I never saw Stritch but love her in the cast recording of course and she's iconic in the role. I saw both Barbara Walsh and Patti LuPone live, and while I enjoyed both, LuPone simply blew me away (and I'm admittedly not a huge LuPone fan, not necessarily a detractor though). I disagree that she didn't bring "emotional depth" to the role, if anything, her performance was full of layers. I mean, she didn't break down crying in the middle of her monologue or song if that's what your friend expected, but the role doesn't call for it and she managed to bring out emotion in more subtle (can't believe I'm using that word to refer to LuPone) ways. Her "Ladies Who Lunch" was not only a powerhouse that stopped the show, but it was a deeply layered number that revealed Joanne's bitterness, vulnerabilities, and pain but also her incredible intelligence and perception which I think is what makes her stand out from the rest of Bobby's friends. Easily one of my favorite musical performances. Walsh was good but I so disliked John Doyle's production that I can't rate her as "the best" Joanne, but then again that's such a subjective status.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
