BEST ONE PERSON SHOWS!

[jimmirae]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:02pm

I desire to pick your brains here and ask your FAVORITE "One Person Shows", now, I am talking about only ONE PERSON onstage through the whole show, So something like Chita's new show wouldn't count due to the chorus/dancers.
I'll throw out my 3 Favorites to start you off:
"TRU" with Bobby Morse
"Lucifer's Child" - with the DIVINE Miss Julie Harris
and of course - the REAL HUM DINGER -
"Elaine Stritch: At Liberty"
Please add any or tell me you liked one of these too, That would be nice and I adore ONE person Shows! Now, THAT's Entertainment!!
(I would have LOVED to add Miss Tomlin's show as well, But I never had the pleasure, I only saw that made for showtime "FILM" of it when I am so sure it was better with Lily & a bare stage!)
P.S> Whoopi can do no wrong either!!

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:04pm

Nothing could ever compare to Carol Channing's THE FIRST 80 YEARS ARE THE HARDEST. Nothing.

[morosco]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:06pm

Zoe Caldwell in LILLIAN. Not the best, but a mesmerizing evening.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:07pm

I'm still upset that I missed Whoopi.

[jimmirae]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:13pm

Oh DollyPop, Please forgive me, I totally forgot about Miss Channing, Yes, She is and was and always shall be AMAZING at ANY age, Hell, She IS Carol Channing!! Did you ever see her in "Lorelei"?? That is the one I ALWAYS desired to see but missed, and from the little bumps & grinds she does in "Little Rock", I KNOW I missed a LOT!! p.s. CICILLA SISSON RULES!!! (What album was that routine on? Is it still available??)

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:18pm

the blonde in the thunderbird

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:20pm

"In My Life"

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:22pm

A few of the best I've seen (off the top of my head):

Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music -- Extraordinary
Elaine Stritch At Liberty
The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
Ian McKellan's Acting Shakespeare
Full Gallop (with Mary Lousie Wilson)
Paul Robeson (with James Earl Jones)
Fully Committed (with Mark Setlock)
I Am My Own Wife (with Jefferson Mays)
The Belle of Amherst (with Julie Harris)
Resident Alien (about Quentin Crisp with Bette Bourne)
Gertrude Stein (Pat Carroll)

Updated On: 12/4/05 at 11:22 PM

[jimmirae]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:42pm

Margo - How was "Resident Alien"? I never got to read nor see it but I was a friend of Mr. Crisp. God, How I miss that man!!!

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:44pm

Shakespeare For My Father - Lynn Redgrave
A Room Of One's Own - Claire Bloom

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:44pm

oops

Updated On: 12/4/05 at 11:44 PM

[ben1986]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 12:28am

Elaine Stritch at Liberty
By far one of the best nights of theatre that I have ever had. I wish she would come back to broadway soon.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 12:37am

Mario Cantone's Laugh Whore
I Am My Own Wife
Anything with Jackie Mason

[Eileen2]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 12:45am

Patrick Stewart - "A Christmas Carol"

[Eileen2]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 12:45am

Patrick Stewart - "A Christmas Carol"

[loridunn]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 12:51am

Bea Arthur: Just Between Friends

It was thge most amazing show, she was amazing and her pianist (Billy Goldberg) is too cute.

[Popular]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 12:55am

I enjoyed Tovah in "Golda's Balcony" and Billy in "700 Sundays"... can't think of any other one person shows I've seen other than those, but both were wonderful.

[DG]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 12:59am

Two I don't see mentioned are:
GIVE 'EM HELL HARRY, James Whitmore
MARK TWAIN TONIGHT!, Hal Holbrook.

Ultimately, I think THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE is in a class by itself.

And I am too much in awe/love/lust with Ian McKellen to objectively evaluate his evening of Shakespeare.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 1:16am

Henry Fonda - Clarence Darrow
Frank Gorshin - Say Goodnight Gracie
Len Cariou - Papa
Tovah Feldsha - Golda's Balcony
Robert Morse - Tru

[MyMeredithMonster]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 1:19am

I don't know about the 'best' one person show, but...
I had the pleasure of seeing 700 Sundays last night (if SF), and enjoyed it a great deal. So, it's my current favorite one person show.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 6:28am

Tru
I Am My Own Wife
Shakespeare for My Father
Whoopi (The original 1984 production)

ETA: Totally forgot about Stritch (bad Meffie).
Updated On: 12/5/05 at 06:28 AM

[shiksa_goddess]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 7:41am

I Am My Own Wife
Elaine Stritch at Liberty

[fiatlux]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 8:09am

Corin Redgrave's Tynan
Miriam Margolyes' Dickens' Women
Alan Bennett's Talking Heads (although not strictly one person - each scene is one person)
Maureen Lipmann as Joyce Grenfell in Re:Joyce

Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell - all right it's not one man but it's a tour de force for the actor playing Jeffrey Bernard...

[Corine2]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 8:32am

Jackie Hoffman. (Joe's)
Laugh Whore- (Cantone)
Elaine Stritch (At Liberty)
Dame Edna (The Royal Tour)
Updated On: 12/5/05 at 08:32 AM

[ComingUpRoses]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 9:59am

Sir John Gielgud -- THE AGES OF MAN