Performance you thought would suck...but didn't

[Playbilly]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 9:45pm

We often go into a show with preconceptions of a performer's abilities, and can be surprised that they're more effective than we thought. Any examples?

Mine was Marlo Thomas in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? many years ago. I walked into the theater expecting a disaster, but she turned out to be a good Martha.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 9:48pm

Marie Osmond in The Sound of Music (opposite Laurence Guittard) in Los Angeles. I expected a train wreck and went to see it out of morbid curiosity.

She was excellent, captivating, sang well, and carried the show with ease.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 10:00pm

Kevin Richardson as Billy Flynn in Chicago. (saw him on tour with Brenda Braxton, and Bianca Marroquin)

Anneliese van der Pol as Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

[BroadwayFan12]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 10:06pm

Marin Mazzie in Next to Normal
Elaine Stritch in A Little Night Music (not great, but much better than I'd expected)



Updated On: 5/13/12 at 10:06 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 10:07pm

Tony Orlando in Barnum
Corbin Bleu in In the Heights (well, I was skeptical)


John Stamos in Birdie -- oops, no, he did suck.

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 10:17pm

Marie Osmond, but in "The King and I." Always a fan but still happily surprised at how good she was. And that rich, powerful voice! Where had she been hiding that?

Raquel Welch in "Woman of the Year." I still say, nearly 30 years later, that I've never seen a performer enjoy themselves so much on stage. She was having the time of her life and it showed. I didn't know what to expect but I loved her.

[broadwayboy222]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 10:24pm

well this isnt an actors performance but a show in general: Legally Blonde, I went into that show expecting a train wreck and came out of it saying, this is one of my favorite shows!!!

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 10:36pm

Nicole Parker in Wicked.

[TracyLord]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 10:36pm

I was utterly blown away by Elena Roger in Evita. After everything I had heard, I walked in expecting little, and I was shocked. I understand how her voice may turn off some (though I found it strangely beautiful at times), but I thought her acting was truly incredible.

[quizking101]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 10:37pm

Nick Jonas in H2$...I was never a Jonas fan and detested his reedy pop voice, but I became convinced of his musical aptitude after this performance.

[TheGirlUpstairs]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 10:52pm

I was surprised by Ricky Martin in Evita. His performance left a lot to be desired acting-wise, but I thought his voice was great. I was expecting it to be really pop-y, but it actually fit the genre nicely.

[xxdrewboy85xx]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 10:57pm

"Marie Osmond in The Sound of Music (opposite Laurence Guittard)"

off topic but...

That was the first or second play I'd ever seen. It was that or Sandy Duncan in Peter Pan and I was about 4 or 5. All I remember from that production is Marie Osmond broke her foot during the jumping on the bed in "My Favorite Things" and in Act 2 her understudy went on. I was very young- but thought her understudy was MUCH better than Marie Osmond.

In High school we took a trip to NY and I got to see Reba McEntire in AGYG. I skipped out on the school's planned Suessical with I think Aaron Carter and Rosie O'Donnell (??) and me and some friends bought tickets to AGYG. I was so mad Bernadette wasn't in it anymore that I went in expecting Reba to SUCK.

Boy was I wrong..... SHE BLEW ME AWAY!

Updated On: 5/12/12 at 10:57 PM

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 11:29pm

Raven in Sister Act
Your Mom in Bed
Reba in Annie Get Your Gun

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 11:33pm

I was also surprised by Ricky Martin in Evita. I didn’t expect anything great, and judging from the GMA clips I thought he sounded like Neil Diamond, but he looked like he was really enjoying himself and I thought he did a very good job with what he was given.

Still sounded like Neil Diamond, though.

[xxdrewboy85xx]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 11:53pm

"Your Mom in Bed"

^ THIS just made my day.

[HBP]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 12:49am

Ditto. Everyone in my house is asleep and I just laughed aloud. A+

[Overkill]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 2:27am

Harvey Fierstein in Fiddler on the Roof
Clay Aiken in Spamalot
Nick Jonas in How to Succeed... - He's still totally wrong for the role, though...
Christina Applegate in Sweet Charity
John Travolta in Hairspray, the movie - Still not the best performance, but it was an interesting take, at least. I still wish they'd brought Harvey in...

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 2:43am

Matthew Broderick in NICE WORK. I have often found his work dull and his signature juvenile deadpan wore thin on me decades ago. His lack of suaveness, his being too old for the role and his non-dancing would seem to make him the worst choice for the role. As indeed many are quick to point out after seeing him in it.

But for me this is an example of blatant miscasting which works. His dim-witted flatness transformed the insipid stock rich playboy into a goofy delight and enhanced the show's wackiness.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 2:53am

This is also a whole show rather than a performer, but Bring It On: The Musical. Despite the creative team, I had pretty low expectations, but I was blown away. I saw it 3 times.

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 4:18am

Gareth Gates in Les Misérables.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 7:11am

Tom Wopat in "City Of Angels". Never heard of him doing anything but "Dukes Of Hazzard' before that and was quite pleasantly surprised.

[AC126748]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 10:46am

Harvey Fierstein in Fiddler on the Roof. Very moving, absolutely no schtick. I saw him opposite Andrea Martin as Golde (wonderful), but I've heard from people whose opinions I trust that Rosie O'Donnell was also good and different from her usual persona.

Elizabeth Berkeley as Bonnie in Hurlyburly. I'd only known her from Showgirls and Saved By the Bell. She knocked a difficult role out of the park.

[anmiller07]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 12:08pm

Fantasia Barrino in The Color Purple
Eden Espinosa as Maureen in RENT

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 7:49pm

Happy I could wake people up, HBP.

[defyinggravity2]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 8:57pm

Daniel Radcliffe in HOW TO SUCCEED. I didn't even know he could sing! I was always huge fan of Harry Potter, and never expected this kid to hit B'way. Also, Nick Jonas in HOW TO SUCCEED. I was never a huge Jonas Brothers fan, and didn't quite like his voice in general, but the moment the opening number came on I was blown away. Also, Jason W. Shuffler in SHREK on tour. The night I saw the performance, he understudied for Lord Farquaad. I wasn't expecting much, but he was amazing. Every time he walked I would start cracking up, with the knees and everything. DAMN.