Okay, whats the greatest performance you've ever seen on stage? — Page 4

It's so hard to pick just one!

Musical: Christine Ebersole GG

runner ups: Charlotte d'Amboise CHICAGO, Kristen Chenoweth WICKED (I know its a cliche but she was truly was fantastic), Laura Benanti GYSPY, Harvey Fierstein HAIRSPRAY

Play: Dennis O'Hare TAKE ME OUT

Age: 29

Updated On: 6/17/09 at 11:43 PM

Helen Sjöholm in "Kristina från Duvemåla!" in Stockholm! She was just amazing, and I'm so glad she gets to do it in NY in September!


Glenn Close in "A Streetcar Named Desire" @ The National Theatre in London....(But then again, has se EVER done anything wrong)

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Albert Finney, Hamlet (uncut), National Theatre, London 1976.

Nothing else comes close.

70+ Definitely Streisand in Funny Girl
James Earl Jones in Great White Hope

Male:
Musical - Michael Crawford in Phantom of the Opera
Play - James Earl Jones in Fences

Female:
Musical - Tyne Daly in Gypsy / Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens
Play - Cherry Jones in The Heiress

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I'm 19 - my first season was 07-08 so although I've seen 40++ (I've honestly lost count at this point) shows, I'm pretty limited.

Play - I was specifically blown away by two dynamic duos I saw last year. [Both just happened to have Norbert Leo Butz]
Norbert Leo Butz + Elizabeth Marvel - Fifty Words
Norbert Leo Butz + Raul Esparza - Speed the Plow

Musical -
Female - Patti Lupone - Gypsy
Male - Paulo Szot - South Pacific

26, been theatre-going regularly for three years.

Best Actress (Musical): Tonya Pinkins, Caroline, or Change (thanks all for bringing Caroline to London!).

Best Actor (Musical): Raul Esparza, Company (I thought this'd be a more common reply, but I guess not. He was still totally electrifying!).

Best Actress (Play): Penny Downie, Hamlet (I completely utterly lost my heart to her Gertrude, and I don't think I'll ever get it back).

Best Actor (Play): Jonathan Slinger, Richard II, Henry V, Richard III (I know that's three plays, but they were essentially one production, and part of his genius is how utterly different but superbly realised all these characters were).

And if I had to pick a Best in Show of those four, Slinger ALL THE WAY! He is, hands down, the very best actor I've ever seen in anything EVER. And it breaks my heart every day that he's not as successful and renowned as a man of that phenomenal talent should be. ;_;

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Updated On: 6/18/09 at 06:02 PM

I'm 19

Male (Musical) - Christopher Fitzgerald in Young Frankenstein

Female (Musical - Patti Lupone in Gypsy

Norbert Leo Butz was pure magic in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," and comedy is tough to pull-off, but he had me in stitches.

Lupone in "Gypsy," although it took me a while to full come around and appreciate what she brought to the role. And Laura Benati has to get special mention because she gave such a wonderful transformation in that show.

[I saw Ripley's first performance after winning the TONY, and while she had some great moments - "Didn't I see This Movie" - there were moments that didn't feel genuine and felt really forced and not spontaneous.

Performance in a Play:
KATHY BATES and ANNE PITONIAK in 'NIGHT MOTHER
CHERRY JONES in THE HEIRESS
AMANDA PLUMMER as a wacky and watchable Juliet in ROMEO & JULIET (La Jolla Playhouse, circa 1983)
LILY TOMLIN in THE SEARCH...

Performamce in a Musical:
PENNY HAMILTON in BEACH BLANKET BINGO GOES TO THE STARS
REN WOODS in THE WIZ
TONYA PINKINS and ANIKA NONI ROSE in CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
CAROL CHANNING in HELLO DOLLY (1977 and 1997?)

Even though not a Broadway performance, I feel remiss in not mentioning Meryl Streep in Mother Courage in Central Park. Stunning.

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Older than most, hence....

William Daniels in "1776", followed closely by John Cullum in "Shenandoah". What a voice.

Walter Matthau as Oscar in the original "Odd Couple", followed closely by Art Carney as Felix in the original "Odd Couple".