Stephanie Torns

I've seen both (as well as Stephanie cover for Dawn also before Jenna Ushkowitz arrived). If someone came specifically to see Jessie Mueller and she wasn't in, I could understand why he/she would be disappointed. If they came to see a good show with great performances, you could see either Jessie or Stephanie and still have a wonderful experience.

Stephanie is amazing IMO. She has sung Elphaba in Wicked so she has THAT voice. A different quality than Jessie's but both very affecting. She has a very crisp way of speaking and you don't miss a word of dialogue. It's a very specific role and both Jessie and Stephanie bring a similar vibe to it, but their own personalities shine as well. Both are confident, appealing, funny and work well with their co-stars.

It was funny, when I was there, a person near me complimented "Jessie" on her performance - she didn't even realize it was Stephanie on stage. I guess she knew Jessie by reputation and didn't see the change in the Playbill.

Stephanie also represented Waitress off site at Bryant Park and Grand Central Station for their summer theater celebrations...

Just saw Torns will be stepping back in once Sara leaves and before McPhee starts the show. I was initially disappointed in November when I found out Betsy was out for the matinee I had a ticket for. But Stephanie was awesome. I was front row Orchestra and she sold every moment. Great as she is, this is a show that has shown that currently it needs big names to draw big box office. I hope audiences won’t be dissuaded from seeing it because a pop star isn’t in the cast. Regardless, I’m glad Torns gets to be Jenna as more than an understudy or stand-in for awhile. She has earned it. I know it is unlikely that she would be the lead Jenna again after McPhee exits (due to not be a big enough box office draw), but from a critical standpoint, she’d be an awesome choice.

Updated On: 3/9/18 at 01:30 PM

I thought Torns was really dull in the role. Very fake and "actor"y - all her acting beats felt over-planned, like she was just walking through the motions, which rendered the humor especially very flat and predictable. Her voice was fine but very generic. I thought Bareilles, who has far less acting experience, was infinitely more genuine and natural in the role.

^ That’s funny because while I felt like Stephanie totally inhabited the role, I saw Betsy and Jason (I was also less than enthused to see him in NYC, but walked away thoroughly impressed by him) perform on the televised Thanksgiving parade shortly after I returned home from NYC. I know they were performing the song out of the context of the show, but I didn’t buy a moment of her performance. It made me even more glad that I saw Stephanie in the show. I’m sure Betsy was great on stage, but the televised performance didn’t demonstrate that to me.

I saw Stephanie a few days after Jessie’s last performance, prior to Sara’s first. The audience was audibly disappointed when they realized an understudy was on, but she won them over right away and it was more enthusiastic of a crowd than it was the first two times I saw the show (with original and replacement cast).

I wonder if her understudying for Betsy and/or Sara has anything to do with the difference in performance you guys experienced. She was nothing short of excellent last March!

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GiantsInTheSky2 said: "I saw Stephanie a few days after Jessie’s last performance, prior to Sara’s first. The audience was audibly disappointed when they realized an understudy was on, but she won them over right away and it was more enthusiastic of a crowd than it was the first two times I saw the show (with original and replacement cast).

I wonder if her understudying for Betsy and/or Sara has anything to do with the difference in performance you guys experienced. She was nothing short of excellent last March!"

I personally see star quality there. Not trying to change anyone's opinion. Just sharing mine. In addition, she and Drew have amazing chemistry so that's a huge plus. They have an real male-female connection where the audience can feel their bond. I love her.

I've had the pleasure of seeing Jessie, Sara, Stephanie, Desi, and Betsy all perform the role, and I can say each of them brings their own interpretation... I'm not going to rank them, but I think Stephanie was able to hold her own and she'll be a great interim Jenna until Kat arrives. And I can't wait to see Kat. I've made it my goal to see all the regulars