Great Broadway Character Entrances

[Fantod]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 10:22pm

So I was watching an old video of Eartha Kitt's entrance in Timbuktu! and I thought it was really spectacular. Can you think of any other entrances of characters in Broadway plays or musicals that stood out to you as particularly spectacular or poignant? If you could describe it or have a video, that would be even better! The only one I can think of is Celia Keenan-Bolger's entrance in the Glass Menagerie where she entered through the couch.

Updated On: 12/17/14 at 10:22 PM

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 10:26pm

Che's entrance in the recent revival of Evita.

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 10:26pm

velma in chicago

[JBakley]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 10:27pm

I am cheating but the entrance in Gray Gardens 2nd act

[JBroadway]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 10:35pm

I loved how they had Finch enter for the first time in the recent H2S revival!

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 10:37pm

The Genie in Aladdin.

[Julie Yard]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 10:39pm

Mark Rylance doing a headstand into a trough of water 8 shows a week in Jerusalem.

[Musical Master]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 10:40pm

The "Overture" of FOLLIES has wonderful character entrances for all the women who were once showgirls. In the original 1971 production it was a wonder to behold but "Beautiful Girls" to me is the "Great Entrance" in the musical proper in a way.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 10:44pm

I've always thought that the Emcee's entrance in the revival of Cabaret is pretty dramatic.
Seymour 's entrance in Little Shop where he stumbles in and accidentally smashes his flower pots is a pretty funny entrance.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 10:54pm

The entrance of The Princess in the recent revival of La Bete was pretty spectacular. From what I remember, the character was announced, and the door stage right flung open with a giant burst of light and this mass of gold confetti blowing in, after which the character entered. The show as itself wasn't anything spectacular, but it was still one hell of an entrance.

Lady Day also comes to mind to me. Not that anything was brilliant in the staging, but it was just so thrilling seeing Audra enter after the anticipation of listening to the band and not hearing a sound out of her mouth until she reached the microphone.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 10:56pm

I think my namesake has a pretty spectacular entrance. Also, you can a lot about an actress' take on Sally from their entrance. The best is and always will be Dorothy Collins.

[MX888]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 10:56pm

Celia Keenan-Bolger's entrance via the couch in Glass Menagerie
Genie in Aladdin
Glinda via "bubble" in Wicked
Hedwig descending in Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Emcee in Cabaret
Safari parade in the aisles of the Lion King

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/17/14 at 12:21am

Cherry Jones did NOT enter from the couch.

[Fantod]

Posted: 12/17/14 at 12:24am

Oh crap, my memory is slipping and I'm not even old yet! Yes, I realize now that I meant to write Celia Keenan-Bolger.

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 12/17/14 at 1:46am

The Phantom's face in the mirror as the first glimpse that the audience gets of him in POTO is rather impressive. I also like Henry Higgins' entrance in "My Fair Lady," where he emerges from behind the pillar.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 12/17/14 at 1:56am

Ditto on the Phantom's mirror entrance. And how has nobody mentioned the guy in my avatar? When directing a production of Sweeney Todd, it is the director's solemn duty to give him a kickass entrance rising from the grave, coming back from hell, or whatever spin you want to put on it.

[Tag]

Posted: 12/17/14 at 1:59am

Crazy For You: Follies coming out of the car

[JBradshaw]

Posted: 12/17/14 at 2:04am

Velma Kelly in the revival....coming up that lil elevator.

[NoName3]

Posted: 12/17/14 at 2:05am

I've been going to the theater in New York for over 40 years and nothing I have ever seen comes close Eartha Kitt's entrance in Timbuktu!, born overhead on the palm of the hand of a huge black bodybuilder. The audience went *crazy* both times. The poor youtube video only hints at what it was like in the theater.

"I'm heeeeeeeeere.............."

Updated On: 2/5/15 at 02:05 AM

[PlainMushroomWit']

Posted: 12/17/14 at 6:24am

Two come to mind -

John Cullum as Oscar Jaffe in ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. While his two sidekicks sit inside the speeding train, wondering if Oscar made it in time, we notice him outside the windows, crawling towards them while hanging on for dear life. Finally the "wind" blows his hat off.

Rachel York in CITY OF ANGELS. After film noir detective Stone searches the city for the missing bad girl, he returns to his apartment, where "Surprise!," she pops up in his bed, wearing only a bed sheet and sings "Lost and Found"

[SidebySidebyLogan]

Posted: 12/17/14 at 2:11pm

"Sing out Louise!"

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 12/17/14 at 4:35pm

I loved Lola's entrance in the 94 revival of Damn Yankees. Applegate's phone call to hell, that jazzy do-wah arrangement, and then just her one leg popping out of the furnace, followed by the rest of her. Sexy and funny all in one.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 12/17/14 at 4:52pm

"Sing out, Louise!" indeed! I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned earlier.

We're all used to it now, but Robert Preston's "entrance" during "But He Doesn't Know the Territory" from behind a newspaper to reveal the "Professor Harold Hill" on his traveling case was very creative in its day. And STILL works now, even though we know it's coming.

[justoldbill]

Posted: 12/17/14 at 7:52pm

Call...on...
MIS-SUS DOL-LY LE-VI!

No matter who the Dolly is.

[PVDColleen]

Posted: 12/17/14 at 8:04pm

SING OUT LOUISE!!!!

Absolutely the best!

Updated On: 12/17/14 at 08:04 PM