find him, THAAAAT I MAAAY SEE HIM SAAAAFE BEHIIIND BAAAAAARS!!!!!! IIIIIII WIIIIL NEEEVER REEEST TIIIILL THEEEEN, THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR, '''''THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR BYYYY... THEEEEEE STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!!!!!!!! [[spoiler: And if you thought that was [[{{Melodrama}} melodramatic]], his death is even hammer. I AM REACHING BUT I FALL/AND THE STARS ARE BLACK AND COLD/AS I STARE INTO THE VOID/OF A WORLD THAT CANNOT HOLD/I'LL ESCAPE NOW FROM THE WORLD/FROM THE WORLD OF JEAN VALJEAN/THERE IS NOWHERE I CAN TURN/THERE IS NO! WAY! TO! GO! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!And then, holding the last note for an absurdly long period of time, he throws himself into the Seine.]]

*** Even ''outside'' of HamToHamCombat with Jean Valjean, Javert's a '''huge''' ham. Just look at this passage from "Stars": And If you faall, as Luuciifeer feel, you faaaaal in flaaaaames... AAAAAAND SOOO IIIIIT MUUUST BE!!!!!!! Foooor soooo iit is wriiteen, ooon the '''''DOOORWAY TOOOO PAAAA-RAAAAA-DIIIIIIIISE!!!!!!!!!!''''' Thaaaaat those who falter and those that faaaal must paaa-aay the priiiiiiice. Lord, let me find him, THAAAAT I MAAAY SEE HIM SAAAAFE BEHIIIND BAAAAAARS!!!!!! IIIIIII WIIIIL NEEEVER REEEST TIIIILL THEEEEN, THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR, '''''THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR BYYYY... THEEEEEE STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!!!!!!!! [[spoiler: And if you thought that was [[{{Melodrama}} melodramatic]], his death is even hammer. I AM REACHING BUT I FALL/AND THE STARS ARE BLACK AND COLD/AS I STARE INTO THE VOID/OF A WORLD THAT CANNOT HOLD/I'LL ESCAPE NOW FROM THE WORLD/FROM THE WORLD OF JEAN VALJEAN/THERE IS NOWHERE I CAN TURN/THERE IS NO! WAY! TO! GO! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!And then, holding the last note for an absurdly long period of time, he throws himself into the Seine.]]

*** Even ''outside'' of HamToHamCombat with Jean Valjean, Javert's a '''huge''' ham. Just look at this passage from "Stars": And If you faall, as Luuciifeer feel, you faaaaal in flaaaaames... AAAAAAND SOOO IIIIIT MUUUST BE!!!!!!! Foooor soooo iit is wriiteen, ooon the '''''DOOORWAY TOOOO PAAAA-RAAAAA-DIIIIIIIISE!!!!!!!!!!''''' Thaaaaat those who falter and those that faaaal must paaa-aay the priiiiiiice. Lord, let me find him, THAAAAT I MAAAY SEE HIM SAAAAFE BEHIIIND BAAAAAARS!!!!!! IIIIIII WIIIIL NEEEVER REEEST TIIIILL THEEEEN, THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR, '''''THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR BYYYY... THEEEEEE STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!!!!!!!! [[spoiler: And if you thought that was [[{{Melodrama}} melodramatic]], his death is even hammer. I AM REACHING BUT I FALL/AND THE STARS ARE BLACK AND COLD/AS I STARE INTO THE VOID/OF A WORLD THAT CANNOT HOLD/I'LL ESCAPE NOW FROM THE WORLD/FROM THE WORLD OF JEAN VALJEAN/'''''THERE IS NOWHERE I CAN TURN/THERE IS NO! WAY! TO! GO! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!''''' And then, holding the last note for an absurdly long period of time, he throws himself into the Seine.]]

*** Even ''outside'' of HamToHamCombat with Jean Valjean,, Javert's a '''huge''' ham. Just look at this passage from "Stars": And If you faall, as Luuciifeer feel, you faaaaal in flaaaaames... AAAAAAND SOOO IIIIIT MUUUST BE!!!!!!! Foooor soooo iit is wriiteen, ooon the '''''DOOORWAY TOOOO PAAAA-RAAAAA-DIIIIIIIISE!!!!!!!!!!''''' Thaaaaat those who falter and those that faaaal must paaa-aay the priiiiiiice. Lord, let me find him, THAAAAT I MAAAY SEE HIM SAAAAFE BEHIIIND BAAAAAARS!!!!!! IIIIIII WIIIIL NEEEVER REEEST TIIIILL THEEEEN, THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR, '''''THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR BYYYY... THEEEEEE STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!!!!!!!! [[spoiler: And if you thought that was [[{{Melodrama}} melodramatic]], his death is even hammer.]]

*** Even ''outside'' of HamToHamCombat with Jean Valjean,, Javert's a '''huge''' ham. Just look at this passage from "Stars": (And If you faall, as Luuciifeer feel, you faaaaal in flaaaaames... AAAAAAND SOOO IIIIIT MUUUST BE!!!!!!! Foooor soooo iit is wriiteen, ooon the '''''DOOORWAY TOOOO PAAAA-RAAAAA-DIIIIIIIISE!!!!!!!!!!''''' Thaaaaat those who falter and those that faaaal must paaa-aay the priiiiiiice. Lord, let me find him, THAAAAT I MAAAY SEE HIM SAAAAFE BEHIIIND BAAAAAARS!!!!!! IIIIIII WIIIIL NEEEVER REEEST TIIIILL THEEEEN, THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR, '''''THIIIS IIII SWEEAAR BYYYY... THEEEEEE STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!!!!!!!!)

* The 2013 adaptation of ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' is set in a WorldOfHam -- which makes sense, given that in-story there's a lot of scenery that can ''literally'' be chewed on -- with Charlie and his parents the only characters exempt. But there's no contest as to the biggest ham of all once Willy Wonka reveals himself to the world with the Act One finale "It Must Be Believed to Be Seen", a song that was clearly written for the express purpose of rafter-rattling, and Creator/DouglasHodge is up to that challenge on the cast album.

* George Hearn's performance as Albin in the original Broadway staging of ''Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles'' was parodied by ''Forbidden Broadway'' as follows: "I ham what I ham/And when I ham, I get ovations..."
** Really, Albin -- [[DragQueen aka Zaza]] -- is a role that demands lovable, heartfelt hamming no matter who's playing him, and those who live up to it are embraced by audiences. A 2008 London revival made its way to the West End and then Broadway -- just five years after a 2004 revival in New York proved a disappointment -- largely on the strength of Douglas Hodge's performance in the role. His voice isn't as big as Hearn's, but he makes up for it in sheer emotion. (And like Hearn, he won a Tony Award for his performance.)

* The 2013 adaptation of ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' is set in a WorldOfHam -- which makes sense, given that in-story there's a lot of scenery that can ''literally'' be chewed on -- with Charlie and his parents the only characters exempt. But there's no contest as to the biggest ham of all once Willy Wonka reveals himself to the world with the Act One finale "It Must Be Believed to Be Seen", a song that was clearly written for the express purpose of rafter-rattling, and Douglas Hodge is up to that challenge on the cast album.

* Practically a requirement for anyone playing Richard Henry Lee in ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix '', as the script has him constantly making "Lee"/"-ly" puns on adverbs and proclaiming he will single-handed-Lee deliver Virginia to the independence movement or may he be cursed forever. Lee's involvement in the play amounts to basically ''two scenes'' and the original Broadway actor ''still'' won a Tony because his musical number performance was just ''that'' memorable.

* Creator/CirqueDuSoleil shows demand ''everyone'' to be ready and willing to ham it up if and when need be, and often without intelligible dialogue ([[Main/SilenceIsGolden if that!]]). In particular, the vast majority of comic characters/clowns are large hams. [[WorldOfHam Particularly hammy shows]] include ''Theatre/NouvelleExperience'', ''Theatre/{{Saltimbanco}}'' (particularly Act Two), ''Theatre/{{Mystere}}'', and ''Theatre/{{Zarkana}}'', the last of which is the Cirque version of a RockOpera.

** Really, Albin -- [[DragQueen aka Zaza]] -- is a role that demands lovable, heartfelt hamming no matter who's playing him, and those who live up to it are embraced by audiences. A 2008 London revival made its way to the West End and then Broadway -- just five years after a 2004 revival in New York proved a disappointment -- largely on the strength of Douglas Hodge's performance in the role. His voice isn't as big as Hearn's, but he makes up for it in sheer emotion. (And as Hearn did in 1983, he won a Tony Award for his performance.)

* Snoopy in ''[[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown]]''. The lesser-known SpiritualSuccessor ''Snoopy! TheMusical'' gives him even more opportunities to ham it up, particularly in "The Great Writer", in which he types up an increasingly ridiculous {{Melodrama}} complete with a fistfight between cowboys.

* Count Fosco of ''The Woman in White'', another Creator/AndrewLloydWebber musical. It's another {{Melodrama}} so everybody hams it up, but as the show's primary comic relief ''and'' a villain, he's a lot more fun than the other characters.

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** Jesus himself can break out the ham as well, especially Ian Gillan in the original cast version. He [[MetalScream screams]] a fair bit of his lines, and the most remembered part of "Gethsemane" consists of [[BetterThanItSounds his anguished screams.]] ("WHYYYYY!? WHYYY SHOULD I DIIIIIIE!?")

** Really, Albin -- [[DragQueen aka Zaza]] -- is a role that demands lovable, heartfelt hamming no matter who's playing him, and those who live up to it are embraced by audiences. A 2008 London revival made its way to the West End and then Broadway -- just five years after a 2004 revival in New York proved a disappointment -- largely on the strength of Douglas Hodge's performance in the role. His voice isn't as big as Hearn's, but he makes up for it in sheer emotion. (Both actors won Tonys for their work.)

** Really, Albin -- [[DragQueen aka Zaza]] -- is a role that demands lovable, heartfelt hamming no matter who's playing him.