Star replacements who were actually incredible.

[Boq101]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 5:12pm

Here we can post whoever we thought replaced a show to boost ticket sales and actually did a great job.

For me I'd have to say Brooke Shields in Wonderful Town. In my opinion no one beats Donna Murphy and Ros Rusell but Brooke was pretty amazing in the show.

Any others?

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 5:13pm

Reba McEntire in "Annie, Get Your Gun."

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 5:14pm

A lot of people disagree with this, but Jennifer Jason Leigh as Sally in CABARET blew me away. She made that character so incredibly dark and depressing and I loved every single second of it.

[alliez92092]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 5:24pm

I didn't see her, but many of my friends saw Diana Degarmo in Hairspray and said she was fabulous.

Also, a friend of mine just got back from seeing Beauty and the Beast and adored Annelise.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 5:25pm

Certainly Raquel Welch in WOMAN OF THE YEAR and Vanessa Williams in SPIDER WOMAN got stellar reviews.

Now you just know this thread is going to turn into a debate over the definition of "star" (i.e. "Jan Smith was so incredible when she replaced the third chorus girl on the right in HAIRSPRAY...")

[Testing1232]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 5:37pm

FANTASIA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 5:38pm

Luci Arnaz - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Jonathan Pryc - DRS
Brian d'Arcy James - DRS
Richard Kind - The Producers
Harvey Fierstein - Fiddler on the Roof
Cathy Rigby - Seussical
Donny Osmond - Beauty and the Beast
Mike Starr - The Odd Couple
Bebe Neuwirth - Chicago


I'm sure I could name some more...but I just don't want to.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 5:41pm

The following great ladies of the theater who followed the Goddess Carol Channing in HELLO, DOLLY!:

Ginger Rogers

Martha Raye

Betty Grable

Pearl Bailey *********************************

Phyllis Diller

Ethel Merman

[Testing1232]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 5:42pm

Pryce was amazing ! Not sure if the OP was just referring to a
"stunt-casted" star, or just a replacement ?

[ElFantasma14]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 6:13pm

Not quite sure as I never witnessed her performance, but Petula Clark was a good Norma Desmond, no?

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 6:43pm

Gonna agree with those DRS ones.
Um, Richard Kind as Max? Awful, one of the worst stage performances ever.

Donny was also great, too.

[BigFatBlonde]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 7:09pm

ElFantasma14,

"...but Petula Clark was a good Norma Desmond, no?"


No.

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 7:11pm

ANNELIESE VAN DER POL in Beauty and the Beast

[BroadwaySinger2]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 7:21pm

Harvey - Fiddler
Anneliese - B&TB

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 7:37pm

Not sure if this counts as she opened the Canadian production but I wasn't expecting much from Diahan Carol (sp?) as Norma in Sunset when I saw it in Vancouver and was blown away by her mere presence--her version of the CD is still my fave to listen to.

I saw Kate Shindle on the tour of Cabaret and all I knew about her was she was a Miss America--so I was kinda expecting the worse but, while not blown away, was pleasantly surprised

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 7:48pm

Lea Thompson in Cabaret - Her insanely held note on "When I goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, I'm going like Elsie" was PHENOMENAL! It was soo much more angry, it felt like Sally realized the weight of the abortion, and what it was costing her.

Jennifer Laura Thompson in Wicked - Liked her a lot more than Cheno. Felt she was just a better actress, and had a better grasp on the part.

Reba in Annie Get Your Gun - Words can not describe.

Betty Buckley in Carrie - She didn't do London, so technically I'm calling her a replacement. In London "And Barbara Was Weak" would be a better comment.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 7:55pm

Brooke Shields in Wonderful Town, she was so passionate, real, and she had that woman down.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 7:57pm

I wouldn't call Grandma Buckley a replacement in CARRIE. Barbara Cook completed her run in London and simply chose not to reprise the role for NYC...

[gypsiedtokill]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 7:59pm

Jonathan Pryce was FABULOUS in DRS.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 8:06pm

I agree with Jennifer Laura Thompson and Jonathan Pryce -- both were fantastic, really! I liked Pryce immeasurably more than Lithgow, who talk-sings his way through the entire show. And I prefer JLT's Glinda over Cheno's (we all know she's fab -- just personal preference).

Barrett Foa was a very dynamic replacement for Tartaglia, I think. Also, Joey Fatone in Little Shop always made me smile.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 9:13pm

I'm in a decided minority, but I loved Debbie Reynolds in WOMAN OF THE YEAR. Raquel had fun with it, in her Kamali shoulders, but curiously -- to my thinking -- Debbie, more than Bacall even, actually seemed to embody and fill out with versimilitude the character, i.e. to suggest a real TV reporter. This will astound or infuriate, but she made the story feel grounded, real-er. And the only played it three weeks. I wish she had recorded it, because she made a far more persuasive case for the Kander and Ebb score -- which is levels above, say, the APPLAUSE score. (And on that subjectd, I saw Anne Baxter's campy but winning turn as Margo. Maybe I'm just happier seeing a Bacall show once Bacall checks out.)

[EdmundOG]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 9:16pm

Did you just call Barret Foa a "star replacement"?

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 9:17pm

I never saw Bacall, Welch, or Reynolds in the role but Kander and Ebb *hated* Debbie Reynolds in their show because according to them she ad-libbed the whole performance, changed their lyrics (or simply skipped them), and never showed any kind of discipline regarding the material when she was on stage. Must've been fun for the audience though.
I love the clip of Welch singing "The Grass is Always Greener" with Cooper who is a hoot.

EDIT: I know MB predicted this, but come on, some of the people listed here as "stars" are a bit laughable.

Updated On: 4/23/07 at 09:17 PM

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 10:02pm

George Hearn in Wicked was also fantastic!

I thought Richard was a perfect fit for the role of Max...I dunno, I'm a fan of his..

[MungoGypsy8232]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 10:11pm

I really like Shoshana's take on the role after Idina left and was shocked by the talented Steve Kazee who replaced Hank Azaria as Lancelot and Martin Moran as Sir Robin who replaced David Hyde Pierce. I went in disappointed that I'd be missing the stars but was really surprised that they were so awesome!