Who did you see before they were famous?? — Page 4

#76

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 10/13/07 at 12:54am

Kristen Chenoweth in A New Brain. She sparkled and glowed as part of a small ensemble playing multiple parts to back up the leads. I was not at all surprised when her career took off shortly thereafter.

Does Sutton Foster in Millie count? The hairs on the back of my neck stood up when she sang "Gimme, Gimme". As I said to my friend after the show, who was equally gobsmacked by her enormous talent, this is what it must have felt like for audiences discovering Barbra's talent in Wholesale.

#77

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 10/13/07 at 9:15am

I saw Rue McLanahan(sp?) off broadway in a play by Dylan Thomas. She went on to star in many TV sitcoms, most notably in the "Golden Girls".

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"Madam Rose...and her daughter...Gypsy!"

#78

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 10/13/07 at 10:37am

I saw Amy Spanger in Sunset Boulevard... she replaced Lauren Kennedy in the ensemble. I actually don't remember very much about her other than the first time she ran out dressed in that pink dress I thought she looked awfully short compared to what Lauren looked... like.. in those costumes.

Did she ever go on as Betty?

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Now what would you say if today I started over? Without a thing but this taped together four leaf clover And I'll pretend like everything is already alright And I'll run toward the sun till the castle's out of sight

#79

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 10/13/07 at 11:07am

I live near Alexandra Socha and saw her in community theatre productions of Aida and Songs For A New World. Yeah, she is pretty famous around here and it was so cool to see a local make it big!

#80

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 10/13/07 at 12:27pm

Victoria Clark in "Hello Dolly!" in Pittsburgh.

#81

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 10/13/07 at 8:34pm

I saw Drew Sarich in Lestat before he became Armand, does that count?

Can't really think of any besides that and Laura Bell Bundy in Wicked and only because I'm staring at the header of this page. Oh, and I did see Sierra Boggess in the Les Miz tour.

And not that that he's come that far since then, but Ben Eakeley in a God-awful production of Cabaret in Sacramento a few years ago.

Updated On: 10/13/07 at 08:34 PM

#82

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 10/13/07 at 9:06pm

Christina Decicco [Glinda on National Tour of Wicked]as Ensemble and Erin Davie [Grey Gardens] as Emma in Jekyll and Hyde at Trump Plaza.

Matthew Morrison when he was part of LMNT when they opened for Britney Spears back in 2001, I believe.

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"Anybody that goes to the theater, I think we’re all misfits, so we ended up on stage or in the audience.” --- Patti LuPone.

Updated On: 10/15/07 at 09:06 PM

#83

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 10/14/07 at 11:08am

Jose Llana...

in many different
lights!

#84

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 10/14/07 at 11:24am

Megan Mullally in "Grease"
(I let her walk right past me as I scrambled to get Rosie's autograph)
Jonathan Groff in "Fame"
(Who knew?)

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"Y'all have a GRAND day now"

#85

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 2:50am

She hasn't been on bdway, but I saw nikki blonsky in her high school's operas before Hairspray.

#86

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 3:21am

My parents saw Pat Benatar perform in "Catch A Rising Star" singing opera before her rock and roll days. Also, my mother worked with Alec Baldwin on "The Doctors" before he had a movie career. I, unfortunately, didn't see anyone before they were famous that I can recall.

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Acting should be bigger than life. Scripts should be bigger than life. It should all be bigger than life.- Bette Davis

#87

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 3:34am

The only one i can think of off the top of my head is Annaleigh Ashford in Feeling Electric back at NYMF in '05

#88

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 7:24am

I saw Jayne Wisener play mary phagan in the donmar production of parade in september, so after filming of sweeney todd, but before release, so she was still an unknown. and she had a very strange looking face in that production. and a nice dress in the opening scene. :P

#89

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 9:44am

I'm sure someone's mentioned T.R. Knight in "Noises Off" by now...

Also, Brian d'Arcy James as Enjolras in one of the early Les Mis tours.

#90

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 10:08am

I saw Jasmine Guy in shows at Atlanta's HSPVA "back in the day...". She was my first "gonna be a star" spotting. There have been too many since to list; I've been very lucky that way.

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just keep swimming along, don't rise to the....

#91

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 10:43am

Lets see . . .

Marisa Jaret Winokur in the Grease Tour
Anika Larsen in the RENT tour
Cheyenne Jackson when he went on for Chris Seiber in Millie on Broadway(I just remember how dark his skin was and thought he tanned too much)

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http://theaterfag.blogspot.com/ Reviews and the like

#92

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 10:58am

I saw Michael Longoria as Peter Pan in an updated version of the show called "Peter Pan and Wendy" in Philly

I also saw Jessica Molasky and Christopher Fitzgerald in "3hree" in Philly.

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"I'm an American, Damnit!!! And if it's three things I don't believe in, it's quitting and math."

#93

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 11:00am

natalie portman as anne frank in the diary of anne frank

#94

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 11:56am

John Gallagher, Jr. in an early 2005 staged reading of BINGO WITH THE INDIANS by Adam Rapp.

I went to the reading for Anthony Rapp and I didn't remember any of the other actors. A couple months ago I was going through my Playbills and saw John Gallagher's name on it and went, "Whoa!" I flipped to his bio and saw that he had recently done a workshop for a new musical version of SPRING AWAKENING.

That's my favorite "before they were stars" story.

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Nothing matters but knowing nothing matters. ~ Wicked
Everything in life is only for now. ~ Avenue Q
There is no future, there is no past. I live this moment as my last. ~ Rent

"He's a tramp, but I love him."

#95

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 12:18pm

Tommy Tune when he was a chorus boy in summer musicals that toured the summer circuit.

Paul Voigt - as the maiod in a local production of NO NO NANETTE (I played Jimmy)

Updated On: 2/22/08 at 12:18 PM

#96

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 12:32pm

i don't know if this really counts, but a guy i was in high school with and did plays with is now playing Boq in Wicked. He started at the beginning of the month and from what i hear, is doing really great!

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"Put Your Faith In What You Most Believe In...."

#97

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 12:32pm

PUPPETMAN I wished I could have seen La Tune in MACK & MABEL when he toured playing the Lisa Kirk (is the character Lottie?!?!) role...now THAT must have been different.

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just keep swimming along, don't rise to the....

#98

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 1:30pm

Sutton Foster in ANNIE
Roger Bart in Triumph of Love and in YGMCG
Susan Egan in Triumph of Love
Kristen Chenoweth in YGMCB
B.D Wong in YGMCB
Chris Fitzgerald in Amour
Brad Oscar in Jekyll & Hyde
Megan Hilty in Wicked

#99

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 2:02pm

John Cameron Mitchell as Dickon in "The Secret Garden", 1991. I missed Mandy Patinkin but seeing Hedwig before the transformation was wonderful.

#100

re: Who did you see before they were famous??

Posted: 2/22/08 at 2:08pm

B.D. Wong was already a well known actor way before YAGMCB.

He won the tony, D.D award, and the Theatre world award in 1988 for M. Butterfly.

and he was in the Father of the Bride, and it's sequal, as well as Jurassic park.

not to mention the wonderful "Oz" series starting in 1997.

He may not have been famous to you, but he was already a name, which is why he was cast in YAGMCB in the first place.

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"I'm an American, Damnit!!! And if it's three things I don't believe in, it's quitting and math."