| Sharon: The narrator, she builds rapport with the audience. After the prologue, she is the only character to break the fourth wall until the epilogue. Sharon is a feminist with a sense of humor; also a teenager, she radiates idealism, bravado, and vulnerability. She is the daughter (19-22) of the family. A soprano.
Papa: Papa has an oriental reserve except in his passion for his children and wife, here; he is unabashedly western. His patience and forgiveness have to be almost unbelievable: he is, in fact, the prodigal one. The great contrast is with Juda's anger. He is a strong baritone, and it would help the look if he were portly.
Mama: Mama's fluttering about is meant to bring some comedy to this drama: she shows the same reserve as any Jewish mother from Brooklyn. Mama must be able to balance comic acting with dramatic. Mama is a soprano.
David: The elder (22-25) of the two "lost sons." He exudes the robust American spirit one would expect of the cast of Oklahoma! We have to feel for David in the end: his decision at the blackout is the decision of the audience. We have to feel he is right. He is a tenor, who sings country and funk with equal passion.
Juda: James Dean of the bronze age, the younger brother (16-17) is shallow and offensive: none of our sympathies can be with him at the outset. Even his turnabout is more desperation than repentance, so when we do take his side, it must be a combination of sympathy and memory, for he too is every one of us. Juda is a tenor, may have spiked and dyed hair.
Bartender: Some things don't change over the centuries. The bartender is Mister Hospitality in the "Distant Land" scene, but has a menacing kind of charm and wit in the "Hog Heaven" scene. This is an important role: he controls the pace and energy (with the chorus) in the central scenes of the show. The bartender is a baritone.
Chorus: From eight to thirty people. They take numerous roles and costume changes. Chorus members will also take various supporting roles which include:
Servants in the manor
The "Cowbelles" - David's back-up singers (4-6 women)
Patrons of the "Distant Land" bar and grill, including floozies, barflies, and Rudy Valley.
Pig-bikers and pig-floozies in the "Hog Heaven" bar
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