Single Favorite Moment Ever Witnessed on Stage — Page 2

Act 2 of TITANIC, Isidor and Ida Straus have just finished singing "Still" to each other as the ship is sinking. He wraps their champagne glasses in a napkin, lays the glasses down on the deck, stamps his foot on the glasses and exclaims "Mazel Tov." I lost it right then and there.

Gypsy Overture
One Day More from Les Miz
Defying Gravity from Wicked
Overture from Phantom of the Opera
Shall We Dance from The King & I
Every minute of Avenue Q
Finale of Carousel
Company from Company
A Little Priest from Sweeney Todd
Act One Finale from Sunday In The Park With George

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Tonya Pinkins singing "Lot's Wife".
Donna Murphy and Jennifer Westfeldt singing "Ohio".
Mary-Louise Parker's entire performance in "Proof"
Every moment of "Passion".

Almost nine years ago I saw Rent for the first time in Boston (you never forget your first time!). It was the first stop of the first national tour (Angel company) and it stayed in the city for 8 months. I saw the show several times during its stay and it instantly became a life changing one for me. The night the show closed in Boston will go down for me as one of my greatest experiences. The energy in the theater that night reached a level I've never experienced before or since. The theater was filled with fans of the show and when all the cast members took to the stage to start the show there was a standing ovation that lasted about 5 minutes. The show was interrupted several more times with additional standing ovations and ended with everyone singing the finale along with the cast. It was a special night that ended with an emotional standing ovation from the audience that took us all well into the evening. I still get chills thinking about that night.

My second was seeing Daphne singing "Out Tonight" in LA. I got her understudy when I saw the OBC in NY and then she left the show. I was devastated that I would never get to hear her sing that song, but luckily for me she decided to rejoin the show for a limited engagement in LA and San Fran! When I saw her in that robe leaning against that brick wall, getting ready to straddle that railing... It was heaven!

My third was Michael Cerveris in Hedwig doing the final number in the show at the Henry Fonda theater in LA. One word... Amazing!

Updated On: 1/27/05 at 03:45 PM

From LES MISERABLES --

*The first time I heard the song Do You Hear the People Sing ( very stirring)
*The hush that fell after everyone was killed on the barricade ( very poignant)

From MAN OF LA MANCHA --

*Richard Kiley singing The Impossible Dream

From ASPECTS OF LOVE --

*Michael Ball opening the show with the song LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING ( and I was seated right in front of him the first time I saw the show in London)

From THE BOY FROM OZ --

*Hugh Jackman getting out of character when he sang ONCE BEFORE I GO on the closing show. It felt like it was he who was saying goodbye to his incredible year on Broadway!

One Day More during Les Miz. I was 12, and I cried buckets. NEver been the same since.

I saw Cats, in a regional thater, one of the most electrifying experiences ever.

Fiddler on the Roof. THe whole thing still gives me the willies.

ANd finally STOMP.

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Agh there are so many...

In recent seasons:

-Donna Murphy completely forgetting her lines and having to stop the orchestra and restart TWICE during "One Hundred Easy Ways" in Wonderful Town

-The end of the revival of "Cabaret"

-The "Never Gonna Dance" number in "Never Gonna Dance" with all of the mirrors on the back -- it just sort of got me for some reason

-Nearly ALL of "A Number" off-broadway - I sat on the edge of my chair completely still for at least the last 30 minutes. I don't think I was breathing.

-"Il Adore" in Taboo -- killed me, for some reason.

-The end of "RECKLESS" - Perhaps this is the most random. I thought the entire play was kind of stupid [with some great performances in it]...but for some strange reason at the end of the play when there is the huge twist involving Mary Louise Parker's character and her son, it just went straight to the heart -- I was a huge mess for like twenty minutes after that show -- RANDOMLY.

-The "Moon Trio", "Lots Wife", and the finale from Caroline or Change -- and the moment where Caroline's boys are standing in a line downstage and she walks behind them and puts money in each of their hands -- just really got to me and stuck out to me.

-When the video of the Kennedy Assassination was projected onto Oswald's stomach in silence after shooting Kennedy in "Assassins"

-Tovah Feldshuh screaming "SHALOM!" at the end of Golda's Balcony - going into an abrupt blackout


So thats more than one -- but what can I say, really.

Obviously, most of you aren't aware of the definition of the word "single"...but I digress...

My favorite memory was when I saw RENT for the first time from rush seats.

I consciously broke the "single" rule.

Don't put limits on the artist! Muahaha.

"My favorite memory was when I saw RENT for the first time from rush seats."

That is definitely up there, tied with seeing the stage production of Beauty and the Beast for the first time. I was watching my favorite Disney movie come to life before my eyes and it made me feel like I was 10 again.

First time i saw Wicked original cast i was so excited! During the "Popular" scene in which the beds come out for the girls' dorms, Kristens bed didn't come out! I didn't really notice anything untill Idina goes "Kristen...Where's youre bed?". I DIED! I thought it was the funniest thing in MY LIFE and balled my eyes out. It was even funnier how they didn't try to cover it up, they just kept making fun of it. Kristen at one point said "and to think, this whole set cost over 1 million dollars!!!". BY FAR the greatest moment of my life. (lol) They also just kept ad-libbing untill about 5 minutes later Kristens bed slowly inched on stage...stopping and starting occasionally. At one point she was edging it on and i thought she was honestly gonna race it...

Also in a later scene when G(a)linda is trying to work the wand, Kristen said: "well if my bed didn't work...WHY SHOULD THIS!?!?!".

You can obviously see how it was the best moment ever


~Peace Out~

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Updated On: 1/28/05 at 11:51 PM

The opening of 42nd Street

Every single solitary individual moment of Urinetown

when the ensemble sings "Tradition!" for the first time

for some reason, curtain calls always get me

the very last moment of The Last 5 Years

"Our Time" in Merrily

"Hello 12, Hello 13..." in A Chorus Line

the last moment of "Fran and Janie"

"Make Them Hear You" oohhhh what a moment

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I posted this in the Jennifer Holliday thread but it fits here as well:

I have only had one experience in the theatre where the show actually stopped because of a standing ovation in the middle of a song. It was Jennifer Holliday performing 'And I Am Telling You' in "Dreamgirls". It's a moment that I will never forget.

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