Posted: 10/14/21 at 2:25pm
I loved her in Fun Home and She Loves Me. Did anyone see her in CHESS? Was she amazing? I want to hear stories ! My parents played the London recording all the time and I didn't know until recently that Judy K. was the lead on Broadway. I think her voice is the absolute best.
Posted: 10/14/21 at 3:39pm
Posted: 10/14/21 at 10:50pm
I’ve been a fan ever since seeing her as Betty Schaefer in the American premiere of SUNSET BOULEVARD at the Shubert Theatre (long gone) in Los Angeles. December 1993. Judy can be heard on the American premiere recording with Glenn Close; the most complete recording of the score.
Posted: 10/15/21 at 12:58am
I saw Judy Kuhn on Broadway in Chess. She was amazing. The Broadway production of Chess was amazing and unfortunately never given a chance to find its audience. I also saw the London production which was a mess and suffered from the death of Michael Bennett and having to switch directors mid rehearsal.
Broadway was an entirely different show. I am still haunted by Robin Wagner's free moving periaktoi towers – post Dreamgirls – and how they crossed the stage having to traverse a rotating turntable. The stagecraft was dazzling and only recently was almost matched by Groundhog Day.
Anyway, I also saw Ms. Kuhn in Drood and Rags and Les Miserables. I love her voice and stage presence.
I'm a fan.
Posted: 10/15/21 at 2:42am
JasonC3 said: "She broke my heart in Fun Home and is my favorite Fosca."
I agree about both. Fosca, especially, is a difficult character with a difficult personality going through difficult things. It's much easier for the audience to connect with her when she emits warmth underneath all of that pain.
Posted: 10/15/21 at 5:01am
ARTc3 said: "I saw Judy Kuhn on Broadway in Chess. She was amazing. The Broadway production of Chess was amazing and unfortunately never given a chance to find its audience. I also saw the London production which was a mess and suffered from the death of Michael Bennett and having to switch directors mid rehearsal.
Broadway was an entirely different show. I am still haunted by Robin Wagner's free moving periaktoi towers – post Dreamgirls – and how they crossed the stage having to traverse a rotating turntable. The stagecraft was dazzling and only recently was almost matched by Groundhog Day.
Anyway, I also saw Ms. Kuhn in Drood and Rags and Les Miserables. I love her voice and stage presence.
I'm a fan."
I agree with all of this!
Posted: 10/15/21 at 7:53am
I've been a fan ever since I saw her in "Rags" in it's Boston tryout. Check out the YouTube video of her singing the title song from the Tonys. She is also in that same telecast in "Les Miz." as Cosette. "Rags" didn't last long (an understatement) and she went right into "Les Miz." I also met her after a concert in Provincetown and she was friendly, charming and completely down to earth. She should have a Tony by now!
Posted: 10/15/21 at 8:39am
Posted: 10/22/21 at 6:41pm
I love her too, a sublimely talented singing actress: she blew me away as Fosca, finding an unexpected warmth in the character, and was just heartbreaking in Fun Home. I fell in love with her voice from the Chess album then with the whole package when she starred as Maria/Futura in the West End flop Metropolis. The show had its issues but the leading lady was not one of them: just beautiful and deeply moving as the female revolutionary and utterly chilling as her robot counterpart, plus she made a rangy score sound easy. Last saw her as Golde in the last London Fiddler and, again, she was perfect, so good she got a Leading Actress nomination in the Olivier Awards for what is really a supporting role. I would literally watch her/listen to her singing the damn phonebook.
