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Nationwide
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27 October 2025
We don’t know why the antagonist often has the best numbers in a musical, but they do a lot of the time.
Whether they’re more of a traditional villain – think murderous barbers or flesh-eating plants – or they’re a misunderstood or misplaced soul, these characters have memorable numbers; sometimes funny, sometimes dark, and more often than not, darkly humorous.
In shows across the UK this spooky season, you can see the mysterious Phantom of the Opera lurking beneath the Paris Opera House, the relentless Javert on a quest for justice, the cunning Madame Morrible changing the weather, the notorious Miranda Priestly terrorising fashion magazine assistants, and the god of the Underworld, Hades, to name just a few. Hey, we even heard a snippet of the newest villain origin story in Paddington The Musical!
Just in time for Halloween, here are some of the best numbers performed by villains in musicals.
“Be Prepared” from The Lion King
“Epiphany” from Sweeney Todd
“Feed Me (Git It)” from Little Shop of Horrors
“Gaston” from Beauty and the Beast
“Hellfire” from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
“Hello, Little Girl” from Into the Woods
“Hey, Little Songbird” from Hadestown
“Killer Instinct” from Bring It On
“(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs” from Hairspray
“Little Girls” from Annie
“Master of the House” from Les Miserables
“Raise a Little Hell” from Bonnie and Clyde
“Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid
“Sweet Transvestite” from The Rocky Horror Show
“The Smell of Rebellion” from Matilda The Musical
“The Whole Being Dead Thing” from Beetlejuice
“World Burn” from Mean Girls
“You’ll Be Back” from Hamilton
Can’t see your favourite? Plead your case on social media!
