Best One Hit Wonder!

The actor or actress who starred or appeared in one show, shone like there was no tomorrow, and then disappeared or never had that type of magic again.

I say Daphne Rubin-Vega in Rent and Carl Anderson in JCS.

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Daphne? She's done a lot since RENT.

If any RENT alumni, I'd say Wilson Jermaine Heredia.

Daphne did Anna in the Tropics (and RHS for that matter), but I don't think either of them even compared to her exposure from Rent. That's what I meant. :)

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Wasn't she nominated for a Tony this season?

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Meredith Willson.
(Not for acting....but still).

jennifer holliday had a well recieved run in chicago fairly recently, i wouldn't call her a 1 hit either

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Linda Eder. She needs to get back on Broadway soon or she will certainly go down as a one-hit wonder.


Judy, I always maintain that Meredith Willson was a two-hit wonder. The Unsinkable Molly Brown ran for more than a year on Broadway and spawned a very successful film.

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Updated On: 9/3/04 at 12:18 AM

Jennifer was also Teen Angel in the last revival of "Grease," starred as Bessie Smith in "Downhearted Blues" Off-Broadway a couple of years ago, was Mahalia Jackson in "Sing, Mahalia Sing" and was featured in Maurice Hines' "Harlem Suite" out of town (neither show ended up on Broadway -- I saw both and Jennifer was incredible).

Daphne Rubin Vega has worked non-stop since "Rent" (all you Rentheads really need to pay more attention to off-Boradway and non-musicals). I've seen her in Nilo Cruz's "Anna In The Tropics" (Pulitzer-prize winner), Cruz's "Two Sisters and a Piano" at the Public, "F*CKing A" by Suzan-Lori Parks (who won the Pulitzer for "Topdog/Underdog"), "Free To Be, You and Me" at The Drama Dept., "Between Us" at MTC, and "Rocky Horror" on Broadway.

As far as Mary-Louise Parker, fewer actors have spent more time on stage in the last 5 - 10 years than Parker. In addition to winning the Tony and Drama Desk for her two years doing "Proof," she won the Obie and Lortel for Paula Vogel's Pulitzer-winning "How I Learned To Drive," starred in the revival of "Bus Stop" on Broadway, John Patrick Shanley's "Four Dogs and a Bone" at MTC, Ayckbourn's "Communicating Doors" off-Broadway and will open on Broadway in a revival of Craig Lucas' "Reckless" in the next few weeks.

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I suppose it would be unfair to include child performers like Daisy Eagan.

But while we're on the subject, can we include Secret Garden composer Lucy Simon?

Well, if we're including those people, Loretta Devine probably counts, no?

I'd have to say while Jennifer did go into Chicago...she hasn't originated anything since Dreamgirls...on Broadway (I saw her off-bway of downhearted...omg...brilliant). When will someone write her a new Bway show...it'd sell like hotcakes, I'm sure.

I don't know if I'd put Loretta Divine in this category either. She's more into movies and TV. So, its not like she's suddently vanished. We know the direction she's taken her career in. I heard they wanted her for Motormouth in Hairspray and also that she was doing Ma' Rainey in LA. I'd love for her to make a comeback along with Jennifer Holiday. It's sad but roles are not being written for women like these 2.

Carl Anderson was never in the Broadway production of JCS. Ben Vereen, Patrick Jude and Tony Vincent have been Broadway's only Judas Iscariots (excluding replacements, for which I couldn't find any). Carl Anderson was briefly seen on Broadway in the short-lived musical Play On, but it was not a "one hit wonder" performance.

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Updated On: 9/3/04 at 02:06 PM

But I guess I should define what I'd consider a one-hit wonder. It doesn't mean necessarily that they never worked again - they may have worked again, but nothing that gave them the exposure, attention, or accolades of that one piece of work.

OK, but we can't always top ourselves over and over again.

(Not without a very naughty toy, anyway.)

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Updated On: 9/3/04 at 02:29 PM