Favorite performance from any broadway musical — Page 2

A tie for me. Angela Lansbury in MAME and Michele Lee in SEESAW.

Kelly Bishop in A Chorus Line
Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens
Victoria Clark in The Light In The Piazza

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Donna Murphy, FOLLIES
Christine Ebersole, GREY GARDENS
Sutton Foster, ANYTHING GOES
Victoria Clark, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
Alice Ripley, NEXT TO NORMAL
Norbert Leo Butz, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS
Harvey Feirsten, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES

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Ethel Merman in GYPSY(1959)
Also, in random order:
Anna Maria Alberghetti in CARNIVAL(1961)
Florence Henderson in THE GIRL WHO CAME TO SUPPER(1963)
Elaine Stritch in GOLDILOCKS(1958
Barbara Cook in SHE LOVES ME(?)
Chita Rivera in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN(1993)
Robert Preston in BEN FRANKLIN IN PARIS(sometime in the 1960's)
Barbara Harris in THE APPLE TREE(mid 1960's)
Harry Groener in CRAZY FOR YOU(1992)
Christopher Fitzgerald in FINIAN'S RAINBOW(2009)
John Laroquette in HOW TO SUCCEED... (2011)
Anthony Newley & Cyril Ritchard in THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT, THE SMELL OF THE CROWD(1965)
Larry Kert in WEST SIDE STORY(195
Richard Burton in CAMELOT(revival in early 1980's)

The above lists performances that I found especially wonderful; in all cases the individual displayed tremendous "stage presence". When they were on, they owned the stage.

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Updated On: 7/24/11 at 09:28 AM

Wilmington - there's a difference, though, between 'favorite' and 'best'. Two of my favorites are Ann Miller and Mickey Rooney in SUGAR BABIES - but I'd be hard-pressed to defend the performances on any kind of acting/performance level. They truly were two of my favorites, though, because they - and by extension, us - were having SUCH a good time!

I will, however, completely defend Ms. Miller as the 'best' as far as her dancing went - even at that 'ripe' age, she was still tapping at the speed of light, and it was magnificent!

I only "discovered" Broadway recently so I haven't seen much but Teal Wicks in Wicked blew me away, her voice was so powerful and beautiful and her acting really moved me.

I also love Robert J. Spencer in Next To Normal, I didn't get a chance to see him live but I love him in the OBC recording and the few videos I've seen of him. I just can't get enough of his voice.

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I'm glad there were finally some posts from people who saw some performances before 1990. And actually, most of the posts are from performances from 2000 on.

So, for me, the greatest performance I've ever seen on any stage anywhere in any musical was Robert Weede, who recreated his role in The Most Happy Fella in LA in the mid-1960s. Brilliant, majestic, and perfect. So brilliant, in fact, that I did what no one back then used to do - I went backstage and asked to meet him. There was no "stage dooring" by teens and others back then - it was unheard of. Hence, I was the ONLY one who was backstage. They brought Mr. Weede to me and he was the kindest, most gracious performer I've ever met - in fact, his graciousness with a babbling teenage fan has informed my life and the way I treat people when they're kind enough to write or come up to me. He asked if I wanted to be an actor and I told him yes, and he was just so supportive and sweet it was amazing. Since I'd just seen the matinee of their closing two performances, he then invited me to stay for the evening show and to attend their little cast party, which I did. At the party, he introduced me to everyone and just sort of kept me close to him.

Other great performances include: Joel Grey in Stop The World - I Want To Get Off.
Lotte Lenya and Jack Gilford in Cabaret
Jerry Orbach in Promises, Promises
Carol Channing in the original production of Hello, Dolly! (as opposed to the many tours)
Tammy Grimes in The Unsinkable Molly Brown - absolutely delicious - the first musical I ever saw - the national tour in LA
Elaine Stritch in Company
The entire cast of Follies - the most perfect cast I've ever seen in anything.
William Daniels in 1776 - unforgettable
Ethel Merman in Call Me Madam (in the round in 1965)
The entire original cast of A Chorus Line, which I saw in previews at the Shubert in NY
Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd
Jennifer Holliday in Dreamgirls
Michaell Jeter in Grand Hotel
Marilyn Cooper in Woman Of The Year - a lesson in how to stop the show with only one scene

Those are off the top of my head.

Lisa Brescia- Wicked, Mamma Mia! Aida
Idina Menzel- Wicked
Eden Espinosa- Wicked
Amy Spanger- Wedding Singer
Sherie Rene Scott- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Kelli O'Hara- South Pacific
Deborah Cox- Aida
Allison Fischer- Lestat
Lea Solanga- Les Miserables
Norbert Butz- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Megan Hilty- Wicked
Sutton Foster- Anything Goes
Raul Esparza- Taboo

bk - I have to agree with you about the original cast of FOLLIES. It was just a remarkable cast. I place it as the second-greatest cast I've ever seen. The original production of CAMELOT had the most perfect cast I ever saw.

Gypsy9 - I saw a production of THE MOST HAPPY FELLA, with Giorgio Tozzi, in 1980, that I thought was great.

Forgot to mention that Art Lund also re-created his role in that same production. Magic. I'd love to still have that program just to see who Rosabella and Cleo were. It was wonderfully directed by William Sarracino.

They say you never get over your first: Patti LuPone in "Evita."