Best National Touring Company

[suttonfoster]

Posted: 7/22/11 at 5:33pm

What's the best production done by a touring company that you've seen? Mine has to be SOUTH PACIFIC, last year.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 7/22/11 at 5:36pm

Mine would def. be a tie between the 2008 and 2010 touring companies of WICKED (1st National)
Carmen Cusack and Katie Rose Clarke led the cast brilliantly and Donna Vivino paired with Chandra Lee Schwartz did just as well.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/22/11 at 5:52pm

2002 pre-Shanghai cast of Les Miz, original tour casts of Urinetown/Spring Awakening/Jersey Boys

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 7/22/11 at 6:50pm

Les Mis tour. BAM.

[ChiChi]

Posted: 7/22/11 at 9:49pm

I really enjoyed the original Spring Awakening tour. The second one was pitiful. Wicked was good. Color Purple was VERY disappointing. I really felt they should have kept the revolve. And I know many wills say that tours need to be scaled down, but other shows have toured with revolves very successfully and effectively.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/22/11 at 10:03pm

I would have to say the second national touring company of Spring Awakening. The energy, talent, and chemistry on that stage was unlike anything I have ever seen.

[THDavis]

Posted: 7/23/11 at 12:16am

I didn't have the opportunity to catch the second tour of Spring Awakening, but Kyle Riabko as Melchior and the girl playing Wendla (her name escapes me) were, in my opinion, boring to watch. Minimal chemistry and her voice did the music little justice.

[bernadettelupone17]

Posted: 7/23/11 at 1:20am

The national touring cast of Next to Normal. They bring a completely different view to the show and each performance is incredibly unique. I love how they don't try to copy the OBC like most touring companies do.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 7/23/11 at 9:02pm

In terms of a touring company that made me reevaluate the way I think about a show, that would be the Hal Prince revival of Show Boat back in 1997. In addition to several members of the Broadway company (Michael Bell's "Ol' Man River" and Lonnette McKee's "Bill" still stick with me) I also got to see two actors that were part of my childhood, Cloris Leachman (thanks to my father's love of Mel Brooks's movies) and Dean Jones (who I knew from the Love Bug movies and The Ugly Dachshund). I had never really thought about Show Boat before except as some old show that had had some historical significance back in the day, but not after seeing that production. Just the size and scope of it, from the physical production, to the cast, to the orchestra, took my break away in a way that few shows had at that point in my life.

[justoldbill]

Posted: 7/24/11 at 2:07am

MAME - Janet Blair as Mame and Elaine Stritch as Vera Charles.

[PositivelyEmerald]

Posted: 7/24/11 at 10:39am

I've seen one of the Wicked tours (2nd tour) and it was extremely well done. Even if the set is scaled down from Broadway, and even the 1st tour, I was impressed.

Next to Normal was amazing. Alice Ripley had us all in shambles by the end of the show. I was also extremely surprised by the powerhouse voice of Emma Hunton who played Natalie. Everyone was very kind at the stage door as well.

[singtopher]

Posted: 7/24/11 at 11:11am

I saw a non-eq tour of RENT a few years back that blew me away.

[BeingAlive2]

Posted: 7/24/11 at 12:08pm

I have to agree with Donna Vivino in the 1st national tour of Wicked

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/24/11 at 7:55pm

Back when Livent was still around, Vancouver got a number of amazing productions from them, but I'm not sure they'd count as tours. Ragtime (mainly the LA cast with LaChanze), Show Boat, Sundet Blvd (with Rex Smith, Carroll--one of the few Norma's I feel really can both sing and act the role--and Walter Charles).

As for actual touring companies, Kiss of the Spider Woman with Chita back when I was 12 was amazing I thought at the time. I also saw one of the first tours of Chicago with Charlotte D'Amboise and Brent Barrett which at least sounded like it was better than the cast playing Broadway at the time (1999). Similarly, I caught Chorus Line two years back, and found the cast pretty great, certainly better than seeing Mario Lopez play it in New York.
Updated On: 7/24/11 at 07:55 PM