Brooke was VERY good in the part. She handled the songs well, did wonders with the comedic moments and was generally lovable. She performed with gusto, elegance and confidence.
As has been said before she has been credited with keeping that cast and crew employed for a good 6-7 months.
She was also very gracious at the stage door.
I respectfully disagree. Murphy's "One Hundred Easy Ways" remains one of the funniest renditions of a number I've seen, especially during the last verse, when she does the whole "I'm afraid you've made a grammatical error" schtick, she was pure comic genius. As much as I love Rosalind Russell's Ruth Sherwood, Murphy's "Conga" is my absolute favorite out of all the WONDERFUL TOWN cast recordings I've listened to.
Her Tony performance of "Swing" was superb.
I think it's funny when people say that Donna Murphy is strictly a dramatic actress, most people forget that she started in comedies. She earned fantastic reviews in SHOWING OFF (her performance in the cast recording is hilarious), she played Audrey in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, and BIRDS OF PARADISE.
Having said all that, Ruth Sherwood belongs to Rosalind Russell who the role was tailored for.
Swing Joined: 7/13/07
I thought she was wonderful. I loved her in it. She was funny as anything and not a bad singer
Not to mention her turn in the music hall (needs a revival NOW) romp THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD.
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