The best and worst live performance witnessed- Page 4

[Zeitoujo]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 4:51pm

IdinaAdamFan- is that a joke? DRV IN LES MIS! hahahaha!!! that made my day

[PJMPirate]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 6:31pm

a few more Worst: Carol Kane and Derrick Williams in Wicked.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 8:12pm

Zeitoujo, can you please be respectful to other people's opinions. Daphne Rubin Vega's performances in Bernarda Alba AND in Les Miserables were some of the best performances I have ever witnessed in a musical.

Some other Best:
Laura Benanti- Claudia in Nine
Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin- Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf
Marin Mazzie- Lili and Aldonza in Kiss Me Kate/Man Of La Mancha
Sonia Swaby- Nancy in Oliver!
Marc Kudisch- Mike Robinson in No Strings (Encores!)
Emily Skinner- Comfort O'Connell in No Strings (Encores!)
Valarie Pettiford- Fosse
Nathan Lane- Producers
Kristin Chenoweth- in YGMCB and The Apple Tree
Donna Murphy- in The King and I and Passion
Norbert Leo Butz- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Christiane Ebersole- Morgan Le Fay in A Conneticut Yankee (Encores!)
Antonio Banderas- Guido in Nine
Patti LuPone- La Mome Pistache in Can-Can (Encores!)
Brent Barrett- Edward Moncrief in On A Clear Day...(Encores!)
Idina Menzel- Elphaba in Wicked
Jonathan Pryce- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and My Fair Lady
Christiane Noll- New Moon (Encores!)
Amy Spanger- Lois in Kiss Me Kate
Brian Stokes Mitchell- Emile in South Pacific


Updated On: 3/10/08 at 08:12 PM

[The_Jackal2]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 10:21pm

Hmm, no worst really come to mind, but I think Norbert in DRS will always be a highlight for me. Also, Marissa Jarret Winokour in Hairspray and Sutton Foster and Bob Martin in The Drowsy Chaperone were really incredible!

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 10:29pm

I have someone to add to my "worst" list:

Evangelia Kingsley- The Light in the Piazza

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 11:17pm

THE BEST I've seen:

Lanna Joffrey (Metamorphoses, Capital Rep, Albany, NY)
Maria Friedman (The Woman in White)
Adrianne Lenox (Doubt)
Idina Menzel (Wicked)
Hugh Panaro (The Phantom of the Opera)
Robert Petkoff (Fiddler on the Roof)

Some ensemble casts:

"Sylvia" "Metamorphoses" "Into the Woods"

[My Strongest Suit]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 11:20pm

Alex Gemignani as Jean Valjean in Les Mis was amazing and Aaron Lazar in Light in the Piazza and Les Mis are my faves. Daphne Rubin-Vega in Les Mis is the worst I've ever seen. I'd never been so happy to see Fantine die.

[Zeitoujo]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 11:47pm

i agree with mystrongsuit!

[MimiLovesRoger]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 11:55pm

Daphne Rubin-Vega in Les Mis is the worst I've ever seen. I'd never been so happy to see Fantine die.

Poor Daphne. (But that comment made me laugh)

[RevolutionaryCostume]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 12:13am

I really liked Daphne in Les Miz.

I always thought that most Fantine's voices were a bit too over-the-top for a miserable mother-turned-prostitute anyway. Daphne's scratchy voice and wonderful acting chops really impressed me when I saw it.

Of course, I hated Celia as Eponine, so take my opinions as you will.



Jacob.

[FutureElphie]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 12:13am

Here is my best list in random order

Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens
Megan Hilty in Wicked
Norbert in DRS
JLY in Jersey Boys
Tim Curry in Spamalot
Sutton Foster in Drowsy
Spelling bee CAST amazing!!!!!!!
Sho in Wicked

and the WORST!

Daphne Rubin Vega in Le Mis
Daphne Rubin Vega
Daphne Rubin Vega
Daphne Rubin Vega
Daphne Rubin Vega
Daphne Rubin Vega
Daphne Rubin Vega
Oh sorry I forgot Daphne Rubin Vega

Yeah, incase you were wondering... She was that horrible and I agree that I have NEVER been so happy to see any character die in my life!

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 12:17am

Some personal favorites:

Len Cariou in Sweeney Todd and The Speed of Darkness
Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd and Gypsy
Tyne Daly in Gypsy
James Earl Jones in Of Mice and Men
Jack Lemmon and Bethel Leslie in Long Day's Journey Into Night
Kate Reid in Bosoms and Neglect and The Freedom of the City
Harry Groener and Maryann Plunkett in Sunday in the Park With George
Colleen Dewhurst and Jason Robards in A Moon for the Misbegotten
John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson in Home and No Man's Land
John Gielgud and Elizabeth Spriggs in Volpone
Judy Kaye in On the Twentieth Century
John McMartin, Dorothy Collins, Gene Nelson, and Alexis Smith in Follies
John McMartin in Don Juan
Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy in Noel Coward in Two Keys
Marian Seldes and Ann Guilbert in Play Yourself
Marian Seldes in The Play About the Baby
Margaret Linn in Pygmalion
Eileen Heckart in The Waverly Gallery
Blythe Danner in Twelfth Night, Candida, and Betrayal
Nakamura Utaemon VI, Nakamura Kanzaburo XVII, and Kiyomoto Shizutayu in Sumidagawa
Nakamura Utaemon VI in Masakado
Nakamura Kanzaburo XVII in Kumagai Jinya
Nakamura Tomijuro V and Nakamura Kankuro in Bo-Shibari
Tammy Grimes in Father's Day
Sally Field in The Goat
Robin Bartlett in Reckless and Everett Beekin
Rex Harrison in Heartbreak House
Kathy Bates in 'Night, Mother and The Road to Mecca
Elaine May in Power Plays
Lenny Baker in Measure for Measure
Jayne Atkinson in The Skriker
George Grizzard in Seascape

Sorry to have posted so many rather than one.


Updated On: 2/1/07 at 12:17 AM

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 7:00am

Worst:
Erin Davie in Grey Gardens - She was terrible she sounded like she was drunk from all the slurring and that horrible accent she attempted. Her voice was all over the place. I was so happy when act 1 ended.

Charlotte D'Amboise in Sweet Charity

[Bruce Memblagh!]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 10:06am

Best: (1) Harvey F in Hairspray
(2) Victoria Clarke in Piazza
(3) Aaron Lazaar in Piazza - finally a non-wooden Fabrizio.

Worst: (1) Andy Senor in Rent - Broadway version. He was phenomenal in the London version as Angel but dire when he came to NY. He just went through the motions. Even when Angel died there was more life to his performance. A serious disappointment.

(2) Caprice in Rent (2nd west end cast) - execrable and no redeeming features whatsoever.

and possibly (3) The cast of Wedding Singer. To be fair, they did their best but even they could not lift this dross from out of the gutter.

[iluvny04]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 10:16am

best:
1.Louise Pire,Tina Maddigan,and the original cast of Mamma Mia!
2.Belle Callaway as Roxie in Chicago, was supposed to see Charlotte but saw Belle instead and was floored
3.Reba in AGYG enough said
4.Les Mis with Alice Ripley and Megan Lawerence
5.Temple University's production of Ragtime, especially the girls who played Mother and Sarah's Friend phenomemnal
6. The Drowsy Chaperone, especially Sutton and Beth
Worst:
1. Mary Louise Burke as Jack's Mother in ITW
2.The Weissler revival of Grease, was ok, but felt more like a revue than actual the show

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 11:36pm

Best: Donna Murphy in the King and I. I can barely remember it other than I very much enjoyed it and when I went back to see it months later with Murphy gone, it was kinda not so good.

I enjoyed Robin Weiget in Noises Off.

Donna Lynne Champlin in Sweeney Todd. Never has someone so still intriged me so much. Woman has amazing focus and makes it look easy.

Victoria Clark in Titanic is a big one for me. I was 13 and can STILL remember her Alice Beane.

Worst: Most (though not all of) the main and featured cast of the revival of Fiddler on the Roof...

Granted, I've probably only seen 8 Broadway performances in my life but I was really underwhelmed. Really, never have I seen so much overacting and lackluster singing on A Broadway stage. Most of the cast would have made for a GREAT community theater producution, but a sorry Broadway one.

I did think Alfred Molina was pretty good, and better than he was reported to be, but that was just me, I guess. Is it sad that the Chorus was the best part?

But maybe I just saw it on a bad day.

Also, not Broadway, but a workshop of "Dangerous Beauty" left me unimpressed by the female ensemble, they lacked focus and a sense of character but it was summerstock so it's more understandable. Odd though, because the male ensemble was pretty decent.

If I I include not live, Donna Murphy in Passion Hands Down. I've never seen anyone outside Meryl Streep craft such as specific and beautiful character.

Updated On: 1/14/07 at 11:36 PM

Posted: 2/24/07 at 8:19pm

Best:

Chita Rivera in My Mind (It plays 24/7)

and Belle Callaway as Roxie. Just like iluvny04 I went to see someone else (Sandy Duncan) and Belle went on. I thought I had died an gone to dancer's heaven. It was like seeing Gwen, Chita and Debbie Allen rolled up into one powerhouse redhead!

[lesmisforever]

Posted: 2/24/07 at 8:37pm

BEST:
Norbert Leo Butz- DRS
Jonathan Pryce- DRS
Julia Murney- Wicked
(on tour) Tonya Dixon- Les Miserables
Jayne Paterson- Les Miserables


WORST:
Jennifer Hope Wills- Phantom of the Opera
Daphne Rubin-Vega- Les Miserables
Logan Lipton- WIcked
Cristy Candler- Wicked

[caitlinette]

Posted: 2/24/07 at 9:05pm

WORST:
Jennifer Hope Wills- Phantom of the Opera
Daphne Rubin-Vega- Les Miserables
Logan Lipton- WIcked
Cristy Candler- Wicked

Ouch! Why JHW and Logan Lipton, out of curiosity?

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 2/24/07 at 9:32pm

Worst ever:

Rue McClanahan in Wicked

[DG]

Posted: 2/24/07 at 9:36pm

I'm going to narrow my parameters to a single star turn in each category:

Best - Ian McKellen in AMADEUS.

Worst (or at least most befuddling): Linda Hunt in DOUBT.

[rosekwbp]

Posted: 2/24/07 at 9:44pm

Best: Bernadette Peters in anything! Updated On: 2/24/07 at 09:44 PM

[D2]

Posted: 2/24/07 at 9:45pm

Best: too many to choose from

Worst: without doubt, HOWARD KATZ tonight.

[FallintoLight]

Posted: 2/24/07 at 10:42pm

Best -
Stephanie J. Block - wicked, PQ and pretty much everything I've seen her in
Kelli O'Hara - Pajama Game
Harry Connick Jr. - Pajama Game
Jennifer Laura Thompson - Wicked
The entire Bee Cast

[PhantomPhan789]

Posted: 2/24/07 at 11:28pm

Best:
Gavin Lee - Mary Poppins
Ashley Brown - Mary Poppins
Stephanie J. Block - Wicked
Justin Johnston - Rent
Cathy Rigby - Peter Pan & Suessical
Jeff MaCarthy - Beauty and the Beast
Brad Little - The Phantom of the Opera
Rebecca Luker - Mary Poppins
Kerry Butler - Beauty and the Beast