Broadway Legends of this Generation???? (future broadway legends)- Page 4

[Craww]

Posted: 2/27/08 at 11:39pm

Given the people mentioned, the term "legend" has gone the way of the standing ovation.

Yeah, and given the shift in the relevance of Broadway, there isn't a single performer alive who could even conceivably fit your definition of legend. Notoriety and remembrance are relative to the shifts in culture, so many of the people mentioned are more than qualified.

[Grand Motel]

Posted: 2/28/08 at 1:07am

Craww, have I made it clear enough that you're one of my favorite posters here?

[mamaleh]

Posted: 2/28/08 at 10:44am

Even on the basis of his one-shot stateside tour-de-force turn in THE BOY FROM OZ, how could anyone who saw that legendary performance think of Hugh Jackman as less than one of the all-time greats? He's the only legendary performer I can think of. Despite harsh reviews of the show, his sheer charisma and talent put butts in those seats for a year, with no missed performances. Now THAT's what "becomes a legend most," as the fur ad used to say.

[boyturnstOz822]

Posted: 3/3/08 at 4:11am

Stephanie J Block is probably one of the most unnoticed talents on broadway. She has more acting chops than most current broadway leads, and she is also a dancer. "She Loves to Hear the Music" was ridiculous in Boy from Oz. One of the few truly powerful voices currently on broadway. She may not riff every other note, but she knows what she is doing.

Updated On: 3/3/08 at 04:11 AM

[broadwaygal3]

Posted: 3/4/08 at 5:17pm

I agree, Hugh Jackman! His performance in The Boy From Oz was the best I've ever seen. It was legendary!!

[TiffanyB]

Posted: 3/4/08 at 7:26pm

Girls: Sutton, Kristin, possibly Idina..not really, Sherie, Audra, Lea. I think Lauren Kennedy has a lot of potential.. Maybe Mara Davi

Boys: Most have been brought up...What about Matthew Morrison??
Updated On: 3/4/08 at 07:26 PM

[Kristeliz]

Posted: 3/4/08 at 8:43pm

I really do not understand the Idina haters on this board. I mean really, she is KNOWN as Elphaba(and stephanie is great but come on-- she was not chosen to seal the deal on broadway during the time that counts, as lovely as she is.)

Idina originated Maureen in Rent and Ephaba (on broadway and in the west end)-- for MY generation at least she is probably going to be remembered as a broadway legend for these two roles. Sorry, kids.

And how do most people remember Angela Lansbury Iand Betty Buckley- oh as Jesica Fletcher and Abby on Eight is Enough. I mean when BB was at Feinsteins, my mom asked--ohh. want to go see that lady from that show with Dick Van Patten and all those kids.aww especially that cute kid Nicholas. I mean come on.. most people WOULD consider Even Dick Van Patten to be more of a legend.

Stop the hating. Idina, Kristin, Audra- legends. Woot.

[augustine73]

Posted: 3/4/08 at 9:07pm

Kristin Chenoweth
Lea Salonga
Bernadette Peters
Sutton Foster

[Wynbish]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 10:37am

I'm sure there is a thread similar to this that has been done since 2008, but this is the best I could find.


Time Out's Future Legends of New York Theater

[Playbilly]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 11:12am

I think it may be harder to be a "legend" for today's younger stars. Younger stars are more likely to get swept to Hollywood, and blunt their theater careers. Fewer shows (and so, hits) are on Broadway, meaning fewer iconic roles. Celebrity is more common today, weakening the whole concept of legend and career longevity. Joe Jonas. Daniel Radcliff and Corbin Bleu are probably more famous than Hunter Foster. Could you see them being Broadway legends?

[Kelly2]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 11:17am

Jessie Mueller x 1000.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 11:26am

I agree with Playblilly, in the past broadway legends were household names, nowadays most of them are only known by an elite section of the population. I think our modern legends are those who are able to crossover to mainstream media like Kristin, Lea, Sutton, NPH, and Jackman.

Updated On: 3/27/13 at 11:26 AM

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 11:31am

Okay, just a bit of perspective, if I may...

I collect scores and scripts to old Broadway musicals, dating back to the 1890s. My favourite example for this particular topic is a 1903 show called THE PINK LADY, by Ivan Caryll.

You cant imagine what a hit this was in its day. Seriously. Every major performer wanted to be in it. Its costumes inspired fashion designs. The score was played at every social gathering, and the Kiss Waltz was something every debutante had ot know how to sing. It ran for a year and a half (which in those days was a big run). had three North American tours and two European ones. Every performer involved with it was a huge star, and Hazel Dawn, who created the title role, was celebrated for two generations in her performance of it.

Does anyone remember Hazel Dawn?

Does anyone even remember Ivan Caryll? He wrote over 40 shows, all of them huge successes, all with gorgeous salon-style music. He was indeed the Sondheim of his day, because he integrated his scores into the librettos, long before SHOW BOAT thought it was such a cool idea. But now, I doubt any of you know much, if anything, of his work.

People become legends not because of how many appearances they've made or how many awards they've won. They become legends because their reputations have longevity beyond even our lifetimes. People may talk about Audra and Kristin and Nathan and the others for now, but another performer will come along, and then everyone will talk about him or her as though she were the next Ethel Merman, and all these people we so adore will be put on the shelf as a curious footnote and little more.

Just sayin', folks.

[madbrian]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 11:35am

I think Sutton Foster is the most likely candidate. Unlike many others, she has originated roles, rather than becoming known for revivals. Other than Anything Goes, others will be compared to her, rather than she being compared to others who have played roles before her. I think there are plenty of talented folks out there, but through hard work and good fortune, Sutton's career has taken the best path toward legend. I think Jessica Goldyn has the right talent to become a legend, but she hasn't yet found the right roles to originate.

[wonkit]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 11:38am

Female: Audra, Kelli, Laura Benanti

Male: Raul, Cerveris, Mitchell

I wish (but not enough chance to shine - yet): Terence Mann, Annaleigh Ashford, Brian D'Arcy James

[Kelly2]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 11:43am

I mean, Ms. Mueller WAS just named one of the future legends of NY Theatre by Time Out NY.

Just sayin'.

[sephyr]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 12:13pm

In the future some names that come to mind....Sara Ramirez, Sutton Foster, Lea Michele, Megan Hilty, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Ariana Grande (if she really gets back into the Broadway world), Brian D'Arcy James, Daniel Breaker, Raul Esparza, Leslie Odom Jr., Nancy Opel, Shoshona Bean, Eden Espinosa, and more. There are so many talented performers out there who just need the right roles and exposure.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 12:26pm

It's a shame we can't include Linda Eder on this list, she has one of the most incredible voices of this generation.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 12:38pm

Also Nina Arianda and Gavin Creel, in my opinion

Interesting that, looking through some of the earlier pages, Hunter Foster's name came up alongside his sister's...

[darquegk]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 1:41pm

I think it's going to go very much along the lines Playbilly suggested, but with a caveat.

The future Broadway legends will not be people like Patti LuPone who are known almost exclusively for their contributions to the theatre. They will be, not "crossover stars," but people who have a major and respected stage presence AND screen presence without compromising either side of their career.

Consider Hugh Jackman and Daniel Radcliffe. Are they bigger as Hollywood stars than as stage legends? Yes, so far. BUT both of them have achieved three significant things:

Both of them are well known by the public to be stage actors as well as just doing film;

Both of them have proven serious about the stage as an extension of their career, not as an experiment or a stunt.

Both of them have been massively successful onstage, and were not flashes in the pan.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 1:52pm

Patti LuPone is undisputedly a Broadway legend!! To me she's one of the few exceptions to the rule about having to be known outside of the theatre. But I get what your saying, I wouldn't necessarily call Daniel a Broadway legend, but it's a nice strategy. To me Sutton and Lea are the biggest right now. I could see them both getting revivals of Gypsy when they're the old enough.



Updated On: 3/27/13 at 01:52 PM

[darquegk]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 2:07pm

I'm not saying Radcliffe is a Broadway legend yet, although I would make that claim easily for Hugh Jackman, who has conquered the stage and become one of the 21st century's defining male theatrical presences thus far.

Radcliffe, however, I would call a future Broadway legend, as he takes the stage just as seriously as the screen and continues to make daring and successful choices of plays and musicals

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 2:16pm

I think Laura Osnes has great potential.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 3/27/13 at 2:32pm

Hugh Jack, I'd definitely call a Broadway Legend.

[Emma White]

Posted: 3/28/13 at 9:20pm

Stars with the talent but who aren't famous enough: Leigh Ann Larkin, Laura Osnes, Stephanie J. Block (as much as I love her)

People who will always be considered the greats: Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel (undeservedly, imo), Audra McDonald,
The only person I think who will be considered a legend in the style of Bernadette or Patti is Sutton Foster. I think Sutton also gets attention because she's one of the absolute best dancers Broadway has seen in a while.