Runners-up: Hunter Foster, Marc Kudisch, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Norm Lewis, Bebe Neuwirth, Alice Ripley, Sutton Foster, Chita Rivera, and Jane Krakowski.
"You! You are the worst thing to happen to musical theatre since Andrew Lloyd Webber! And you, well, I just plain don't like you."
~Stewart Gilligan Griffin
As far as actors and actresses...I don't know. *lol* Norbert Leo Butz is a very good voice peformer. If that even made sense... I've heard good things about Kerry Butler.
~MlleDaae *Done! YaY...*
"You are young. Life has been kind to you ...You will learn."
I would go anywhere and pay anything to see Audra McDonald perform. She's just amazing. Close second would definitly be Bernadette. Others are Brian Stokes Michell, Martin Short (just saw him in the Producers. He was absolutely WONDERFUL!), and I'd really love to see Brian d'Arcy James in something
If I absolutely had to narrow it down to my absolute FAVORITE:
Actress: Sutton Foster Actor: Gavin Creel
Actress Runners Up: Jessica Grove, Nadine Isenegger, Christine Ebersole, Rachel York, Amy Spanger. Actor Runners up: Anthony Rapp, Hunter Foster, Matthew Morrison, Matt Lashey, Brent Barrett, Brian Stokes Mitchell.
I personally am partial to Catherine Brunnell. I've seen her as Millie a few times and she is fabulous! That girl needs to get her butt out of her understudy status and into a leading role of her own!
I feel your understudy pain, Catherine (looks at the little title underneath her user name sorrowfully).
"You! You are the worst thing to happen to musical theatre since Andrew Lloyd Webber! And you, well, I just plain don't like you."
~Stewart Gilligan Griffin
Actresses: Victoria Clark (for her amazing vocal ability, versatility, and fearlessness), Kerry O'Malley (for the ability to belt the end of "Maybe They're Magic," and the ability to cry for a whole half an hour in Dublin Carol), and Linda Mugleston (for being the most capable understudy I know and for being the most deserving actress to have a starring role on Broadway) are the top three. I have many other favorites.
Actors: Michael Berresse (for being so dynamic on-stage and so smart) and Charlie Pollock (for his ability to step into Hunter Foster's shoes and do an amazing job, and for not smarting too much because he was shafted onto the tour when they brought in Tom Cavanagh) are the top two. Just like with the actresses, I have many other favorites.
Laura Benanti, Jarrod Emick, Philip Quast, Jason Danieley, Sebastian Arcelus, Ann Hampton Callaway, Brent Barrett, Carol Burnett, Will Chase, Stokes, TSMrW, Ruth Williamson, John Barrowman, Rock Hudson (he DID do stage musicals...but wait, he's dead...still the single nicest actor EVER worked with, when sober - the "sober" part applies to both of us though).
The list is already too long and it is way too short - most people in the business are really, really nice (but not you, Miss Bacall). Merman wasn't much fun (ugh!) --- but Tyne sure was. And Bernadette is a totally wonderful person.
i just mixed the singer and non-singers together....
male - gavin creel, norbert leo butz (l5y), hunter foster, nathan lane, matthew broderick...
female - sutton foster, jennifer laura thompson, megan mullaly, ann reinking, marcia mitzman, jessica comeau, christine ebersole (loved her at the carlyle), sherie rene scott
(formerly bronte604)
"You really just love money and power and capitalism? You know they're never going to love you back."
"Things happen for the best...I don't even believe that myself."