MOST OVERRATED AND UNDERRATED BROADWAY STARS- Page 3

[overthemoon419]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 5:09pm

Overrated: Idina Menzel, Nathan Lane, Eden Espinosa

Underrated: Will Chase, Julia Murney

[pants2]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 5:14pm

overrated- john lithgow, chita rivera (now, i think she was amazing back in her wss and chicago days and she can still dance her ass off but shes not a triple threat ne more), idina menzel, eden espinosa

underrated- shoshana bean

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 5:15pm

Patti LuPone - she's done amazing things, but sometimes she's just like curling her lips and moaning. ::gets killed::

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 5:19pm

Overrated: Idina Menzel, Hugh Jackman, Kristin Chenoweth, Patti LuPone and some others....Idina Menzel.

Underrated: Denis O'Hare, Brian d'Arcy James, Greg Jbara, Kevin Cahoon, Cady Huffman, Gary Beach, Jonathan Freeman, Richard Kind, Becky Ann Baker, Victoria Clark, and many many others.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 5:27pm

("now, i think she was amazing back in her wss and chicago days and she can still dance her ass off but shes not a triple threat ne more),"

That doesn't seem like a good reason to make her "overrated."

[ashley0139]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 5:57pm

Julia Murney hasn't done enough to be considered over- or underrated yet. So far, she's been in one extremely short-lived show. That does not make her a Broadway "star."

I think that's mostly what makes her underrated. She's good enough to be a big Broadway star but hasn't gotten her break yet. But (I think) she deserves to. Wouldn't that make her underrated?

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 6:57pm

Chita is a LEGEND.
Legends are never overrated.
They rule

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 7:09pm

" Ethel Merman, Patti LuPone, Carol Channing, Barbra Streisand, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marin Mazzie"

I understand that everyone has their opinions but to say that Ethel, Carol and Barbra are underrated is not recognizing and appeciating the contribution they have made to musical theater. Without them there would be no Patti, Bernadette ect....

Also, I'm curious to know what is overrated about Marin. Her voice? acting? personality? To be honest, hardley anyone knows about her when I mention her.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 7:11pm

"Also, I'm curious to know what is overrated about Marin. Her voice? acting? personality"

I was wondering the same thing. I don't see anything overrated about her. I think she's a little underrated.
Updated On: 12/26/06 at 07:11 PM

[ahmelie]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 7:21pm

The top 5 of that "showcial networking" thing
1. Idina Menzel (Has done 3 shows on Broadway)
2. Norbert Leo Butz (Has done 4)
3. Sutton Foster (Has many Broadway credits, but I don't think she's as talented as people make her out to be)
4. Anthony Rapp (Has done 5 shows)
5. Adam Pascal (3 shows)

Compared to that of Chita Rivera, who has done around 15 shows on Broadway, or Gwen Verdon, who has done 12. I just don't understand how the 4 of the 5 most popular performers on BroadwayWorld have 5 or less Broadway credits.

That being said, I think that John Raitt is one of the most talented performers of the Golden Age of Broadway, and he's hardly mentioned even on these boards.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 7:23pm

If anything, I would also think Marin is underrated.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 7:27pm

No, that doesn't make Murney underrated. I bet there are a lot of really talented people about to break out, not just her.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 8:36pm

How can anyone seriously mention Murney as "underrated"? She was talked about relentlessly before so much as making her Broadway debut in Lemon and has done nothing all that great to follow it up besides playing Elphaba (more than once). If anything, she's overrated.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 8:38pm

Last time I checked, being old doesn't mean you're no longer a triple threat.

And, "West Side Story" and "Chicago" aren't exactly the same era. They're 20 years apart.

Emily, I know. John Raitt is terrific. He was a real perfomer too. It wasn't about being on Broadway, just doing it.

EDIT: Oh, and I have to pay my homage: Lenora Nemetz is underrated.

Updated On: 12/26/06 at 08:38 PM

[Act4ever]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 8:53pm

Am I wrong in saying that being overrated means that someone does not live up to all they are hyped up to be?

How could people like Ethel, Chita or Barbra not live up to any kind of expectations?

Dreamgirls film... to me that was overrated. I was way to hyped up for that and it did not deliver the way that I had hoped. But that's just my opinion.

I just don't think we're all on the same page of "overrated"

[elphaba.scares.me]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:10pm

Rathnait, the fact that Julia Murney has only done one Broadway show is beside the point. New York audiences and theater fans have been familiar with her work for years (Wild Party, Time and Again, First Lady Suite, etc), certainly long enough to decide if her talents are appropriately appreciated.

I would argue that while she might not fit into the category of "Broadway star" she s in the unique position of having performed around the Broadway community long enough to be judged as such. She's been on numerous stages starring alongside her peers (let's start with the Actors Fund concerts and go from there) and she is without a doubt a Broadway-caliber talent. Julia's been a star waiting to happen for years, the NY theater community knows it, and I think it's entirely fine that she be included in this conversation.

And for the record, she is only underrated in that she is not hired as often as she should be. Everyone I know is massively impressed by her talent and work ethic.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:21pm

And for the record, she is only underrated in that she is not hired as often as she should be.

That was the point I was trying to make.

[bigbigbill]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:27pm

How is Sutton overrated in any way? She is amazing at everything she does. That girl could learn how to play accordian backstage at The Drowsy Chaperone and in five minutes come onstage and blow all of our socks off.

[ahmelie]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:52pm

How is Sutton overrated in any way?

As I said, I don't think her talent lives up to how much people seem to adore her. I saw her in Little Women and was not impressed, I just don't think she has the charisma that a Broadway star should have. Though I do feel she has all the potential, she is misusing her talent (not in the shows or roles she picks, I just don't feel that she performs with the "gusto" or energy which I feel that she could).

[bigbigbill]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:57pm

Sorry, I disagree. My personal opinion.

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 10:03pm

Is this a thread where Overrated performers = favorite performers, and underrated performers = not my favorite performers?

Seriously, people are just listing all these people that haven't been rated enough to be considered underrated or overrated. For example, Victoria Matlock hasn't done anything on Broadway, therefore making it illegible to be listed on this thread. On the contrary, one can argue Sutton Foster as overrated since she has been nominated/won a Tony and has gotten rave reviews on her performances.

[JamesMacon]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 10:07pm

I do not think that people realize how amazing Mary Faber is.

[soulman83]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 10:18pm

I think that Idina in See What I wanna See brings her back from being overrated.

[WickedForever2]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 10:30pm

"Sorry, I disagree. My personal opinion."

Which is why this thread is pretty much pointless. Yes, I'll admit, I posted my opinion, but what does it really matter, no one is going to change anyone else's mind.

[little_sally]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 10:45pm

Marin Mazzie is nowhere near overrated. If anything, she is underrated.