Funniest Performances You’ve Ever Seen Onstage- Page 2

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 7:52am

- Helene Yorke in Bullets Over Broadway had me in tears from laughing so hard.

- Megan Hilty in Noises Off

- Sarah Stiles in Tootsie

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 8:25am

Uma Thurman in The Parisian Woman for all of the wrong reasons.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 8:42am

Nathan Lane in LOVE VALOUR COMPASSION.
Nathan Lane in GUYS AND DOLLS.
Nathan Lane in A FUNNY THING...
Nathan Lane in THE NANCE.
Nathan Lane and company in GARY...

[magictodo123]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 8:47am

Something Rotten!

The Play That Goes Wrong--I swear the next day I had abs from laughing so hard. 

[Lot666]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 9:19am

Lesli Margherita as Mrs. Wormwood in Matilda.

[markypoo]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 9:25am

Paul Eddington, Patricia Routledge, and the entire original London cast of Noises Off; Savoy Theatre, 1982.

[jmfinny]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 9:46am

Christopher Fitzgerald as Ogie in WAITRESS immediately comes to mind.  I remember having trouble breathing during some points of his performance and still laughing from his last funny line, or expression when he was on to the next thing.  

[jbp1232]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 9:52am

Julie White in GARY

Katie Finneran in COMPANY (New York Philharmonic Concert)

[The Other One]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 10:38am

Nathan Lane for many performances, but he, Julie White and Kristen Nielson deserve mention for GARY.

[sondheimfan2]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 11:28am

Anne Francine in pre-Broadway 1983 revival tour of Mame. Sadly, it never made it to Broadway. She was hilarious as Vera Charles.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 1:00pm

Sara Ramirez - Spamalot - Diva's Lament

Christine Baranski - Rumuors

 

Updated On: 6/5/19 at 01:00 PM

[gleek4114]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 1:06pm

Annaleigh Ashford in You Can’t Take It With You
Jeremy Morse in Waitress
Beth Leavel in The Prom
Morgan Weed in First Wives Club
Sarah Stiles in Tootsie
Lesli Margarita in Matilda
Elizabeth Stanley in On the Town
Christian Borle in Something Rotten!

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 1:16pm

BIG BALONEY said: "Without a doubt it was Good Evening starring Dudley Moore and Peter Cook. A classic that had the audience roaring.
."

I somehow forgot that, probably because I was thinking in terms of plays.  I remember seeing that twice, center orchestra for $5 (yes $5...twofers), laughing my head off.  I swear to you that, at least twice a year, we are with friends with whom we saw it and we start reminiscing about ...a show that we saw 45 years ago.  We laugh hysterically, trying to top each other, as we describe the scenes to those who never saw it, about the uni-dactyl actor auditioning for Tarzan, the reporter for the Bethlehem Sun and 'why would anybody want to give a baby myrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrh', and the Frog and Peach Restaurant, which only served two entrees (Peche a la Frog and Frog a la Peche).  Really probably was the funniest thing I ever saw, along with see a preview of The Graduate in 1967, when I was excepting to see a drama, but laughed so hard it hurt.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 1:35pm

sondheimfan2 said: "Anne Francine inpre-Broadway 1983 revival tour of Mame.Sadly, it never made it to Broadway. She was hilarious as Vera Charles."

It did make it to Broadway.  I saw it 3 times at the then Gershwin.  Because it bombed in Phillie, they rushed to NYC in the summer (something that was not really done, I think, until 42nd Street), with no advance, no tourists, normal theatergoers out of town, no publicity, etc.  It ran about 6 weeks, I think, and it was great.

At its first preview, it had the first standing ovation I had ever seen mid-show, after the title song.  Normally, Patrick sings, 'your my best girl' (just those words), and the chorus drowns him out, repeating the last round of Mame's, and curtain down.  The audience just stomped its feet, cheered, applauded until their hands hurt. Then, at the curtain call, after the house lights went on, and all bows had been taken, the audience continued to applaud until, as I remember, the entire cast came out in front of the curtain, which was not raised, genuinely surprised at the reaction.  Such a shame that it never had a chance.  That is probably a key reason why it has never had a real revival since the original production, along with trying to find someone capable of being Mame and opening it.  (Truth be told, the Uris revival looked low budget, e.g., cheesy sets that looked like they could be moved quickly), but it still had the same book, score, choreography, and Lansbury and a fine cast.

Updated On: 6/5/19 at 01:35 PM

[trentsketch]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 2:07pm

Bob Martin and Beth Leavel in The Drowsy Chaperone

Jefferson Mays in A Gentleman's Guide...

James Corden in One Man, Two Guvnors

Mark Rylance in Richard III and Twelfth Night. Rylance made Richard III's opening monologue one of the funniest moments I've ever seen in a Shakespeare production. The audience was roaring. Twelfth Night was more consistently funny (as it should be), but that soliloquy is worth the shoutout, as well. 

[romain2]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 6:52pm

Here in Chicago, Chris Sullivan (before he starred on This Is Us) gave the funniest stage performance I have ever seen in The Mystery Of Irma Vep.

Others, on Broadway:
Spencer Kayden, Urinetown
The cast of The Drowsy Chaperone
Julie White, Gary
Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night
Laurie Metcalf, A Doll’s House Part 2
Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots and You Can’t Take It with You
Ethan Slater and Gavin Lee, Spongebob

Updated On: 6/5/19 at 06:52 PM

[romain2]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 6:58pm

And another one: Carson Elrod was absolutely hilarious in a 2013 off-Broadway production of David Ives’ All in the Timing.

And I agree with the OP: Jeff McCarthy was a hoot in Urinetown.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 7:23pm

Re  Good Evening-

That show was so hysterical! I remember the bits you described so well but the minicab ( W Cooks's macabre laugh about "Toroso- Tony Torso"  still gives me the giggles to this day.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 7:27pm

I have to throw Laura Benanti in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown into the mix. The night I saw it, she couldn’t breathe without getting a laugh. We were putty in her hands.

[Sytwix]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 7:51pm

cast of The Producers

Andrea Martin - Noises Off

Bertie Carvel - Matilda

Mark Rylance - Twelfth Night

 

[markypoo]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 7:57pm

I saw Good Evening at the Blackstone Theatre Chicago, Summer 1975.
My best friend was much more into the humor than I was, but I'm forever grateful that I had the chance to see two late greats together.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 8:59pm

Mark Rylance BOEING BOEING

[romain2]

Posted: 6/5/19 at 9:10pm

One more great performance I thought of that just about killed me I laughed so hard: Billy Magnussen in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. He brought an inventive quality to his portrayal of a hapless himbo.

[Skip23]

Posted: 6/6/19 at 12:47am

Phil Silvers - Forum

Maggie Smith - Private Lives, Lettuce and Lovage

Jim Dale - Scapino

Nathan Lane - Lisbon Traviata

Stockard Channing - It's Only A Play

Christine Baranski - The House of Blue Leaves

Deborah Rush - Noises Off

Alec Baldwin - Entertaining Mr Sloane

Beth Leavel - A play at NYMF I think (can't remember name - she was hysterical)

Marian Seldes - The Torch-Bearers

 

 

[Here I Am]

Posted: 6/6/19 at 2:54am

Jan Maxwell, The Royal Family.