The Greatest Musical Theatre Voices Ever?

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 9:57pm

Cast your votes. Categorize them as Best Male and Best Female.

[Broadway_Bound_Star]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:02pm

Tats a tough one.. I heard Roul...(forgot his last name) sing Defying Gravity, its so good,.. and best female is a tie between Ava and Hether Hadley

[Joshua488]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:03pm

You mean Raúl Esparza.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:03pm

Raul Esparza?
yeah he's great

Sutton
Norbert


those are the only two i feel belong in the catagory that i have actually witnessed

[Broadway_Bound_Star]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:05pm

"Raul Esparza"

Yeah, thats him, thanks!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:05pm

Raúl is a rare talent and I love him, but I don't think I'd be so pretentious as to put him on a list of the greatest vocalists ever.

Oh that note, IDINA MENZEL!!!!!!!!

In all seriousness, Julie Andrews. God, I wish she could still sing that way.

ETA - B_B_S, it's Heather Headley.

Updated On: 4/9/05 at 10:05 PM

[Aigoo]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:08pm

Idina Menz-::is shot::

I'm torn between Hugh Panaro and Norbert Leo Butz....

Female? I'll say Kerry Butler, just 'cause I liked her as Penny.


When I entered this topic though, I saw EVER in the title, so sorry if my answers sound naive.


As a footnote, I'm not an Idina Hater. She had her shining moments, especially when I first heard the Wicked OBC, but I heard Stephanie J. Block and Idina was just pushed out of the picture.

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:09pm

Besides Emcee- DOES ANYONE READ TITLES.

The Greatest Musical Theatre Voices EVER!!!


Key word there is EVER, as in ALL TIME and not the past 4 years.
I love Raul's voice (and everyone else mentioned) but the singers from yesteryear had UNBELIEVABLE voices.

JULIE ANDREWS people and her HUGE range, that is one of the greatest musical theatre voices EVER!

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:10pm

I could never even start to answer this question, because I have really only seen post- 1990 theater. As many books I read, as many documentaries I watch, as many LPs I hear, I still don't feel qualified to judge.
That said, in the competition for "greatest musical theatre voices ever", the only performer from this era that I'd DEFINITELY put in the running (i.e. top 20) is...
Audra McDonald.

[Aigoo]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:10pm

I was gonna say Julie Andrews...but I'm too young to remember her from Broadway. I know her mostly from movies, and from what I can tell, she's an amazing woman.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:12pm

Yes, jacob. Emcee did very well in reading comprehension. This is going to turn into the same monstrousity that the thread about the top ten greatest musicals ever became. 5, 4, 3....

Anyway, there are people today who are certainly great, but what about the true legends who didn't even need to use mics? Come on - I bet I'm younger than several of you, and far less naive and narrow-minded.

Female? I'll say Kerry Butler, just 'cause I liked her as Penny.
Case in point. That's great basis.

I never saw Julie Andrews on Broadway either, but does that keep me from recognizing her as a legend or make me unqualified to recognize her as such? That's a total cop-out.

Updated On: 4/9/05 at 10:12 PM

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:13pm

I read "EVER"...and I honestly think Sutton and Norbert deserve to be on that list...

Old people ok...:
Julie
Orbach
Bernadette *even though i don't like her..she is great!*

[Broadway_Bound_Star]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:14pm

YESH!! Audra McDonald is EXCELLENT I saw her in Annie as Grace and in Passion as some person...... sorry for my spelling guys.....

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:14pm

She was Clara in Passion.

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:17pm

Audra is wonderful.

Emcee- It is amazing what the actors could do back then with no mics.

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:18pm

Sutton Foster
Julie Andrews

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:19pm

I'm also too young to remember Julie Andrews from broadway but I've heard alot of her stuff and she's amazing, no doubt.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:21pm

Come on, people! You've seen THE SOUND OF MUSIC, haven't you?!

[Aigoo]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:22pm

"Female? I'll say Kerry Butler, just 'cause I liked her as Penny.
Case in point. That's great basis. "

It is, isn't it? ^____^

Sound of Music is where I first "met" Julie Andrews. Then Mary Poppins. And I'm sure much more, I just haven't realy noticed.

[jeremykushnier1fan]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:50pm

If you havn't seen The Sound of Music, then woooh...i think that's the MAIN musical movie EVERYONE should see!

Julie Andrews (definatly, i cry when i remember she can't sing anymore...)

and well...i don't know many of the older broadway voices, so i'm going with my canadian; Jeremy Kushnier =)

[sharon1]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 11:13pm

Let's see
Ethel Merman
Barbara Cook
Julie Andrews
Bernadette Peters
Alfred Drake
John Raitt
Jerry Orbach
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Michael Ball

[PleaseChangeMe]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 11:29pm

Jennifer Holliday
Chuck Cooper

Like others, sorry if I sound naive.

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 11:35pm

Patti LuPone
Julie Andrews

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 11:40pm

Howard McGillin
Audra McDonald

both flawless...and if anybody says Idina, I will explode...

[Aigoo]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 11:44pm

Idin-::sniped::