Okay, whats the greatest performance you've ever seen on stage?- Page 3

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 3:57am

For me it would have to be Patti LuPone in Gypsy for musicals. Her "Rose's Turn" alone was one of the strongest moments of theater I have ever experienced. The two times I saw her I was shocked not only by how much she gave, but also by the way it seemed to come from a completely guttural place. Almost like theatrical vomit, just completely falling apart and throwing everything out there on the stage. It was not pretty, it was not nice, and it was not what you would expect from either this character who tried so hard to be close to that spotlight, to seem invincible, or from the 'Diva' Miss LuPone.

Anyway, for plays it's hands down Estelle Parsons. In terms of comedy, I was pleased enough to be front row at the first preview for Blithe Spirit and can say Angela's pitch-perfect performance takes the cake. However, I have never seen acting like what I saw in August: Osage County. Sure the play itself is fantastic. I think it's pretty difficult to screw up the role of Violet, since it's just SUCH a plum(p?) role. That being said, it is nowhere near an easy one. And Parsons' take on it was fragile, horrifying, acidic, decaying, conniving, bitter, playful, and all around wonderful. Above I referenced LuPone falling apart during "Rose's Turn", the last song in 'Gypsy'. Estelle Parsons shows us what it would be like if an entire play were her Rose's Turn (perhaps, VIOLET'S TURN). Although there is the inevitable breakdown, it is the slow descent into pill-popping, racial-slurring, family-destroying madness that truly makes her performance the best I have seen.

Oh, and I turn 23 in September.
Updated On: 6/17/09 at 03:57 AM

[devonian.t]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 6:28am

Is this thread titled the greatest performance in the last couple of seasons or are we just really lucky that the greatest performances all took place in the last 18 months???

My choices- invoking the power of memory like 2 or 3 others here-

MUSICAL: Michael Crawford in Barnum, tied with Jennifer Holliday as Effie White in Dreamgirls

PLAY: Maggie Smith in Three Tall Women tied with Daniel Day Lewis as Hamlet

[jordangirl]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 6:36am

^ Hence the reason for putting an age in the post. But even then, please to remember that not everyone on the Board grew up or even now lives in the NYC area and has had unlimited access to the theatre. Prior to three years ago, I did NOT live here and had limited access to see shows. Those I did see when I was in high school do NOT rank among the best performances I EVER saw. Ergo my choices are more recent.

[breakfree303]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 9:22am

Musical: John Selya in Movin' Out
(Well, it's not technically a musical, but it was nominated for Best Musical, so it counts!) He's onstage a lot, and he dances his face off, and towards the end of the show, which is pretty long, when you can infer that he is tired, he dances even harder, and better. He conveys emotion like no other, his technique is beautiful and he has so much energy throughout. He is just fantastic.

Play: Kevin Kline in Cyrano.
Just amazing. That's all I can say!

[fgreene1938]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 9:52am

Impossible to pick only one, so here goes:

Musical (Female): Angela Lansbury in "Sweeney Todd"
Tonya Pinkins in "Caroline, or Change"
Donna Murphy in "Follies" (at Encores!)
Jennifer Holliday in "Dreamgirls"

Male(Musical): Len Cariou in "Sweeney Todd"
Raul Julia in "Nine"
Raul Esparza in "Cabaret"
Brian Stokes Mitchell in "Ragtime"



Drama (Female): Phylicia Rashad in "Gem of the Ocean"
Vanessa Redgrave in "Long Day's Journey Into Night"
Phyllis Frielich in "Children of a Lesser God"
Stockard Channing in "Six Degrees of Separation"

Drama (Male): Derek Jacoby in "Cyrano de Bergerac"
John Rubinstein in "Children of a Lesser God"
Jefferson Mays in "I Am My Own Wife"
Jeffrey Wright in "Topdog/Underdog" Updated On: 6/17/09 at 09:52 AM

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 9:59am

Male in a play - Ian McKellan in Bent (Original London cast)
Female in a play - Irene Worth in Sweet Bird of Youth
Male in a musical - Tie: Jim Dale in OBC cast of Barnum(especially compared to Michael Crawfords usual bloated, hammy performance in the original London cast) and John Cullum in Shenendoah
Female in a musical : Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 10:49am

I'm 30...call it old or young.

Musicals:
Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens
Donna Murphy in Follies at Encores!
Toni Collette in The Wild Party
Karen Ziemba in Contact

Plays:
Katie Finnernan in Noises Off
Sally Field in The Goat or Who is Silvia?

Apparently all the greatest performances were by females...interesting.

[minicko88]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 11:19am

Ok...

Musical (Male)- Brian Stokes Mitchell in Man of La Mancha
Musical (Female)- Colleen Sexton in Jekyll and Hyde (Sorry, but she was awesome!) or Alice Ripley in Next to Normal

Play (Male)- Frank Langelle in Frost Nixon too... hes incredible
Play (Female)- I hope I can pick a movie and say Amy Adams in Doubt... INCREDIBLE!

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 12:35pm

Lea Salonga in Miss Saigon

I'm 36.

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 12:37pm

I'm 22 and Amy Morton in AUGUST:OSAGE COUNTY
Updated On: 6/17/09 at 12:37 PM

[philcrosby]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 1:09pm

I'm older, so ...

Musical: Angela Lansbury in GYPSY
Fantasia Barrino in THE COLOR PURPLE
Robert Preston in MACK AND MABEL

Play: Glenda Jackson in HEDDA GABLER
Hal Holbrook in KING LEAR

[WOSQ]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 1:54pm

Lots of great performances in plays:
Geilgud, Richardson, Tandy, Washbourn in Home
Robards and Dewhurst in A Moon For The Misbegotten
Langella and Weist in After The Fall
Zoe Caldwell in Master Class
Lily Tomlin in The Search For Signs...etc.

Fewer in musicals:
Kert, Stritch, Kimbrough, Browning, Barrie, Myers, Howland in Company
Glynis Johns in Night Music
The original cast of A Chorus Line

I'm fifty-nine.

[J'aime GG]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 8:31pm

Musical: Christine Ebersole, Grey Gardens
Play: Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 8:38pm

I'm 24

Musical (Male)- Michael Cerveris in Sweeney Todd

Musical (Female)- Patti LuPone in Gypsy

Play (Male) tie: Geoffrey Rush in Exit the King and Liev Schreiber in Talk Radio

Play (Female)- Amy Morton (August: Osage County)

[Rudy2]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 8:45pm

Play - Geoffrey Rush in "Exit the King" or Lily Tomlin in "The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life In the Universe"

Musical - Patti LuPone in "Gypsy"

This is very hard to say though because the material makes a difference in how wonderful the performance will be remembered as being. Frank Langella and Angela Lansbury are my favorite actor and actress respectively, and I have seen them each in 2 productions, and yet I find listing neither here. It's the parts as well as the actors.

That said, nothing has overwhelmed me quite like Rush in "Exit the King." It's the only performance I've ever felt at a loss for words to describe. Granted, I was 13 when I saw the grandeur that is Lily Tomlin "The Search..."

Edit: Since, we're all putting in age, 22. (just turned it last Friday

Updated On: 6/18/09 at 08:45 PM

[GregHarris111]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 9:10pm

Both Carol Channing & Pearl Bailey in HELLO, DOLLY
Patti in GYPSY

Eva LaGallienne, THE ROYAL FAMILY

[wonkit]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 9:16pm

Probably impossible to choose just one, but

MUSICAL: Ian Richardson in the revival of MY FAIR LADY (1976)

PLAY: Ian McKellan in AMADEUS (1980)

Age: I'm old enough to be your mother.

[knicks52192]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 9:21pm

For me Patti Lupone in Gypsy and Geoffrey Rush in Exit the King
runners up Alice Ripley in N2N and Raul Esparza in Speed the Plow

[hpeabody930]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 9:26pm

PLAY: Anthony Heald in Equivocation at Oregon Shakespeare Festival... AMAZING.

MUSICAL: Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens.

I'm 17

[dg22894]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 9:32pm

Musical: John Galleger JR. Spring Awekening
Play: Deena Dunagan August Osage County

Im 15

[robinycus2]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 9:49pm

Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd. My first Broadway show when I was 15. I thought ALL Broadway was going to be as good! LOL.
Frank Langella in Frost Nixon

I'm 45

[singtopher]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 10:05pm

Amy Morton in A:OC

Musical wise, Daniel and Jenna in Sunday were absolutely electrifying.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 10:10pm

Play: Cynthia Nixon in "Rabbit Hole". She effortlessly went from depressed, to exasperated, to sobbing, to angry and vicious. It was intense and beautiful.

Musical: Alice Ripley in "Next to Normal". I lost my mind and sobbed. The most visceral reaction I've ever had.

[haddaddy3]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 10:32pm

Age 17

Patti and Christine are tied because when I saw GYPSY Patti flubbed a line or two, and when I saw GREY GARDENS, we were right behind speakers in the front mezz and the sound was muffled.

Play would be a graduate program's production of ANGELS IN AMERICA. The whole cast was brilliant.

[Leia947]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 10:53pm

I think the only play I've seen is Metamorphosis, so I don't have much to go on there. But as for musicals:

Gavin Creel in Hair... the first time I've ever heard of him (I was away from the B-way scene for a while) and wow, was I blown away.
Heather Headley in Aida.... that girl's voice is beyond amazing. I wish she would come back and do another show.

And any time I get to see Adam Pascal do "One Song Glory" live. Chills.

Edited to add: And I'm 28.

Updated On: 6/17/09 at 10:53 PM