I'd throw a couple of modern roles and musical roles out there too.
Mrs. Lovett from Stephen Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD is a one of the great villainous roles in musical theater, with a lot of room for interpretation and nuance.
Mama Rose from GYPSY, another Sondheim work, is one of the most coveted roles in history. The show's finale, "Rose's Turn", is one of the most powerful monologues, sung or spoken, in all of American theater.
Of course, Blanche Dubois from Tennessee Williams' A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE is pretty much the most iconic female role in modern American theater. Williams generally wrote great roles for women; he is also responsible for Maggie from CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF and Amanda Wingfield from THE GLASS MENAGERIE. Essentially, he could write the Hell out of a Southern dame.
Mrs. Lovett from Stephen Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD is a one of the great villainous roles in musical theater, with a lot of room for interpretation and nuance.
Mama Rose from GYPSY, another Sondheim work, is one of the most coveted roles in history. The show's finale, "Rose's Turn", is one of the most powerful monologues, sung or spoken, in all of American theater.
Of course, Blanche Dubois from Tennessee Williams' A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE is pretty much the most iconic female role in modern American theater. Williams generally wrote great roles for women; he is also responsible for Maggie from CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF and Amanda Wingfield from THE GLASS MENAGERIE. Essentially, he could write the Hell out of a Southern dame.