Donna Murphy, FOLLIES Christine Ebersole, GREY GARDENS Sutton Foster, ANYTHING GOES Victoria Clark, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA Alice Ripley, NEXT TO NORMAL Norbert Leo Butz, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS Harvey Feirsten, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards
Ethel Merman in GYPSY(1959) Also, in random order: Anna Maria Alberghetti in CARNIVAL(1961) Florence Henderson in THE GIRL WHO CAME TO SUPPER(1963) Elaine Stritch in GOLDILOCKS(1958 Barbara Cook in SHE LOVES ME(?) Chita Rivera in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN(1993) Robert Preston in BEN FRANKLIN IN PARIS(sometime in the 1960's) Barbara Harris in THE APPLE TREE(mid 1960's) Harry Groener in CRAZY FOR YOU(1992) Christopher Fitzgerald in FINIAN'S RAINBOW(2009) John Laroquette in HOW TO SUCCEED... (2011) Anthony Newley & Cyril Ritchard in THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT, THE SMELL OF THE CROWD(1965) Larry Kert in WEST SIDE STORY(195 Richard Burton in CAMELOT(revival in early 1980's)
The above lists performances that I found especially wonderful; in all cases the individual displayed tremendous "stage presence". When they were on, they owned the stage.
At the risk of being run off the board, I did not get Kimbal's perf in Memphis. It was so mannered that I was constantly aware of watching the actor rather than the character. But I know I'm in the minority and that most thought he was brilliant.
And since we seem to be including plays, Vanessa Redgrave in Long Day's Journey. Indelible!
Wilmington - there's a difference, though, between 'favorite' and 'best'. Two of my favorites are Ann Miller and Mickey Rooney in SUGAR BABIES - but I'd be hard-pressed to defend the performances on any kind of acting/performance level. They truly were two of my favorites, though, because they - and by extension, us - were having SUCH a good time!
I completely agree with Q. The one and only Ann Miller and Mickey Rooney provided me with a superb evening's entertainment. I think I was grinning from ear to ear during the entire show, that is when I wasn't laughing out loud. SUGAR BABIES was a blast!
I will, however, completely defend Ms. Miller as the 'best' as far as her dancing went - even at that 'ripe' age, she was still tapping at the speed of light, and it was magnificent!
Beth Leavel Drowsy Chaperone Mary Testa 42nd Street Christine Ebersole 42nd Street Jeannette Bayardelle The Color Purple Deborah Cox Aida Brandi Chavonne Massey Jekyll and Hyde Billy Porter - Grease Huge Jackman The Boy From Oz Matthew Morrison Light In The Piazza BJ Crosby Smokey Joe's Cafe Stacy Francis Footloose Ramona Keller Brooklyn Cleavant Derricks Dreamgirls Jennifer Holiday Dreamgirls Loretta Divine Dreamgirls Darlene Love Hairspray Tevin Campbell Hairspray Audra McDonald Ragtime Ruth Brown Black and Blue Ann Duquesnay Bring In the Noise, Bring In The Funk Chris Jackson In The Heights Lynn Manuel In The Heights Lilias White The Life Marin Mazzie Next To Normal Chuck Cooper Caroline or Change Tamyra Gray Bombay Dreams
There is nothing in the world better than Live Theater.
I only "discovered" Broadway recently so I haven't seen much but Teal Wicks in Wicked blew me away, her voice was so powerful and beautiful and her acting really moved me.
I also love Robert J. Spencer in Next To Normal, I didn't get a chance to see him live but I love him in the OBC recording and the few videos I've seen of him. I just can't get enough of his voice.
I'm glad there were finally some posts from people who saw some performances before 1990. And actually, most of the posts are from performances from 2000 on.
So, for me, the greatest performance I've ever seen on any stage anywhere in any musical was Robert Weede, who recreated his role in The Most Happy Fella in LA in the mid-1960s. Brilliant, majestic, and perfect. So brilliant, in fact, that I did what no one back then used to do - I went backstage and asked to meet him. There was no "stage dooring" by teens and others back then - it was unheard of. Hence, I was the ONLY one who was backstage. They brought Mr. Weede to me and he was the kindest, most gracious performer I've ever met - in fact, his graciousness with a babbling teenage fan has informed my life and the way I treat people when they're kind enough to write or come up to me. He asked if I wanted to be an actor and I told him yes, and he was just so supportive and sweet it was amazing. Since I'd just seen the matinee of their closing two performances, he then invited me to stay for the evening show and to attend their little cast party, which I did. At the party, he introduced me to everyone and just sort of kept me close to him.
Other great performances include: Joel Grey in Stop The World - I Want To Get Off. Lotte Lenya and Jack Gilford in Cabaret Jerry Orbach in Promises, Promises Carol Channing in the original production of Hello, Dolly! (as opposed to the many tours) Tammy Grimes in The Unsinkable Molly Brown - absolutely delicious - the first musical I ever saw - the national tour in LA Elaine Stritch in Company The entire cast of Follies - the most perfect cast I've ever seen in anything. William Daniels in 1776 - unforgettable Ethel Merman in Call Me Madam (in the round in 1965) The entire original cast of A Chorus Line, which I saw in previews at the Shubert in NY Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd Jennifer Holliday in Dreamgirls Michaell Jeter in Grand Hotel Marilyn Cooper in Woman Of The Year - a lesson in how to stop the show with only one scene
bk, I envy your seeing Robert Weede in the brilliant THE MOST HAPPY FELLA. A friend and I were supposed to see this show at the Imperial in 1957, but unfortunately it never materialized. I have the 3CD complete performance which I now feel like finding so I can play it. The complete recording is just great theatre. I saw a lackluster production on Broadway in the early 1980's, I believe, but I can't remember who played the leads. And I saw a good NY City Opera production many years ago. This show is so good that it needs a first class Broadway revival. I ask BWW members to cast it for me.
bk - I have to agree with you about the original cast of FOLLIES. It was just a remarkable cast. I place it as the second-greatest cast I've ever seen. The original production of CAMELOT had the most perfect cast I ever saw.
Gypsy9 - I saw a production of THE MOST HAPPY FELLA, with Giorgio Tozzi, in 1980, that I thought was great.
Agree with the Original cast of FOLLIES. Particularly Dorothy Collins, who was breathtaking, (and a gracious and funny backstage-visit for a 21-year-old) and Mary McCarty at the end of "Who's That Woman?" shouting "Wasn't that a BLAST?" and getting the audience to ovation-level all over again. (Of course, it didn't hurt that that particular number is one of the truly great overall pieces of musical theatre, so far as I'm concerned.)
I really LOVED Victoria Clark in TITANIC. That woman almost single-handedly kept Act One in some sense of order, and her performance of the song about having "danced with the first-class" is a buried treasure of dreamy intensity.
Linda Hopkins in INNER CITY (Tony winner) Hal Linden in a hot-mess called LOVE-MATCH (which died out of town) Larry Blyden (Tony Winner) absolutely devilish in the 1971 Revival of FORUM. Judy Kaye in SOUVENIR
Finally, the entire cast of the original touring company of MARAT/SADE (Tony winner for Best Play, though that cast didn't tour) -- which has an amazing number of terrific songs and musical "nubmers" in it, and was staged with more theatrical "musicality" than most musicals today.
Forgot to mention that Art Lund also re-created his role in that same production. Magic. I'd love to still have that program just to see who Rosabella and Cleo were. It was wonderfully directed by William Sarracino.