This is so hard, but I would consider John Lloyd Young, Daniel Reichard, Christian Hoff, J.Robert Spencer, Michael Longoria, and Michael Cerveris as my male musical heroes/favorites. My female musical heroes/favorites are Sutton Foster and Jenn Gambatese.
Come on people. You know who I'll say. Need I state the obvious?! Ok-Christine Ebersole. ---------------------------------------------------------------- "Do you think my costume will stay up? I feel something slipping. I feel something."-Little Edie Beale
"A birdcage I plan to hang. I'll get to that someday. A birdcage for a bird who flew away...Around the world."
"Life is a cabaret old chum, only a cabaret old chum, and I love a cabaret!"-RIP Natasha Richardson-I was honored to have witnessed her performance as Sally Bowles.
1. Some are no longer around: Rosemary Clooney!!!! 2. Brent Barrett off mike. 3. BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL 4. Barbara Cook 5. Bette Midler 6. Carol Woods 7. Felicia P Fields 8. Kate and James Taylor 9. Judy and Liza
I can think of a lot of voices that reach in and touch my soul-- but the first time I was ever moved, really moved to tears was Ellen Greene belting Suddenly Seymour in the movie LSOH-- I still get gooseflesh when I think of it.
I would have happily given a limb to see her perform it live.
"I'm a one-eyed Mormon Democrat from conservative Arizona, and you can't have a higher handicap than that."
~The ever-great and fabulous Morris K. Udall.
Everyone is probably like, "who in the heck is this?!?!" Well, she's my voice teacher and has been on Broadway&Off so many times it isn't even funny. (pst. she was in the original cast of West Side Story,(understudy for Maria and played all over
Sondheim and Kander and Ebb are certainly the writers I'm quite fond of. They seem like (and in this case of Mr. Ebb, seemed like) very kind gentlemen as well. For directors, probably Bob Fosse and Hal Prince. Theatrically, they are (in the case of Mr. Fosse, was) superb directors who brought brilliant shows to the stage. Both men are (in the case of Fosse, was) quite moral as well. Yeah, Fosse was an adulterer (sp?), drinker, smoker, drug user and so forth, but surely he was more moral than Michael Bennett. Just thinking about his awful treatment to the gifted and lovely Donna McKechnie after their marriage makes me sick. He too was a great director though. And as for actors...there are a lot. Right now Victoria Clark, Christine Ebersole, Donna Murphy, Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone are at the top of my list. They are the cream of the crop working today.
Kathryn Grayson, Ann Miller, and Christine Ebersole. Granted, I'm not a performer, but I am eternally grateful to them for sharing their gifts with the world, and constantly inspiring me to follow my dreams.
I know, how corny, right?
It's like writing "Norma Shearer for the win!" in a Joan Crawford biography.
There are way to many to name, but off the top of my head:
Nathan Lane Bea Arthur Harvey Fierstein Julia Andrews Elaine Stritch George Hearn Angela Lansbury Neil Patrick Harris Denis O'Hare Raul Esparza (I was never a really big fan until his performance in COMPANY) Jim Brochu and Steve Schalchlin
God! Many many others!
"I'm tellin' you, the only times I really feel the presence of God are when I'm having sex and during a great Broadway musical." - Nathan Lane - Jeffrey
