morosco, you read my mind. Something about Jeter in that show was magical and infectious. Also, I wish you youngins could have seen Tommy Steele in HALF A SIXPENCE.
My mind has been spinning reading everyone's responses and remembering just how great some of those performances were, but I'm gonna go with the first two that I thought of.
Male: Raul Esparza, Company Female: LaChanze, The Color Purple
Male in musical: Steve Kazee in 110 in the Shade Female in musical: Patti LuPone in Gypsy (though Audra in 110 in the shade is a VERY, VERY, close second) Male in play: Raul Esparza in Speed-the-Plow Female in play: Amy Morton in August: Osage County
Performance that would have been my favorite, had I seen it: Robert Lindsay, in Me in My Girl
Play Male- Brian Dennehy, Death of a Salesman Play Female- Amy Morton, August: Osage County
Honorable Mention- Patti LuPone, Gypsy Alice Ripley, next to normal Phylicia Rashad, August: Osage County Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit Updated On: 2/1/11 at 11:36 PM
Audra McDonald- 110 in the Shade ....and I'm serious, Laura Bell Bundy- Legally Blonde. The joy in her performance was truly infectious. (*I saw the show in SF and just after opening on Bway, when she still had her voice)
And I have to mention three casts whose acting ensemble created the biggest emotional responses i've had at the theatre: -Next To Normal (OBC) -August: Osage County (National Tour) -Movin' Out (National Tour) - Seriously, was such a moving experience for me