Top Performances- Page 3

[Broadway_freak]

Posted: 11/25/04 at 6:55pm

Has anyone said PATTI LUPONE in EVITA yet? Sheer brilliance, and Kathy Voytko's interpretation is not far behind.

[sanda]

Posted: 12/15/04 at 5:59pm

Les Miserables
It is that show which bring me musical. I cannot describe how overwhelmed I was when I went out of Imperial Theatre. J.Mark McVey, Shuler Hensley, Chris Mark Peterson, Peter Lockyer, Catherine Brunell...After watching several casts later, I still think that cast is one of the best.

BP in Gypsy. I am not familiar with BP before this show. I always think she is a sexy kitten. But not in Gypsy. She is like a Lion! her rose's turn is like a thunder. her Rose totally throwed up all my personal idea about woman and life. And I never heard such a huge applause. I watched a lot of good shows, most of them can move me, make me laugh. But BP's Gypsy makes me feel proud for myself that I am so lucky to view such a performance and lengend.

[Necromancer07707]

Posted: 12/15/04 at 6:36pm

Tim Curry in Rocky Horror Show (and Picture Show)

There has been no better casting than that.

Updated On: 12/15/04 at 06:36 PM

[zippyjen]

Posted: 12/15/04 at 7:12pm

I have a few! Mark Richard Ford as Collins in Rent, the whole yagmcb revival cast, Tonya Pinkins in Caroline or change and sutton foster in Millie.

[keatonbynumbers]

Posted: 12/15/04 at 7:32pm

I'm going to have to agree vehemently with the Bernadette Peters in GYPSY... I don't feel that I will ever, as long as I live, be able to feel THAT again - that feeling of actually seeing Bernadette Peters as Mama Rose.

Also:

Sherie Rene Scott in AIDA, for making me feel all too many emotions at once.
Audra McDonald in RAGTIME, breathtaking.
Daphne Rubin-Vega in RENT, because as one of those people who has seen RENT more times than she cares to admit, I have yet to see a Mimi better than Daph.
Hunter Foster in URINETOWN, because I didn't enjoy the show itself to a startling degree, but I saw it twice just because I was so impressed with him?

And for something I never saw --
Mandy Patinkin in The Secret Garden, because the man is just so ridiculously passionate.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/15/04 at 7:41pm

Many of the people and performances I would have mentioned and was lucky enough to see have already been e.g, Lupone, Holliday, Murphy, Peters but two that haven't and come to mind immediately(and I've said this before), are Orfeh in Love, Janis as Janis Joplin and Scott as Amneris in Aida. Orfeh won me over for life as she was able to completely disappear and virtually became Joplin right before my very eyes. An opinion I share with all who bore witness to it. Scott as Amneris, was alternately funny, serious and heartbreaking and in this mans' opinion, none of the subsequent actresses portraying the role, ever came close to the emotional depth Scott had.

[VeuveClicquot]

Posted: 12/15/04 at 8:01pm

ITA with everyone who said Donna in PASSION, but Donna holds two of my top spots: the other being her Anna Leonowens in THE KING AND I. It was an amazing performance, she brought out things in that character that would make Gertrude Lawrence blush.

Carolee Caromello in PARADE blew me away.

Alison Fraser in ROMANCE, ROMANCE.

Betty Buckley in GYPSY.

Donna Lynn Champlin in FIRST LADY SUITE. (I wasn't aware of her before I saw this show, she slayed me.)

Eartha Kitt. Period.

And I must mention my favorite "straight play" actresses:

Vanessa Redgrave in ORPHEUS DESCENDING,

and Elizabeth Ashley in THE MILK TRAIN DOESN'T STOP HERE ANYMORE.

Wow, could I be any more gay? I doubt it.

[maybethistime]

Posted: 12/15/04 at 8:02pm

angela lansbury in SWEENEY
harvey in hairspray
julie andrews in my fair lady
alan cumming in cabaret
robert preson in music man
zero in fiddler
the urchins in lsoh revival

[wendy72]

Posted: 12/15/04 at 10:18pm

Performers I have fallen madly in love with after seeing their performances:
Jim Dale--Barnum (life-changing)
Kevin Kline-Pirates of Penzance (remains a favorite fantasy man of mine to this day)
Gary Beach-The Producers
John Tartaglia--Avenue Q (could he ooze more charm??)

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/15/04 at 10:27pm

Wow.

Idina and Kristin in WICKED: They made me really want to go out there and take being an actor/singer seriously. They gave me reason to audition and try harder while auditioning. They changed the way that I looked at the musical theater history forever. Go ahead and laugh but they did. They were both phenomenal beyond words. Idina blew me away and surprised the hell out of me during The Wizard and I and Kristin was simply perfection in Thank Goodness and of course Popular. They also had amazing and eclectic onstage chemistry and worked so well together. They made me cry, laugh, think, boil up with anger, and smile and all for the right reasons. Ive never been so touched by performances in my life. They have changed me by just doing what they do eight times a week so much that I cant even begin to explain it. It shows you how great actors and actresses can be in that they can change someone for good. No pun intended. I have never seen anything like these two amazing performers.

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 12/15/04 at 10:34pm

I have to join PJ in mentioning Raul Esparza in Cabaret: I saw three different emcees, all good, but his performance blew the others away. I was just slack-jawed in awe of his talent up there on the stage. Gina Gershon was Sally and was top-notch, but Raul was just at a different level than anyone. Amazing.

[Iloverent]

Posted: 12/15/04 at 11:17pm

Yes I agree.

[OrdinaryJukebox1]

Posted: 12/15/04 at 11:30pm

How to narrow it down?

Idina Menzel in "Wicked." I never saw her in "rent" or "the wild party," although I wish I did. Thought she was AMAZING in "Wicked." Many people hated it and her, but it worked for me.

Tonya Pinkins in "Caroline, or Change." I was in the FRONT ROW. Talk about FEELING a performance!!

Joley Fisher in "Cabaret." I got to see her twice! Amazing! She didn't get enough credit for the work she did in that role, but it BLEW ME AWAY! When I saw it, I only knew her from "Ellen," but I was like, "Whoa!! She can SING!!!! And REALLY ACT!"

-Vincent