What is the best show you have ever seen? — Page 3

Next to normal with Mazzie was my first and favorite musical I've ever been to. A fantastic, moving production that was just incredible.

I just saw my first play (the normal heart) and it was fantastic. It will be hard to beat. The message of the show and incredible actors made it one of my favorite broadway shows ever

I assume the question refers to a single performance in production and not just what is the best show on paper?

The best show I ever saw was "March of the Falsettos" at the Westside Theater with the original cast except Brent Barrett had replaced Stephen Bogardus as Whizzer. The act was still good when it became Act I of "Falsettos," but when they performed the hour by itself, the cast attacked the material like they all expected it was the last show they would ever do. Totally fierce.

That being said, the most thrilling experience I ever had in a theater was the original production of "Follies," a few weeks after it opened. I was a teenager with no background in avant-garde theater and that show nearly made my head explode! I had never dreamed a musical could accomplish all that.

This post is in response to thoughts expressed about MY FAIR LADY from charlesjguiteau and JohnBoy2, the latter having seen the original London production with Julie Andrews, but without Rex Harrison.

I was priviledged to see the entire Broadway original cast of MY FAIR LADY at the beautiful Mark Hellinger at a Saturday matinee when I was about 15. I especially remember Julie Andrews, Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway. While JohnBoy2 remembers Andrews owning the stage whenever she was on, I remember Rex Harrison being equally impressive. He was just perfect as Professor Higgins. I also remember the unbelievably beautiful sets by Oliver Smith and the many gorgeous costumes by England's Cecil Beaton. The scene at Ascot may have been my favorite. MY FAIR LADY is really a perfect musical and I would have selected it as the best show I have ever seen if I were not such a GYPSY fanatic.The thrills which GYPSY affords me cause it to be number one for me.

A word about the recordings of the show: I feel that the mono Broadway version is superior to the stereo London recording. This is manifested in two spots. John Michael King singing the beautiful "On the Street Where You Live" is considerably better than whoever sings it on the London recording. The other spot is at the conclusion of the show when Rex Harrison sings/ speaks," Marry Freddie--Hah!!!" with enormous gusto. On the London recording he merely speaks the words.

Incidentlally, I thought that the 1980(?) revival at the St.James with Christene Andreas as Eliza and Ian Mckellan(sp?) as Higgins and with the always wonderful George Rose as Alfred Doolittle, to be terrific.

A

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Updated On: 7/20/11 at 04:36 AM

Musical: Les Miserables

Play: An Inspector Calls

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I get asked this all the time and I honestly can't pick just one. I couldn't even narrow it down to five. I just love so many. But there are also plenty that I don't love.

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Play: The Normal Heart (recent revival)
Runner-Up: The Cherry Orchard (RSC London '97)

Musical: Miss Saigon (Toronto)
Runner-Up: Next to Normal (OBC)

Pleshette and Duke

The original national tours of "Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King," "Wicked," "Mary Poppins," and "Jersey Boys" were all amazing.

The Book of Mormon, today at 2. A knockout.

Musical : Follies at the State Thestre Melbourne ( one night only event ) Directed by Tony Sheldon with a cast that was a who's who of Australian theatre. The night was perfect.

Play: Angels in America on Broadway

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A Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival production of 'Nicholas Nickleby' in Cleveland, Ohio, 1982. Saw the whole thing in one day and the effect is sort of hard to describe - maybe 'immersive'? An eight-hour show sounds like it would be a tough slog but when you're so wrapped up in the story, it just flies by.

It's a shame few theaters stage the show anymore, probably because it's so long and you need a lot of actors. Even when they do put it on, it's the truncated six-hour version, not the full eight-hour version. It's just not the same.

The poster who saw the original 1981 production with Roger Rees is so lucky!! That must have been incredible.

JohnBoy - I meant to ask you basically the same question as before, but about MIRACLE WORKER. Did you only see Pleshette, or did you also see Bancroft and preferred Suzanne?