Breakthrough Performances

[saveusmike]

Breakthrough Performances#1

Posted: 8/1/09 at 4:51pm

Im curious if anyone has ever seen any Breakthrough Performances that ever made you just say WOW, or even made the show for you.
For Example...

A female friend of mine desperatly wanted to see The Little Mermaid and I had no interest in ever seeing it (One time I even talked my friend out of seeing it on her birthday just so we can all see Chicago instead). So as a birthday gift I got her and myself Orchestra tickets to Mermaid. I was so not looking foward to the show, until Ursula (Heidi Blickenstaff) sung I want the good times back. Blickenstaffs take on Ursula completly made the show for me and I even saw the show again just for Blickenstaff.
I thought she was amazing and got one of the loudest ovations I had seen in quiete some time.

Anyone else?

"Everything in life, is only for now" -Avenue Q

Updated On: 8/1/09 at 04:51 PM

[BrodyFosse123]

re: Breakthrough Performances#2

Posted: 8/1/09 at 5:25pm

Andrea Burns (and her Daniela) in IN THE HEIGHTS.

[RippedMan]

re: Breakthrough Performances#2

Posted: 8/1/09 at 5:35pm

I've been seeing theater pretty regularly, and I can't say I've really seen someone that I just thought was fantastic. I really think the cast of the Norman Conquests were brilliant, but I don't think it they were giving "breakthrough" performances. I'm not so sure. I mean, I guess I could agree about Heidi B., but not Ursula, but in [Title of Show] I thought she was great. But again, that was a great ensemble, so I'm not sure.

[Mark_E]

re: Breakthrough Performances#3

Posted: 8/1/09 at 5:39pm

Patina Miller in Sister Act. True breakthrough performance. She could quite easily win the Tony for Deloris next season.

[AndAllThatJazz22]

re: Breakthrough Performances#4

Posted: 8/1/09 at 7:59pm

Sutton Foster, Thoroughly Modern Millie

"There's nothing good on. The media hates Christmas. The media loves vampires, though. Maybe they will show a Twilight Christmas."
-Danmeg's 10 year old son.

[Sondheim_Geek]

re: Breakthrough Performances#5

Posted: 8/1/09 at 8:10pm

Carolee Carmello - Mamma Mia!
Courtney Balan - I Love You Because
Lisa Howard - Spelling Bee

[Stage Door Sally]

re: Breakthrough Performances#6

Posted: 8/1/09 at 8:39pm

Donna McKechnie in A Chorus Line. It was so unexpected to see someone sing, dance and act so amazingly well. It was a real wow moment for me.

[mybigsplash]

re: Breakthrough Performances#7

Posted: 8/2/09 at 12:11am

I thought the best Breakthrough performance I'd ever seen was Alli Mauzey in Crybaby, and I think she even won a breakthrough performace award last year too. I wanna say that the Billy Elliot boys also deserve some recognition.

Stephen: "Could you grab me a coffee?" Me: "Would you like that with all the colors of the wind?"

[TalkinLoud]

re: Breakthrough Performances#8

Posted: 8/2/09 at 12:29am

I'm not sure I've yet been taken off-guard and seen a breathtaking that I would consider a breakthrough performance.

However, Aaron Tveit in N2N and Leigh Ann Larkin in Gypsy definitely made me take major notice(s), and I will be shocked if they're not eventually huge Broadway stars. I guess Tveit kind of already is.

[givesmevoice]

re: Breakthrough Performances#9

Posted: 8/2/09 at 12:47am

does Loretta Ables Sayre count? she's definitely my favorite part of South Pacific.

and I'd have to agree with Leigh Ann Larkin, although I don't have very many experiences with breakthrough performances.

When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain. -Kad

[Harpz2006]

re: Breakthrough Performances#10

Posted: 8/2/09 at 2:18pm

Aaron Tveit in next to normal was definitely one of those for me.

[sayokay]

re: Breakthrough Performances#11

Posted: 8/2/09 at 3:12pm

Laura Bell Bundy for sure.

[lesmis]

re: Breakthrough Performances#12

Posted: 8/2/09 at 6:29pm

Carey Anderson in Avenue Q

[wafflehouse2005]

re: Breakthrough Performances#13

Posted: 8/2/09 at 6:50pm

Although I thought it was a lame attempt at increasing ticket sales at the time, I was very impressed with Tamyra Gray in RENT. By far the best Mimi I had ever seen. Her voice was beautiful, obviously, but I thought her acting was more genuine that anyone else that I had seen in the role.

She should have closed the show, IMO.

[BroadwayBound062]

re: Breakthrough Performances#14

Posted: 8/2/09 at 8:27pm

Karen Olivo- In the Heights.

Genius lasts longer than beauty.

[Yankeefan007]

re: Breakthrough Performances#15

Posted: 8/2/09 at 9:35pm

Next to Normal is Alice Ripley's.

[Unknown User]

re: Breakthrough Performances#16

Posted: 8/2/09 at 9:43pm

Caissie Levy in Hair- I knew nothing about her before seeing the show and was so impressed.

[AndAllThatJazz22]

re: Breakthrough Performances#17

Posted: 8/2/09 at 9:46pm

Alan Cumming, Cabaret

"There's nothing good on. The media hates Christmas. The media loves vampires, though. Maybe they will show a Twilight Christmas."
-Danmeg's 10 year old son.

[Soliantu]

re: Breakthrough Performances#18

Posted: 8/3/09 at 9:31am

certainly Stephanie J. Block in the Boy From Oz she blew me away, and that's difficult to do in a show Hugh Jackman's starring in. I mean, he still stole the show, but it made the performance even better, that she blew you away as well.

Megan Hilty also blew me away when I first saw her as standby for Glinda in Wicked when Jennifer Laura Thomson was out. I feel like there's more but I can't think of them.

[madbrian]

re: Breakthrough Performances#19

Posted: 8/3/09 at 9:40am

Victoria Clark in The Light In The Piazza.

"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg." -- Thomas Jefferson

[boyfromoz2]

re: Breakthrough Performances#20

Posted: 8/3/09 at 12:44pm

Patina Miller, Sister Act

[americanboy99]

re: Breakthrough Performances#21

Posted: 8/3/09 at 12:53pm

Jennifer Damiano, Next to Normals

Most definitely Andrea Burns, In the Heights

Kristen Chenoweth, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown