best acting ever in a musical — Page 4

Well, I could never comment on all those great classic performances, since I've not seen them ! But from those I've seen, I have to say that, Hugh Jackman in Boy from Oz and Elaine Paige in the London Sunset Boulevard are the two most incredible viewing experiences I've ever had in a theater !

Everyone can yell at me for being too young, but here are the best performances that I have seen either live or on a DVD...

Donna Murphy in Passion
Kelli O'Hara in Piazza
Victoria Clark in Piazza
Anika Noni Rose in Caroline or Change
Angela Lansbury in Sweeney
George Hearn in Sweeney
Ben Vereen in Pippin
Harvey Fierstein in Fiddler

But I think the best acting I have ever seen would go to Tonya Pinkins for Caroline. I will never understand how she didn't win the Tony last year. Her performance was so heartbreaking and I truely believed she was Caroline

I will never forget Dame Judy Dench in the National's production of A Little Night Music. But that's not Broadway.....

i loved tonya pinkins in caroline or change. i saw it from the 5th row at the public. don't know how it played in a bigger house. my all time best is tyne daly in GYPSY. i saw roses turn 9 times (i used to second act a lot back when you could get away with such things--thanks osama/dubya--not!)

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I'll try to keep this short:

Natasha Richardson and Alan Cumming in CABARET
Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou in SWEENEY TODD
Patti LuPone in EVITA
Chita Rivera, Brent Carver and Anthony Crivello in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN
Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
Joanna Gleason in INTO THE WOODS
Victoria Clark in THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
Kim Crosby in FOLLIES (Barrington)
Brent Carver and Carolee Carmello in PARADE
Donna Murphy and Marin Mazzie in PASSION
Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley in SIDE SHOW
Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marin Mazzie and Peter Friedman in RAGTIME
Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie in KISS ME, KATE
Victor Garber and Becky Ann Baker in MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (Washington, DC)
Tonya Pinkins, Veanne Cox and Anika Noni Rose in CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
Toni Collette and Mandy Patinkin in THE WILD PARTY
Howard McGillin and Caroline O'Connor in MACK AND MABEL (West End)
Patti LuPone in THE CRADLE WILL ROCK
James Naughton, Gregg Edelman and Randy Graff in CITY OF ANGELS
Melissa Errico and Malcolm Gets in AMOUR
Marc Kudisch and Michele Pawk in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (NYCO)
Antonio Bandares, Mary Stuart Masterson, Jane Krakowski, Chita Rivera and Laura Benanti in NINE
Patti LuPone in SUNSET BLVD. (West End)
John Cameron Mitchell in HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
George Hearn and Gene Barry in LA CAGE AUX FOLLES

(I've kept this list only to performances that I've seen live)