If you could go back in time...

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 12:04am

If I could go back in time, even without the requirement of a performance, I would go back to the 1600s in England to see an original staging of a Shakespeare play, as directed by Shakespeare. So many things are done with his work that I think it would be absolutely fascinating to see how he originally intended it. Plus, so much of theater today relies on technology that it would be cool to see how they did an effective performance without even electric lights.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 12:14am

The original cast of Dreamgirls would be my first choice.

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 12:38am

WOW! There are many!

Basicaly all of Nathan Lane's shows
Ethel Merman in Call Me Madame, Gypsy, and Hello Dolly!
Robert Klein and Lucie Arnaz in They're Playing Our Song
Godspell 2000 off-broadway revival (who says they have to be old?)
Sarah Jessica Parker in Annie
Tony Roberts and Stockard Channing in They're Playing Our Song
Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady
Rosie O'Donnell in Grease
Sandy Duncan in Chicago
and many many many many many others!

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 12:43am

Patti Lupone in Evita
OBC Sweeney Todd
Ethel Merman in anything
OBC Dreamgirls
OBC Urinetown (I know it's recent, but I didn't see it.)
Assassins, both the OBC and the revival (never saw either, which breaks my heart)

And although I saw it, I'd LOVE to revisit the OBC of Ragtime.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 12:51am

I
would go back in time
EXACTLY
25 years ago
today.

And I
would see
the final performance
of the original cast
of Merrily We Roll Along
on Broadway.

[rockfenris2005]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 5:57am

Well, first of all, I'd make sure the Broadway "Dance of the Vampires" never happened, and Warner Bros. produced "Batman: The Musical" but no one wants to hear about that, so.........

The opening night of "Sweeney Todd". Just imagine !!

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 6:47am

I'd want to watch the last week or two of the original "West Side Story" rehearsals along with the first few previews. On the way back I'd stop off to watch a few performances of "Carrie".

Unfortunately this would create a temporal paradox, and when I returned to the present day Broadway would be solely dedicated to musicals based on Stephen King novels. I'd catch a matinee of "Cujo" and line up at the "Salem's Lot" cancellation line while I pondered what to do about this.

[ICEcreamAssassin]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 6:51am

Dreamgirls OBC for sure..in a heart beat!
Evita with Lupone..a good second choice

The Wiz with Diana ross and Michael jackson.. lol

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 6:55am

Carrie, DUH!

[avab802]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 9:25am

OBC RENT
OBC Ragtime (even though I saw it I would love to see it again)
Bernadette Peters in Into the Woods & Sunday in the Park

[MimiLovesRoger]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 9:32am

Norbert in Rent, Wicked, The Last 5 Years, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels...

Yeah...I'm obsessed.

[LollyNYC]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 9:41am

Michelle Kittrell as Sandy in Grease

hilarious!!!

[philcrosby]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 9:46am

Merman in GYPSY or DOLLY
Martin and Pinza in SOUTH PACIFIC
Mary Martin onstage in PETER PAN
Preston in MUSIC MAN (I did get to see him in MACK AND MABEL).
Verdon in SWEET CHARITY

[cturtle]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 10:28pm

if i could only choose one, it would definitely be MY FAIR LADY!

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 10:30pm

The OBC of:
Dreamgirls
My Fair Lady
Ragtime (I never got to see it on Broadway)

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 10:31pm

I'd see the OBC of Titanic, the OOBC of The Last Five Years, and the OBC of Wicked (I've only seen it with replacements, and a lot of people say the best cast was the original, so I'd wanna see for myself)

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 10:33pm

The original off-Broadway cast of "The Last Five Years," as well as the original Broadway cast of "Parade." I love me some Jason Robert Brown.

[broadway_baby4]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 10:35pm

I have to agree with the OBC of Dreamgirls, and I would also like to add Sherie and Norbert in The Last Five Years (I'm listening to it right now, actually)

Edit: Sorry, Dirty Rotten Scoundrel, I guess I read your mind there! lol. Updated On: 11/28/06 at 10:35 PM

[Katurian2]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 10:40pm

OBC of Company

"The Merm" in basically anything

But of course my first choice would be...

Fanny Brice in the original Ziegfeld Follies.

Oh. My. God. That would be a dream come true.

[neomystyk29]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 10:47pm

Laurette Taylor in The Glass Menagerie
Ethel Merman in Gypsy
Bernadette Peters in Gypsy, SITPWG, ITW
Jennifer Holiday in Dreamgirls
Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd
One of the performances of Anyone Can Whistle's original production.
Ragtime OBC
Parade OBC
The Last 5 Years with Norbert and Sherie

[mauriposa]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 10:51pm

RENT OBC, no contest.

But, good call Yero, that would be really interesting. I'll go with you.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 11:01pm

Oy! Do I feel old as fu*k. Aside from Laurette Taylor in THE GLASS MENAGERIE and Merman in GYPSY...I've seen everyone of those shows you guys listed, from SJP in ANNIE, LuPone in EVITA to Lansbury in MAME (83 revival) and SWEENEY TODD, then all those others, like Chita and Gwen in CHICAGO (14 times! -- I was 10 and sick in the head!) and the OBC of DREAMGIRLS (14 times between 12/81 to summer of 82!).

Double-oy!

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 11:08pm

This is a thread topic that I have toyed around with myself.

My choices would be:

The original Ziegfield production of "Showboat"
"Anyone Can Whistle"
"Carrie"
"Chicago" with Gwen, Chita, and Jerry Orbach
Ethel Merman in "Gypsy"
Bea Lillie in anything, but most likely her stint in "Auntie Mame"
Gertrude Lawrence in "Lady In The Dark"
"The Golden Apple"
Barbara Cook in the original production of "Candide"
The original "Follies" with Alexis Smith on that Boris Aronson set
See Bernadette and Mandy in "Sunday In The Park With George" again
and
"Grand Hotel" with the original cast again

Those would be Heaven...

[neomystyk29]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 11:14pm

I forgot to go back to see the Original West Side Story and the original Our Town.

[pandajen14]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 11:15pm

I would love to have seen Julie Andrews in anything. She sings like an angel.