Breakthrough Performances

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?

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

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.

Sutton Foster, Thoroughly Modern Millie

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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.

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.

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

Carey Anderson in Avenue Q

Karen Olivo- In the Heights.

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

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.

Patina Miller, Sister Act