Famous Broadway Proformers that you missed in a role you wanted to see them in

[dg22894]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 8:07pm

Bob Fosse-Pal Joey
Anthony Rapp-Charlie Brown
LaChanze-The Color Purple and Once on the Island
Kevin Chamberlian- Seussical
Ethel Merman-Gypsy
Johanna Gleason- ITW

[dg22894]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 8:34pm

bump

[Felm_heart]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 11:33pm

I bought a plane ticket to see Patti in Gypsy for next weekend... but obviously they moved the closing date up and I missed her. Cried for a week.

[broadwaygirl99]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 11:37pm

Roger Bart- Snoopy in Charlie Brown
John Tartaglia- Avenue Q
Original Cast of Wicked
Original Cast of Spamalot

[Salene]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 10:22am

Bebe Neuwirth as Velma. Got Nancy Hess instead. At least I got to see Ann Reinking ...

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 10:29am

Alan Cumming in Cabaret.

This was back in January 1999. It was a very rainy Sunday and the show was already delayed an hour due to water leaking onto the stage at Studio 54. No one was allowed into the theatre yet, so everyone was stuffed like sardines into the foyer to avoid the rain. Then on top of that we were told shortly before the doors opened (one hour late) that Alan Cumming had gone home sick, so they were hastily getting Vance Avery into make-up...thus the show was delayed a little bit more.

Thankfully the show was still wonderful and by the end I had forgotten about the prior ordeal. However, I still wish I could have seen Cumming.

Updated On: 2/9/09 at 10:29 AM

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 10:29am

Double Post

Updated On: 2/9/09 at 10:29 AM

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 12:43pm

Chita Rivera in Chicago
Elaine Stritch in Company

[mybigsplash]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 1:57pm

Angela Lansbury in Sweeney.
Original Cabaret.
Original Wicked,
Ethel Mermon in Annie Get your gun.
Stephanie D'Abruzzo in Avenue Q.
Tim Curry in Spamalot,
Original Into the Woods,

Is that too many?

[butterflyblob]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 2:10pm

Patti in Evita

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 2:13pm

Kathleen Turner in Virginia Woolf
Mercedes Ruhl in The Goat (saw Sally Field)

[jordangirl]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 2:17pm

What's a proformer?

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 2:44pm

goodness, there are so many!

Ethel Merman in anything, but especially Anything Goes or Gypsy.
Angela Lansbury ins...anything she did, but definitely Mame, Gypsy or Sweeney.
Mary Martin as Peter Pan or Maria.
Jerry Orbach as El Gallo or in Promises, Promises.
the OBC of A Chorus Line.
anything Patti did before my time, especially some of her early work with The Acting Company, Evita, Anything Goes and Sunset Boulevard (which technically wasn't before my time, but it was in London and I was a wee thing)
Tonya Pinkins in Caroline, or Change. this I'm actually legit upset I didn't go see.
Donna Murphy in Passion.
any original Sondheim, for that matter.
Victoria Clark in The Light in the Piazza.
Michael Jeter in Grand Hotel.
OBC AND Revival casts of Nine.
oh, and the original production of Cradle Will Rock.

I have a long wishlist. maybe I should've just said I wanted to see the Merm and end with that.

Updated On: 2/9/09 at 02:44 PM

[blaxx]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 3:02pm

What's a proformer?

A former pro, of course.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 3:04pm

so should this thread be merged with the "Where are they now?" thread? I wanted to see Jere Shea in Passion. he's a former pro, but where is he now?

[AbbyNormal13]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 3:12pm

OBC of The Producers
OBC of Spamalot
Roger Bart in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown
Christopher Fitzgerald in Wicked

[Elke]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 3:32pm

I second Roger Bart in YAGM, Charlie Brown

Also:
John Lloyd Young in Jersey Boys
Malcolm Gets in The Apple Tree
Raul Esparza in Company
Norbert Leo Butz in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Douglas Sills in The Scarlet Pimpernel
Howard McGillin in The Secret Garden

[WickedOne2]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 4:00pm

Audra McDonald: Ragtime
Roger Bart: You're a Good Man Charlie Brown
Alan Cumming: Cabaret
Bebe Neuwirth: Chicago
Idina Menzel: Rent
Kristin Chenoweth: You're a Good Man Charlie Brown
Entire Cast of Lippa's The Wild Party
Patti Lupone: Evita

[fosca3]

Posted: 2/11/09 at 3:33pm

Ralph Fiennes in Hamlet
Raul Esparza in Rocky Horror
Terrence Mann in Scarlet Pimpernel (just to see him sing 'Falcon in the Dive')
Mandy Patinkin in Sunday in the Park
Ian McKellen in King Lear

I'm sure there's more

[nealb1]

Posted: 2/11/09 at 3:49pm

Audra M in "Ragtime." My friend and I saw the first performance after the Tony Awards the year that she won, and the show didn't. She was out.

[jv92]

Posted: 2/11/09 at 5:21pm

Can I add Jolson to the list? Is anyone here old enough to have seen him?
Updated On: 2/11/09 at 05:21 PM

[faithzilla]

Posted: 2/11/09 at 5:25pm

"Norbert Leo Butz in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"

I was THISCLOSE to seeing him, but sadly, he got ill and his understudy went on. The understudy was still great, but it's not the same, especially since it was a birthday present!

But I totally agree with Patti in Evita
Idina in Wicked (she's still my favorite...)
Joel Grey in anything, but especially Cabaret. Oh my gosh yes.
But my number one is Bernadette Peters in Gypsy!

[cliffarico]

Posted: 2/11/09 at 5:42pm

Patty Duke in the both The Miracle Worker and The Isle of Children.

[Ftworthguy]

Posted: 2/11/09 at 5:49pm

My very first trip to NYC happened a week after "Streetcar" closed with Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin. I would have LOVED to have seen that!!!

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/11/09 at 5:54pm

Stritch: Company
Peters: Sunday in the Park
McDonald: 110 Degrees in the Shade
Holliday: Dreamgirls (She left the night before I saw it. I was crushed)
Pinkins: Merrily
Lane & Broderick: Producers (Had the chance and turned it down)