Best Performances of 2014?- Page 2

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 12/28/14 at 10:55pm

I never got the hype surrounding Ramin Karimloo. He's adorable and has a great vocal range, but his acting is not worth fangirling over in my opinion...

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 12/29/14 at 12:41am

Ado Annie, until this year, I never "got" the Ramin adoration either. I thought he was so-so in the broadcast of the London Phantom 25th, and I was underwhelmed by his debut album. BUT, now that I've seen him live in Les Miz, I understand the adoration -- his voice and acting were both spot on, and he convinced me he WAS JVJ. (OK, I agree -- he's adorable, too. )

I have seen POTO with a bunch of actors in the title role. Many of them have lovely voices but their interpretations seemed off. Even those that I thought interpreted the role brilliantly, however, have NOTHING on Norm Lewis, whom I saw twice in POTO in August. I think he deserves to wrest the (fictitious) title of iconic Phantom away from Michael Crawford.

[indytallguy]

Posted: 12/29/14 at 12:11pm

Ramin is handsome, built beyond belief, and has a great voice with incredible range and control. That's a winning trifecta for a lot of folks.

[denali.fire]

Posted: 12/29/14 at 1:00pm

Adam Jacobs gives an outstanding performance in a role that demands high powered energy. I'm surprised no one has mentioned him

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 12/29/14 at 1:04pm

"I never got the hype surrounding Ramin Karimloo. He's adorable and has a great vocal range, but his acting is not worth fangirling over in my opinion..."

Did you see him in Les Miserables in New York or Toronto? He is a beautiful and very strong actor. He isn't "built beyond belief", but he's in good shape.

The Bridges of Madison County cast and the entire Violet cast gave incredible, bold, and outstanding performances this year.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 12/29/14 at 1:18pm

"Adam Jacobs gives an outstanding performance in a role that demands high powered energy. I'm surprised no one has mentioned him"

He did at least get the Drama Desk nomination.

[Dawn Davenport]

Posted: 12/29/14 at 4:02pm

Frank Langella as King Lear at BAM. I was sobbing so much at the end of that show I had to run to the ladies room to gather myself.

Neil Patrick Harris as Hedwig---the man is a force of nature. I love him in anything so I guess I'm a little biased but he DID win the Tony so I guess I'm not alone

Christian Borle in "Little Me" - he is such a hoot.

kd lang in "After Midnight" - she's my favorite singer so it was swell to see her do her thing on a Broadway stage. Her voice is just heaven.

Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale in Bridges of Madison County (got the soundtrack for Christmas, listened to it all day today--both of them sing so exquisitely--so, SO good.) Still bitter this show was so under the radar. I'm glad I got to see it, and I didn't even WANT to---I took my sister to see it because she loves Pasquale and I ended up falling in love with both of them and that luscious score.

Ensemble---the cast of The Last Ship. I think they're all terrific and I love the songs in that show. Loved it even more the second time I saw it.

(my NON-New York favorite 2014 theatrical performance was Tom Hiddleston as Coriolanus at the Donmar in London. He has got incredible stage presence and a speaking voice to DIE for. Hoping he'll come visit the NY stage someday in the not too distant future......)

Updated On: 12/29/14 at 04:02 PM

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 12/29/14 at 4:07pm

Unfortunately, as I don't live in New York, I don't really get to see a lot of Broadway performances. However, during my graduation trip in June, the one performance that really stood out to me was Norm Lewis as the Phantom.

Updated On: 12/29/14 at 04:07 PM

[South Florida]

Posted: 12/29/14 at 4:11pm

Didn't see enough to rate the shows but I've seen a few of you liked Michelle Williams, I thought she sounded like Sally Bowles being played by Katherine Hepburn and found it unpleasant.

[wonkit]

Posted: 12/29/14 at 4:52pm

Michael Pennington in TFANA's KING LEAR

Rosemary Harris in INDIAN INK

[NewYorkTheater]

Posted: 12/29/14 at 11:52pm

I'll second Rosemary Harris. She was, as always, luminescent -- as was Romola Garai. I think the difference is that Harris made it seem so...effortless.

[Emmaloucbway]

Posted: 12/29/14 at 11:58pm

Oh, how could I forget Alex Sharp??? His performance was definitely a highlight! I guess I was only thinking about musicals when I made my last post.
My favorite 2014 play performances:
Alex Sharp- Curious Incident
Entire cast of You Can't Take it With You (especially Annaleigh Ashford)
Entire cast of Casa Valentina
Daniel Radcliffe in Cripple of Inishmaan