Best Performances You Have Seen- Page 3

[fiesta1]

Posted: 8/31/09 at 9:22am

My faves --in no particular order

Lena Horne - The Lady and Her Music
Harvey Firestein - Torch Song Trilogy
Harvey Firestein - Hairspray
Chita Rivera - Spider Woman
Anthony Hopkins - Equus
Judy Dench - Hay Fever
Maggie Smith - Lettice and Lovage
Angela Landsbury - Sweeney Todd
Deanna Durbin - August: Osage County
Janet McTeer - A Doll's House
Derek Jacobi - Cyrano de Bergerac
Ian McKellan - Amadeus

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 8/31/09 at 10:20am

Lea Salonga as Fantine in Les Mis revival.
The whole Next To Normal cast(I haven't seen it with Aaron...yet)

[singalongsong2]

Posted: 8/31/09 at 10:22am

Lin Manuel Miranda - In The Heights
Gavin Creel - Hair
Will Swenson - Hair

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 8/31/09 at 7:55pm

Jerry Orbach - Promises, Promises
Chita Rivera - Chicago
Gwen Verdon - Chicago
Stephanie Mills - The Wiz
Tonya Pinkins - Caroline, or Change
Idina Menzel - Wicked
Fantasia - The Color Purple
Christina Applegate - Sweet Charity
Entire cast - Passing Strange

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 8/31/09 at 8:28pm

PLEASE DON'T EAT ME! I've only seen one Equity production in my entire life, and it was a lousy performance of Wicked on Broadway. Even though the rest of the cast was dull and unexciting, Lisa Brescia was an absolutely perfect Elphaba and probably gave the best performance I have ever seen live on a stage.

Updated On: 8/31/09 at 08:28 PM

[Candleshoe2]

Posted: 8/31/09 at 8:51pm

E. Faye Butler in the Court Theatre's production of "Caroline, or Change" in Chicago

[alightinthedark23]

Posted: 8/31/09 at 9:06pm

Lin-Manuel Miranda-In The Heights
Amy Morton-August: Osage County
Alice Ripley- Next to Normal
J. Robert Spencer- Next to Normal
Karen Olivo- West Side Story
Raul Esparza- Company

[Rudy2]

Posted: 8/31/09 at 10:24pm

luvCaroline, Jerry Orbach in "Promises, Promises?" My GOD how I envy that!

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 8/31/09 at 10:27pm

Yep Rudy2, it was my first Broadway musical at age 12. That performance had such a profound impact on me that I have been a Broadway fan ever since.

[Sauja]

Posted: 8/31/09 at 11:37pm

I'm sticking to Broadway here.

Janet McTeer in A Doll's House
Lillias White in The Life
Patti LuPone in Gypsy
Deanna Dunagan and Amy Morton in A:OC
Patrick Stuart in The Tempest
Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Bebe Neuwirth in Chicago
Natasha Richardson in Cabaret
Cherry Jones in Doubt
Anna Manahan in The Beauty Queen of Leenane

Apparently, I really like the ladies. I feel bad listing two Brian O'Byrne shows and not naming him. He is one of my favorite performers, but in Doubt and Leenane, I fear his female costars outshone him (or maybe just had showier roles).

[KatWebb]

Posted: 8/31/09 at 11:55pm

The best performance I've seen was last July at the Metropolitan Room in NYC.
Show was 'South of the border' and the singer Doug Acosta is absolutly amazing.
I keep an eye on his website for schedules as I can't wait to see him again!
Doug Acosta

[homeimp]

Posted: 9/1/09 at 12:11am

Patti Lupone/Angela Lansbury/Bernadette Peters/Tyne Daley - Gypsy
Stephanie Block/Idina Menzel - Wicked
Maggie Smith - As You Like It
Colm Feore - Cyrano de Bergerac/My Fair Lady
David Alvarez/Kiril Kulish - Billy Elliot
Lily Tomlin - The Signs Of Intelligent Life
Hugh Jackman - The Boy From Oz
Donna Murphy - Passion/The King And I/Wonderful Town
Liza Minnelli - Victor/Victoria
Robert Cuccioli - Jekyll & Hyde
Brian Bedford - Richard III
Raul Esparza - Company
Patrick Stewart - Antony and Cleopatra
Mark Rylance - Boeing-Boeing
Victoria Clark - The Light In The Piazza
Audra MacDonald - 110 In The Shade
Alice Ripley - Next To Normal
Mercedes Ruehl - Lost In Yonkers
Lea Salonga - Miss Saigon
Douglas Rain - A Man For All Seasons
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Nicola Cavendish - The Millionairess
Entire Cast - Into The Woods (OBC)

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/1/09 at 12:37am

Patti Lupone - Gypsy. (I didn't get the hype the first time, but I saw it again and again, and finally I understood)

The girls of August: Osage County (Especially Estelle Parsons, WOW), and Maury Stuart

The comedic talents of The Norman Conquests ensemble.

Sadly, it doesn't seem like they're writing musicals that require much acting abilities these days.

[rosekwbp]

Posted: 9/1/09 at 12:51am

Bernadette Peters-Gypsy
Maureen Moore-Grey Gardens

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 9/1/09 at 1:37pm

candleshoe, wasnt she amazing!!! For me definitly Patti Lupone in Gypsy.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/1/09 at 1:55pm

How many times are we gonna do this?

My list is rather long but the best performance I've ever seen onstage was without a doubt Tonya Pinkins in CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. I'll never forget seeing "Lot's Wife" live for as long as I live...just heartbreaking.

[scooter38432]

Posted: 9/1/09 at 4:22pm

Cherry Jones in THE HEIRESS
Maggie Smith in LETTICE & LOVAGE
Angela Lansbury in SWEENEY TODD
George Hearn in SWEENEY TODD
Joanna Gleason in INTO THE WOODS
Norbert Leo Butz in DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS
Nathan Lane in GUYS & DOLLS
Cherry Jones in DOUBT
Lois Smith in THE GRAPES OF WRATH
Donna Murphy in THE KING AND I
Anita Morris in NINE
Jarrod Emick in DAMN YANKEES
Rebecca Luker in THE SECRET GARDEN
Sherie Rene Scott in AIDA
Lillias White in DREAMGIRLS

I could keep going...

[timrobb]

Posted: 9/1/09 at 6:36pm

Hugh Jackman - Boy from Oz
Chita Rivera & Vanessa Williams - K of S (totally different - but both amazing!)
Carol Channing - Hello Dolly (revival)
Bebe Neuwirth in Chicago
Betty Buckley in Sunset Blvd and Triumph of Love
Heather Headley in Aida
Linda Eder in J&H
Gwen Stewart and Kristen Lee Kelly (as Joanne & Maureen) in Rent
Norbet Leo Butz and Jim Poulus (as Roger and Mark) in Rent (and yes, I saw Adam and Anthony many, many times)
Ana Gayster in Wicked (she was really, really good!)
Jarrod Emick in Rocky Horror
The original cast of Love! Valour! Compassion!
Harvey in Hairspray (come on, he was GREAT!)
Idina Menzel in Wicked
Lea Salonga in Miss Saigon

[philly03]

Posted: 9/1/09 at 7:24pm

James Barbour - A Tale of Two Cities
Marla Schaffel - Jane Eyre
John Owen-Jones, Judy Kuhn & Lea Salonga - Les Miserables Revival
Natalie Toro - EVITA and A Tale of Two Cities
Douglas Sills - The Scarlet Pimpernel
Patti LuPone - Gypsy
Daniel Evans, Jenna Russell - Sunday in the Park with George

timrobb: I'd agree with you on Linda based on the fact that I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't call it a "Best." Thrilling sing-ing? Absolutely. Some of her acting / stage motions / sometimes mishaps apparently was what held me back!

[LYLS3637]

Posted: 9/2/09 at 10:46am

Jason Robert Brown- "Songs for a New World"
Idina Menzel- "Wicked"
Harvey Fierstein- "Hairspray"
Alice Ripley- "Next to Normal"
Allie Trimm- "13"
Heidi Blickenstaff- "[title of show]"
Justin Johnston- "Rent"
Tamyra Gray- "Rent"
Titus Burgess- "Songs for a New World"

[minicko88]

Posted: 9/2/09 at 2:43pm

Top three performances I have ever Seen

James Barbour- Tale of Two Cities
Brian D'arcy JAmes- Shrek
Brian Stokes Mitchell- MAn of La MAncha

These three are simply stunning in their roles

[iWannaBEaSedaris]

Posted: 9/2/09 at 3:05pm

I saw ALICE RIPLEY in N2N again for the 4th time this weekend.
It has been about a month since I last saw it, I never thought I'd say it, but she is even BETTER now. Any trace of sentimentality has been excised, and it is just raw passion and pain oozing from the Booth. Plus, ALOT of pitch problems have disappeared.

[Belleof14thStreet]

Posted: 9/2/09 at 3:28pm

Allison Pill and Jeff Daniels - Blackbird
Amy Morton - August: Osage County
Deanna Duneggan - August: Osage County
Donna Murphy - Love Musik
Marian Seldes - Dedication
Elizabeth Marvel - Dark Matters
Cynthia Nixon - Rabbit Hole
The cast of Bug downtown
Sherie Renee Scott - The Last 5 Years
Kiki and Herb - ANYWHERE
Julie White - Little Dog Laughed
Phylicia Rashad - Gem of the Ocean

[legally_popular]

Posted: 9/2/09 at 4:01pm

Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti and Boyd Gaines - Gypsy
(even my sister, who didn't think Patti was all that great and always rolled her eyes at her diva-ish ways completely changed her mind after seeing her in Gypsy and now practically worships Patti in that show)

Estelle Parsons, Johanna Day - August: Osage County

Stephanie J. Block - Wicked

Alice Ripley - Next to Normal


And unfortunately I haven't seen these live, but based on the dvds:
The entire OBC of Into the Woods, especially Bernadette, Joanna Gleason, and Kim Crosby
Raul Esparza in Company
OBC of Sweeney Todd

[jacobson]

Posted: 9/2/09 at 4:15pm

Mandy Patinkin in Evita
Jim Dale in Barnum
Laurie Beechman in Joseph
John Gallagher Jr in Spring Awakening
Norbert Leo Butz in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels