Great Bway Entrances!- Page 3

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 1/10/04 at 12:15am

I agree with Gypsy...when I heard "Sing out Louise!" and saw Bernadette and everyone cheered...tears sprang to my eyes.

Aida-I love Amneris coming to life and Aida and Radames appearing on opposite ends of the stage.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 1/10/04 at 12:45am

I thought it was creative how in the beginning of Urinetown they introduce the pianist 1st. It got a laugh when i saw it and I liked it =D!

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 1/10/04 at 10:25am

Some famous entrances for broadway shows:

Sally (1920) - Marilyn MIller appeared in a lineup of what looked like street urchins. It wasn't until she did a pirouette that people realized who she was.

Dearest Enemy (1925) - Helen Ford made her entrance in a barell. She had just been swimming naked in the Hudson and a dog had stolen her clothes!

Funny Face (1927) - a line of chorus boy tapped madly away until Fred Astaire jumped on from stage right.

Rosalie (192 - row upon row of dancing soldiers dressed in white. Marilyn Miller appeared as a soldier dressed in blue.

Bitter Sweet (1929) - the countess makes her entrance just as two lovers are about to embrace and stops them right in their tracks.

Street Scene (1929 - Beulah Bondi's entrance as the nosey, vindictive neigbor. A real study of the worst in humanity.

The Show Is On (1936) - Beatrice Lillie makes her entrance dressed in a multi colored kimono and tells the audience she is going to a wedding in Poughkeepsie.

I'd Rather Be Right (1937) - George M. Cohan as FDR strolls quietly over a footbridge in Central Park.

I Married An Angel (193 - Vera Zorina makes her entrance through a window.

Panama Hattie (1940) - Ethel Merman makes her entrance in a snug white dress and proceeds to sing about her career as a stripper.

Pal Joey (1940)- Vivienne Segal makes a grand entrance down the staircase into a dive.

My Sister Eileen (1940) - the look of horror and disdain on SHirley Booth's face as he surveys her surroundings.

Two On An Island (1940) - a largely forgotten play, but Betty Field did get a wonderful entrance as he looks around at the city.

Lady In The Dark (1941) - a simple, very stunning entrance. Gertrude Lawrence enters wearing a stark black dress.

By Jupiter (1942)- Ray Bolger jumps out of the orchestra pit.

One Touch of Venus (1943) - Drum roll in the orchestra pit. The lights fade and then come up with Mary Martin.

On The Twon (1944) - the entrance of the three soldiers to the strains of New York, New York.

On The Town (1944) - Sono Osato's entrance in Miss Turnstiles. She is picked out in a single spotlight.

Follow The Girls (1944) - Gertrude Niesen enters in some crazy looking dress and tells the audience: "I couldn't decide what to wear so I wore everything."

The Glass Menagerie (1945) - Laurette Taylor's firs tentrance. All you heard was her voice for 10 or so seconds before the lights came up on her.

Anne of the 1000 Days (194 - Rex Harrison steps out on stage without a word. But by his bearing, you knew he was in charge.

Look Ma, I'm Dancin (194 - Nancy Walker makes her entrance surrounded by Siberian huskies that are even taller than she is.

Come back Little Sheba (1950) - Shirley Booth's first appearance as the unkempt housewife, looking as if she had seen better days.

There are probably many more, but these are the first that come to mind.

Miriam

Updated On: 1/10/04 at 10:25 AM

[StateOfJade]

Posted: 1/10/04 at 11:15am

Maureen's blinding appearance in RENT

Terrance Man being lowered to the ground, tied to that er...platform, whatever you'd call it in Rocky.

Kristin's bubble. Not all of us can come and go by bubble.

Norbert swinging in on that rope in Wicked. Not his first appearance-but come on, it's memorable.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/10/04 at 11:17am

Miriam, How wonderful to share your recollections with us! We fully expect now that some of today's choreorgraphers will be using come of these examples and today's audiences will responde with shous of "brilliant" and "genius."

Broadway Bulldog

[Alix]

Posted: 1/10/04 at 4:17pm

Emcee in CABARET (the beckoning finger...ah...priceless), Angel's drag entrance and Maureen's in RENT, Velma's in CHICAGO

[BudFrump23]

Posted: 1/10/04 at 5:06pm

I must confess, Boy George as Leigh's entrance from the toilets was...well, surprising...and...

Hmm.

I love Edna and Tracy's entrances from the Hefty Hideaway in their glamorous new outfits.

Princess Winifred's entrance in Once Upon A Mattress is quite funny.

I also like how the entire cast enters for the opening of Rent without introduction music or anything.

[JoizeyActor]

Posted: 1/10/04 at 5:15pm

Yeah, Tracy's entrance is fun. But KAthy Brier said that it was very frightening for about month, because your eyes are closed and you can hear the 1400 or so people out there, and you have no clue what to expect until the moment the show starts and you have a spotlight on your face as your eyes spring open.

That must have been horrifying her first night!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/10/04 at 6:44pm

Glinda's in Wicked, the whole bubble thing. I also love the way Elphaba comes in. It's so subtle, and such a contrast to Glinda's entrance. It's kind of like, she's just suddenly there, and has this huge presence.

Emcee's in Cabaret. The drumroll just came out of nowhere... and him opening that hole in the door then just beckoning to the audience with his finger, then finally coming out. *tear*
It just like... right away gave you that mysterious, enigmatic feeling you got from Emcee.

Updated On: 1/10/04 at 06:44 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/10/04 at 8:57pm

I loved Chita Riveras entrance in Kiss Of The Spiderwoman. Of course; that might have to do with the fact that at the moment I am listening to the cast album at home while having myself my second glass of wine.

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 1:01am

a few favorites:

Leo's entrance in the producers. i dont know what i like about it but he just enters the office so absent minded, and looks around at the office and audience. martin short did it best.

Mama Rose's aisle entrance

Boy George's entrance as Leigh Bowery--the bathroom stall? genius!

[Phantom2]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 1:09am

Boy George's entrance is brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's a great scene period.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 9:47am

i was just watching kristin and idina on A&E. oddly enough, they talked about their entrances.

[Princess MimiChica]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 9:53am

I really like how in RENT, Roger casually walks out on stage and starts to plug in his guitar. It's very understated, with no curtain or music, and it takes the audience about 2 seconds to realize the show is starting =)

And of course Maureen's enterance. After we spend the ENTIRE first act hearing about this character, she finally shows up in this overly-dramatic way =)

[BroadwayBaby3]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 11:14am

right now i'm playing Dolly in "Hello, Dolly!" and my favorite part is the entrance at the harmonia gardens. i get goosebumps. i also like rose's entrance in gypsy, velma's in chicago, glinda's in wicked, and eliza at the end of my fair lady. and millie's "entrance" in TMM.

[alterego]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 11:00pm

Miriam, I love those examples! Makes you wonder what happened to imagination in the theatre, then again there were stars then too.

[Bonnie]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 12:21am

Amazed no none has mentioned this one yet that I can see....the entrance of the Phantom has to be something different..it's not your everyday when someone appears in the mirror and reaches out for you in amongst the fog to take you down to his lair via a boat journey.

Bonnie in Oz

[DefyingGravity2]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 3:24pm

i don't know if anyone said this.... but HILDY'S enterence in the new On The Town, she came up from the stage in her taxi.. it was hott.Eartha Kitt in the NEW cinderella.

[NYCbabe3789]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 5:37pm

Maureen on the motorcycle. (RENT)
Millie turning around as the stage bursts to life. (TMM)
Glinda in a bubble. (WICKED)
Tracy in her bed. (HAIRSPRAY)

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 6:39pm

Gregory Hines in "Jelly's Last Jam".

Rising from the stage, his back to the audience moving as if he was waking from the dead or a real long drunk...

moving out of sync with the rest of the dancers, stumbling, awakening, then in a shot, Hines (Jelly) comes to life (rises from the dead)and dances in sync and only on the final note does he turn around to the audience...Hands in air in a replica of Jelly Roll Morton's famous photo...

I forgot to breathe for 45 seconds...

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/15/04 at 10:07am

Well, the most cost effective entrance/reveal (hands down) has to be Harvey Feinstein and Bruce Vilanch's entrances in both the NY and Nat'l Tour of Hairspray. I'm sure Richard Frankel's office appreciates that moment.

[Elphie]

Posted: 1/15/04 at 11:01am

Idina in WICKED. She runs out so proud and strong and takes this beautiful and courageous stance, where she looks so strong and proud. Though its simple, its an excellent entrance.

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 1/15/04 at 11:41am

I would have to say that Tracy's entrance in Hairspray is great...I got excited seeing the scrim coming up and see this cute chubby girl in a bed, who burts to life singing "Good Morning Baltimore" I felt excited seeing Marissa, Shoshana, and Kathy doing it. It's just a nice moment.

I also like the Witch's entrance in Into the Woods. And in a way, her transformation is like another entrance. It was especially thrilling with Vanessa Williams' transformation. She was just a goddess.

Nellie Lovett's entrance is exciting too.

I LOVE Angel's entrance in RENT.

Carla's entrance in Nine is fantastic. Although I would be afraid to be brought down like that.

Mama Rose's entrance is just classic.

Audrey's entrance in Little Shop could be funny, and impressionable. Surprisingly, Kerry Butler the three times I saw the show, yes, I saw it three times...got an applause for her entrance, while oddly, Hunter only got applause only one time that I saw it.


Cheers,
The Balladeer

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/15/04 at 11:54am

In the Met's recent Merry Widow, Hannah Glawari entering from the top of a staircase stemming from underneath the Eiffel Tower and being surrounded (in a very Fred Astairian way) by men. Now THAT was an entrance.

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 1/15/04 at 11:57am

"Gregory Hines in 'Jelly's Last Jam'.

Rising from the stage, his back to the audience moving as if he was waking from the dead or a real long drunk...

moving out of sync with the rest of the dancers, stumbling, awakening, then in a shot, Hines (Jelly) comes to life (rises from the dead)and dances in sync and only on the final note does he turn around to the audience...Hands in air in a replica of Jelly Roll Morton's famous photo...

I forgot to breathe for 45 seconds..."


WOW! That does sound thrilling, Anth....I wish I could have seen the late, great Gregory Hines in a Broadway production.

Cheers,
The Balladeer

Updated On: 1/15/04 at 11:57 AM