These are the ten greatest stage characters as voted by theatre-lovers - do you agree?
![Gillian Anderson as Blanche DuBois in A Streecar Named Desire at the Young Vic in 2014 (photo: Johan Persson)](https://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/webimg/legacy_gc_2020_09_06-Blanche-DuBois-Gillian-Anderson.-Photo-by-Johan-Persson.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65&enable=upscale)
![Gillian Anderson as Blanche DuBois in A Streecar Named Desire at the Young Vic in 2014 (photo: Johan Persson)](/img/placeholder.png)
Theatre-lovers have voted for their favourite characters from stage plays - and the results may come as a surprise.
Readers of the website whatsonstage.com were asked to pick their most-loved roles, with the resulting list blending centuries-old parts with those from the past decade ...
10 LADY MACBETH
Macbeth
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdA woman infuriated by her husband’s lack of ambition, Lady Macbeth spurs him on to claim what she believes is his destiny. It’s one of Shakespeare’s most sought-after female roles and retains its power and potency 400 years on.
9 SCORPIUS MALFOY
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
It’s among the most ambitious shows in the West End - and not just in its staging. The play depicts Harry Potter’s son as best friends with Scorpius Malfoy, whose father was Potter’s nemesis.
![Gillian Anderson as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Young Vic in 2014 (photo: Johan Persson)](https://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/webimg/legacy_gc_2020_09_06-Blanche-DuBois-Gillian-Anderson.-Photo-by-Johan-Persson-1024x683.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65)
![Gillian Anderson as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Young Vic in 2014 (photo: Johan Persson)](/img/placeholder.png)
8 WILLY LOMAN
Death of a Salesman
Wendell Pierce’s turn as the mightily mediocre Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s classic won plaudits aplenty last year. The character’s decline is among the most deeply affecting in theatre.
7 INSPECTOR GOOLE
An Inspector Calls
The enigmatic inspector in J B Priestly’s scathing drama reveals the attitudes of a particular British upper-class family to devastating effect.
6 VANYA
Uncle Vanya
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAnton Chekhov’s 1898 play tells of two friends, Vanya and Astrov, who both fall for the same woman while bemoaning the boredom of their provincial existence.
5 LADY BRACKNELL
The Importance of Being Earnest
One of the great grand-dames of the stage. “A haaandbaaag?” indeed.
4 BEATRICE
Much Ado About Nothing
The sharp-witted heroine from Shakespeare’s romantic comedy is more than a match for Benedick - or any other man, come to think of it.
3 HAMLET
Hamlet
The defining role for many a stage actor, Hamlet is tragic, comic, and, most of all, profoundly human.
2 CHRISTOPHER BOONE
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdChristopher’s particular way of experiencing the world doesn’t always make life easy for him, but it opens up wonders aplenty too.
1 BLANCHE DUBOIS
A Streetcar Named Desire
Tennessee Williams’ tortured, multi-faceted character is operatically epic on a domestic scale. It’s a challenging role, but one that brings rich rewards.