"Replacement" cast members who were better than the originals
"Replacement" cast members who were better than the originals
Zamedy154
Featured Actor Joined: 6/26/16
corbucketty
Chorus Member Joined: 4/6/17
sondmon
Stand-by Joined: 5/17/15
#7REBA
Posted: 6/8/17 at 9:02am
Bernadette Peters in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
Jonathan Pryce in DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS
Heather Headley in THE COLOR PURPLE
KathyNYC2
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/2/10
#13REBA
Posted: 6/8/17 at 9:44am
Based only on the night I saw Kahn, Judy Kaye over Madeleine Kahn.
I loved Madeleine Kahn and many here saw her on nights when she was brilliant. And that's theater, folks! But Judy Kaye taught me something very important about musical comedy, in particular: it's not enough to have the skills, you also have to act like you want to be up there. OTTC was always a great party with Judy Kaye!
thirtythirtyninety
Broadway Star Joined: 5/30/05
philly03
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/20/07
#17"Replacement" cast members who were better than the originals
Posted: 6/8/17 at 10:26am
Do original vs. revival productions count? If so, I thought Jon Jon Briones, Eva Noblezada, and Alistair Brammer were better than Jonathan Pryce, Lea Salonga, and Simon Bowman in Miss Saigon.
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
#18"Replacement" cast members who were better than the originals
Posted: 6/8/17 at 11:24am
I love Jessie Mueller and pretty much think she can do no wrong, but I preferred Sara Bareilles in Waitress.
#19"Replacement" cast members who were better than the originals
Posted: 6/8/17 at 11:45am
I agree about Bareilles. I thought she was better than Mueller by leaps and bounds (I should note that I do NOT love Mueller and think she absolutely CAN do wrong). Bareilles naturally was everything Mueller was visibly trying hard to be.
And I agree about Heather Headley in The Color Purple. I didn't even realize what that the role had that much potential for depth and dimension until she did it.
I would also add Kevin Kern in Finding Neverland. Much better than Matthew Morrison. He technically wasn't a replacement, but it sounds like he might as well have been based on how often Alfie Boe called out.
I didn't see Michelle Williams in Cabaret, but I LOVED Emma Stone in the role, and the consensus seems to be that Williams was awful (which doesn't surprise me, given that I didn't enjoy her over-the-top performance in Blackbird, or even really Manchester By The Sea for that matter). Stone's singing was only passable, but her acting was electric.
I thought Rob McClure was a better fit for Nick Bottom in Something Rotten than Brian d'Arcy James.
I'm also not a bit fan of Idina Menzel, so though I've only seen bootlegs of her as Elphaba, I definitely think she's ben surpassed by tons of her replacements.
ethan231h
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/5/11
#21replacements
Posted: 6/8/17 at 12:45pm
As amazing as Patina Miller was in Pippin...I gotta say, I adored Ciara Renee. She brought some different vibes to the role that I really loved.
I also think Josh Grisetti was/is great in Something Rotten (Broadway/tour)
IHeartNY2
Stand-by Joined: 4/14/17
#23replacements
Posted: 6/8/17 at 1:20pm
enjoyed Norbert Leo Butz as Roger in RENT better than Adam Pascal
Sondheimite
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/5/14
#24replacements
Posted: 6/8/17 at 1:30pm
I liked Michael C Hall and, obviously, John Cameron Mitchell in the Hedwig revival substantially more than Neil Patrick Harris. But, again, I acknowledge it's not fair to pin NPH's Hedwig against JCM's Hedwig.
BroadwayConcierge
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/24/15
#25replacements
Posted: 6/8/17 at 1:32pm
Heather Headley in The Color Purple and Rob McClure in Something Rotten!.
Also, as much as I love Anthony Ramos, I think both of his successors (Jordan Fisher and Anthony Lee Medina) are superior Laurens/Philips.
#26replacements
Posted: 6/8/17 at 1:43pm
I thought Nick Jonas was excellent in How to Succeed. He was far better than Daniel Radcliffe, who, in my opinion, should solely stick to plays. Nick Jonas really surprised me with his acting, his singing was incredible, and his dancing was very energetic.
I also think, with the exception of John Lloyd Young, that the 2015 cast of Jersey Boys was far better. Richard H. Blake, Quinn Van Antwerp, and Matt Bogart were the best 'Seasons' in my opinion. They were lively and their movements were more crisp and uniformed than the OBC's. Though John Lloyd Young was the best Frankie Valli in my opinion, Mauricio Perez did a stellar job when he understudied and alternated.
The Other One
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/1/08
#27replacements
Posted: 6/8/17 at 2:00pm
Going back too many years for me to have actually seen for myself, Michelle Lee was almost assuredly a better Rosemary than Bonnie Scott in the original production of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Michelle is that rare replacement who went on to play the role in the film version, albeit with most of her songs cut.
I second Jonathan Pryce in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and add David Dukes in M. Butterfly -- this despite the fact that I truly like John Lithgow.
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