worst performance in a musical EVER!- Page 3
worst performance in a musical EVER!
#50Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/23/04 at 8:20pmLily Tomlin as Christine in ALW's Phantom of the Opera was pretty bad...
#51Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/23/04 at 8:25pmGina Gershon in Cabaret made me hate the show.
#52Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/23/04 at 8:28pm
I love how people are still hating on Joey's performance in RENT, even though he was great. I'm sorry, but I'm getting the feeling that some people who claimed to have hated his Mark actually saw the show.
Anyway, the worst performance I've ever seen on Broadway was not even ON Broadway, but on the West End: Nancy Anderson in "KISS ME, KATE". While Rachel York was amazing, Anderson was jaw-droppingly horrific. She was great in WONDERFUL TOWN, but here, she was not sexy, she over-did the voice, and her "Always True to You..." was grating. Also, her dance movements were noticably stiff. I'll never understand how she got an Olivier nomination.
Updated On: 6/23/04 at 08:28 PM
#53Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/23/04 at 10:47pmIts funny because I agree that Anderson is good in Wonderful Town but I remember that when I saw the version of KMK they videotaped I couldnt believe that was their Bianca.
cabarethed
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/5/03
#54Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/24/04 at 1:02am
All this Molly Ringwald hate is making me all warm and fuzzy. 
#55Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/24/04 at 9:27am
Nancy Hess as Ann Reinking's (sp?) understudy in Chicago. Simply dreadful and pathetic.
I have to agree about Nancy Anderson in KMK. I saw her on tour and I was amazed that the director (name escapes me) says she was the best Lois/Bianca ever. NOT!!!
#56Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/24/04 at 9:48am
I must take exception to the Nancy Anderson as Bianca issue.
I thought she was dynamite.
#57Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/24/04 at 2:29pm
How about Antonio Banderas in Nine? I'll take John Stamos over him any day.
David Hasselhof was an embarrassment to Broadway in J&H. I love that show, and he ruined some of the best songs ever. He made me cringe.
#58Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/24/04 at 2:37pm
Did anyone see Haley Mills in The King and I on tour?
I love Haley Mills, but she can't sing. She actually used her arm like a conductor baton to keep in time. For "I Whistle a Happy Tune," she had to look at the conductor the whole time. Her confidence increased as the show progressed, but it was pretty sad. I felt so sorry for her.
The second time I saw Stephanie Pope in Chicago, I felt she wasn't putting any effort into her performance. It's funny because the first time I saw her, it took my breath away. Oh, well. She could have been off that day.
Other than that, I can't complain about the other performers in the hundreds of shows I've seen.
#59Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/24/04 at 2:43pm
The worst ever I have seen has to be Liv Ullman in I Remember Mama. She couldn't sing and she couldn't dance. You could actually watch her lips move as she counted off her steps!
She is a wonderful actress but NOT a musical theatre performer.
#60Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/24/04 at 2:47pm
Jersey Girl: My friend saw Sebastian Bach eight times in Jekyl & Hyde. She adored him. She is too oldie to be a groupie. I saw him with her in Rocky Horror and I thought he was quite good. I also liked Jamie Lynn Siegler as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Beth Fowler in The Boy From Oz, Hunter Foster in Little Shop of Horrors, Marissa Jaret Winoker in Hairspray. To each his own.
My nomination for worst performance: Melanie Griffen in Chicago. What the hell were they thinking?
#61Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/24/04 at 3:20pmGriffith... perhaps?
BWayBoy88
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/23/04
#62Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/24/04 at 3:40pmOnlylisab- Are you serious? Antonio Banderas was amazing in Nine. I still think he should of won the Tony over Harvey Fierstein.
#63Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/24/04 at 4:34pm
Harvey was AWESOME in Hairspray! He deserved the Tony!
For BAD BAD BAD, I nominate the entire cast of "Teddy and Alice" (1987). The only show I ever left at intermission.
#64Interesting that many of the examples we have given in this post
Posted: 6/24/04 at 4:44pmHow could I forget Linda Lavin in Gypsy. I like her, but her performance in that show was definitely not one of her best.
#65Bad Performances in a Musical
Posted: 6/24/04 at 4:50pm
What was the name of the chick that played the lead in Rags?
I was way too young to remember it.
I was once told that the producers made such a huge deal about her being so great.
But I have the OBC, and she's not all that she's cracked up to be.
Great show, but I do not like her vocal style.
Did the show closing after 4 performances have anything to do with her?
twogaab2
Broadway Star Joined: 5/19/03
#66Bad Performances in a Musical
Posted: 6/24/04 at 5:26pm
"The Chick's" name was Teresa Stratus, one of the finest singing actresses of our generation, legit voice or non.
The recording feature Julia Megines,who was Hodel in the original Broadway cast of "Fiddler". Stratus was unavailable.
I thought she sang rather well but not with as much personality as Stratus in the Broadway cast.
Just my opinion, I may be wrong
#67Bad Performances in a Musical
Posted: 6/24/04 at 5:29pm
Very, very good to know.
Thanks for the info.
(I can't believe her voice didn't sound familiar from Fiddler. Go figure. I don't really care for her recording of Far From the Home I Love, either.)
In that case, I guess my statement was incorrect, as Julia did not technically "perform" in Rags.
Did you see Rags on Broadway?
Any idea why it closed so hastily?
I've always wondered.
#68Bad Performances in a Musical
Posted: 6/24/04 at 5:36pmAnyone ever see Brooke Shields in Cabaret? That was painful. I was glad to see the show, but she was atrocious, at best.
#69Bad Performances in a Musical
Posted: 6/24/04 at 5:43pmI love Migenes in Rags. I have a recording of Stratus performing in Rags and I can't stand her speaking voice. She sounded as if she had one emotion - disdain. I don't know how she looked, but I heard no range of emotions whatsover. I can't stand to hear it. Julia is awesome and has proven herself to be a true opera/musical crossover talent. Considering her track record for replacing Stratus, she can somewhat owe her career to Stratus, but it was Carmen that really put her over the top.
Jon
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
#70Bad Performances in a Musical
Posted: 6/24/04 at 6:15pm
I was one of the lucky few to actually see Stratas in RAGS - it was one of the greatest performances I've ever seen from a leading lady. I can't stand Migenes on the recording - her weird diction and annoying vibrato ruins some great songs.
I forgot until now about this one: Rock Hudson in the National Tour of ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. He was so inept they actually cut his big Act II solo, "The Legacy". Fortunately, there was Judy Kaye and Imogene Coca to save the evening from being a total waste.
#71Bad Performances in a Musical
Posted: 6/24/04 at 9:57pm
i just wanted to be a little more specific with my accusations of horrible performances..
hunter foster in LSOH was not bad vocally, but i strongly disagreed with his choices for characterization, and that made the show less than enjoyable for me.
sebastian bach in RH was bearable (barely), and, having seen three other (fantastic) actors, namely Raul Esparza, Mark Price, and Jason Wooten, play the part during the same run made his performance all the more horrid.
beth fowler, though good in B&B ten years ago, was average in BFO until she massacred "don't cry out loud" and literally made me want to cry and run from the theatre.
...and tom hewitt was not exactly my favorite Frank N. Furter.
My avatar: Yummy, no?
#72Bad Performances in a Musical
Posted: 6/24/04 at 10:14pm
I guess you could call me biased, but I thought Vanessa Williams was wonderful as the Witch. She took a far less broad take on the role, which I liked. I thought her "Last Midnight" was great: haunting and beautifully sung. She may have missd a couple jokes here and there, but I think she held her own. I mean, of course she's not Bernadette Peters, but I wasn't expecting her to be.
I guess I would say Melanie Griffith, even though I enjoyed it for novelty's sake. The rest of the cast was stellar.
#73Bad Performances in a Musical
Posted: 6/24/04 at 11:49pm
I, personally, loved Vanessa L. Williams. She wasn't Bernadette, of course. Then again, how could she be? I heard that Phylicia Rashad replaced Bernadette as the witch in the original run of the show. Did anyone see her? How was she? Do you even remember?
As for bad performances, I am not a fan of the OBC recording of the "Fiddler on the Roof." I don't know whether it was poorly recorded, or just poorly sung. I was shocked that it was actually a broadway recording. What I've heard of the new cast is a lot better.
#74Bad Performances in a Musical
Posted: 6/25/04 at 9:39amAs a matter of fact, Phylicia performed the Witch on the Tonys in 1988. Bernadette was nominated, but did not perform the role as she had already left the show. Phylicia seemed okay on the Tonys, but I didn't see her in the show. Regardless, Joanna beat out Bernadette for the Tony, and rightly so. She was fantastic!
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