Manchild: 8 West End Characters Who Totally Deserve That Title
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Vivienne Shaw
Sabrina Carpenter just delivered the anthem we didn’t know we needed with her latest single, “Manchild”. There’s something endlessly entertaining (and exhausting) about a character with ‘manchild’ energy. We’ve all encountered the type and make no mistake - this isn’t just about the boys. We’re talking about anyone who avoids accountability, lives in delusion, or makes mess after mess and calls it a personality trait.
From emotionally stunted boyfriends to full-on delusional divas, here are 8 West End characters who absolutely deserve to be dragged by a glittery, theatrical rendition of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild”.
Nate: the culinary boyfriend who made being mildly supportive seem like a full-time job. While Andy fights it out in the cutthroat world of Runway, becoming the ultimate ‘Miranda Girl’, Nate throws guilt trips instead of dinner parties. He pouts when she prioritises her job, acts like she’s changed because she has ambition, and somehow still believes he’s the victim.
2. Mr. Wormwood - Matilda
If being petty, self-absorbed and allergic to growth isn’t manchild energy, we don’t know what is. Mr. Wormwood is a grown man who throws tantrums when challenged, bullies his own daughter for being smart, and lies to everyone with the confidence only a used-car salesman could muster.
Every single time he appears, he lowers the collective IQ on the stage. He’s far more interested in scams than parenting, and treats Matilda’s brilliance like a personal attack. Matilda may sing about growing up and being brave enough to fight the creatures underneath the bed, but it’s Mr Wormwood, the so-called grown-up, who’s the creature in question.
Don’t let the flapper fashion and soft voice fool you: Daisy might just be the most emotionally immature person in West End musical theatre. She runs from consequences, lets others clean up her mess, and hides behind helplessness. The girl is chaos in pearls.
Daisy may not mean to be cruel, but she is. She plays with Gatsby’s heart while staying safe in her privileged world, retreating the second things get messy. Like many manchildren, she lets other people pay the emotional bill for her mistakes, never lifting a finger.
Sky is supposed to be the cool fiancé who loves Sophie for who she is, but the second she invites three possible dads to their wedding, he spirals. Rather than talk it out like an adult, he storms off dramatically and acts betrayed - like Sophie’s long-overdue, and very complicated runion, is a personal slight on him. It’s clear that Sky thinks she should only have one daddy, and not three…
He loves the idea of Sophie but can’t handle her being curious or independent. In the sunny chaos of Mamma Mia!, he’s the storm cloud of emotional immaturity.
Che is basically that self-important guy at the party who starts a political debate during dessert. He's ”passionate”- but also wildly judgmental and obsessed with proving he's more “aware” than everyone else. Instead of supporting real change, he monologues about how everyone else is doing it wrong.
He positions himself as morally above Eva, but constantly shadows her success, waiting for her to fail. He’s not the revolutionary…he’s the bitter theatre kid who didn’t get cast as the lead. As Sabrina would say, he’s quite literally “the loudest in the room when no one’s listening”.
Disclaimer: This paragraph refers to Fiyero in Act 1 - as he does evolve.
Fiyero starts as the embodiment of manchild apathy: too cool to care, too pretty to grow up. He floats through Shiz like a charming distraction, emotionally unavailable as well as confusing. His idea of romance is flirting with two girls at once and then ghosting one mid-song.
To his credit, Fiyero does evolve, but not before causing a decent amount of emotional whiplash. He hides behind wit and bravado, deflects sincerity, and only takes a stand once everything’s gone off the rails. Mainchild energy? Strong. Redemption arc? Slightly stronger.
7. King George (and Alexander Hamilton) - Hamilton
King George is the most iconic petty ex in musical theatre. He sends a musical breakup letter, then follows it up with two more songs about how you’ll be sorry. He’s emotionally manipulative, catastrophically entitled, and absolutely refuses to accept rejection. The manchild vibe is imperial.
We’d be remiss not to shoutout Alexander Hamilton himself - whose entire downfall centres in his inability to take advice, pause, or stop talking. He sabotages his own career, family and legacy for the sake of his ego.
8. Sally Bowles - Cabaret
Sally is the queen of delusion and denial, earning her spot on this list. She lives for the moment and refuses to grow up, no matter how loudly the world falls apart around her. When offered stability and love, she recoils, preferring the chaos and avoiding reality consistently throughout the show.
Her manchild energy isn’t malicious, it’s heartbreaking. Sally is trapped in her fantasy of glamour and freedom to a point where it even destroys her. But as she’d say herself: “life is a cabaret, old chum”.
Ready to face the manchild in your life or on stage?
Sabrina’s got the soundtrack, and the West End’s got the cast. Whether you’re a recovering Glinda or currently dating a Nate, sometimes, you really are better off walking away before intermission.