Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Jarethan
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/10/11
#1Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 12:36am
Reading the incredible Hello Dolly! reviews immediately following the great Little Foxes reviews, most of which referenced great performances from the past, I started thinking about performances I have missed that I would have killed to see. If any of you have seen them, I would love to hear your thoughts. For me,
-- Judy Holiday in Bells Are Ringing. I have deleted several Bells songs from my playlist, but I still play those that are left fairly frequently. The combination of Jule Styne's great score and her performance are almost unmatchable to me. And she beat Julie Andrews in MFL for a Tony. I have seen the movie any number of times, and she is largely the only reason...to have seen her live on Opening Night would have been incredible.
-- Geraldine Page in Sweet Bird of Youth. Interestingly, I was able to see her in the movie. I also think that Irene Worth gave one of the best performances I have ever seen...so I can only wonder what it would have been like seeing her live in it.
-- Alec Guiness in Dylan. I saw an excerpt from the play on TV many years ago and was absolutely mesmerized.
-- Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison in MFL. No explanation needed.
-- Rosemary Harris in The Lion Winter. Admittedly 55 or so years ago, but Walter Kerr said she gave one of the 10 best performances he had ever seen. Since I have loved her in everything I have seen her in, this is a must.
#2Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 1:17am
If I had a time machine...
Ethel Merman in GYPSY and ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (1965 Lincoln Center)
Robert Preston and Barbara Cook in THE MUSIC MAN
Carol Burnett and Jack Cassidy in FADE OUT, FADE IN
Mimi Hines in FUNNY GIRL
Barbara Harris in ON A CLEAR DAY... and THE APPLE TREE
Original cast of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
John Raitt and Janice Paige in THE PAJAMA GAME
Original cast of MOST HAPPY FELLA
Original cast of THE GOLDEN APPLE
#4Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 1:37am
I feel like Barbra in Funny Girl is the classic answer. My other answer is even worse because if I had tried harder, I could've, but really just couldn't work out. I will forever be upset that I couldn't see Cynthia in Color Purple and I have a feeling it's going to be remembered for ages, as the start of her sure to be huge career. (After her West End career, of course).
#5Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 6:22am
Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady
Len Cariou in Sweeney Todd
Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly!
Michael Crawford in The Phantom of the Opera
Alfred Drake in Oklahoma!
George Hearn in La Cage aux Folles
Dean Jones in Company
Richard Kiley in Man of La Mancha
Angela Lansbury in Mame
Patti LuPone in Evita
Ethel Merman in Gypsy
Chita Rivera in West Side Story
#6Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 6:33am
Colm Wilkinson and Philp Quast in Les Miz as well as other shows.
#7Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 7:49am
The entire original cast of Follies
Ethel Merman in Gypsy
Angela Lansbury in anything she's done
Patti Lupone in Evita
Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens
Victor Garber in Assassins
Jenna Russell in Dr. Faustus
"This reminds of a debate my brother and I were having about whether or not Stephen Sondheim is really light opera." -Frasier Crane
#8Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 7:51am
For me it would have to be Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera in the original production of Chicago. They both are the quintessential Roxie and Velma and it's a shame that production was not preserved. Plus it would be so cool to see Fosse's direction in real life!
#9Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 7:51am
Double post
Updated On: 4/21/17 at 07:51 AM
#10Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 8:20am
Laurette Taylor, The Glass Menagerie
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#11Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 8:29am
Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Steve Barton - Phantom of the Opera
Maria Freedman, Michael Crawford - The Woman in White
Lin Manuel Miranda, Jonathan Groff - Hamilton
Glenn Close, Alan Campbell, George Hearn - Sunset Boulevard
Marcus Lovett, Lottie Mayor - Whistle Down the Wind
Alexander Hanson - Stephen Ward
Patti LuPone - Evita
Heather Headley, Adam Pascal - Aida
Robert Cuccioli, Linda Eder - Jekyll & Hyde
Murray Head, Elaine Paige - Chess
Betty Buckley - Carrie
Michael Crawford - Dance of the Vampires
Hugh Panaro - Lestat
Kristin Chenowith, Idina Menzel - Wicked
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
#12Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 8:42am
Patti & Mandy - Evita
Angela Landsbury/Bea Arthur - Mame
Original Side Show
Chita & LIza - The Rink
Original Cast of Follies
Original Cast of Dreamgirls
London Cast of Witches of Eastwick
#13Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 8:44am
Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana in Cinderella 
#14Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 9:08am
Montgomery & Stone in the 1903 Broadway Wizard of Oz.
Love to know what made them so wonderful.
#15Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 9:24am
Not Broadway, but Phillip Quast and/or Anthony Warlow in Les Miserables.
Mandy Patinkin in The Secret Garden
The OBC of Evita (Patti, etc.)
Lin Manual Miranda in In the Heights
#16Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 9:36am
I'm limiting mine to performances I COULD have seen but just never got a chance to...
Angela Lansbury in A Little Night Music
OBC of Hamilton
Victoria Clark in The Light in the Piazza
Andrea Martin in Pippin
James Monroe Iglehart in Aladdin
Danny Burstein in Fiddler on the Roof
Laura Benanti and Zack Levi in She Loves Me
http://puccinischronicles.wordpress.com
theoriginoflove
Understudy Joined: 7/9/15
#17Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 9:43am
John Cameron Mitchell in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
#18Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 10:14am
Original Toronto cast of Godspell, which stayed together and became the founding members of Second City and Saturday Night Live.
ggersten
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/06
#19Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 10:16am
Irene Ryan in Pippin for the first time audiences heard her say "by a man who calls me Granny"
Ethel Merman's first performance in Hello Dolly.
BWAY Baby2
Broadway Star Joined: 11/10/14
#20Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 10:22am
Lauren Bacall in Woman Of The Year
Vanessa Redgrave in Long Days Journey Into Night
Sally Field in The Goat or Who Is Sylvia/- I love that play
Katherine Hepburn- Madwoman of Chaillot
Judy Garland at the Palace- my mother would not take me- she said Judy could no longer sing
Elaine Stritch- A Delicate Balance
ijest22
Stand-by Joined: 4/14/17
#21Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 10:23am
Glenda Jackson as Martha in Who's Afraid of...?
Stand-by Joined: 12/31/69
#22Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 10:52am
OBC Jesus Christ Superstar
Patti Lupone in Evita
OBC A Chorus Line
Carol Channing in Hello Dolly
Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl
#23Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 10:54am
I realize as I read through these wonderful lists, how fortunate I am to have seen many of these great performances! But to add to the fun, here are a few I wish I HAD seen...
Robert Morse - How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying
Liza Minnelli - The Act (I know the show was supposedly awful, but I loved her then and now!)
Barbra Streisand - Funny Girl (truly, a star was born)
Joel Grey - George M
Bernadette Peters - Dames at Sea
Paul Robeson - Show Boat
Mary Martin - South Pacific
Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner - The King and I
#24Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 10:54am
I realize as I read through these wonderful lists, how fortunate I am to have seen many of these great performances! But to add to the fun, here are a few I wish I HAD seen...
Robert Morse - How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying
Liza Minnelli - The Act (I know the show was supposedly awful, but I loved her then and now!)
Barbra Streisand - Funny Girl (truly, a star was born)
Joel Grey - George M
Bernadette Peters - Dames at Sea
Paul Robeson - Show Boat
Mary Martin - South Pacific
Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner - The King and I
Jarethan
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/10/11
#25Performances You Wish You Had Seen
Posted: 4/21/17 at 11:39am
BWAY Baby2 said: "Lauren Bacall in Woman Of The Year
Vanessa Redgrave in Long Days Journey Into Night
Sally Field in The Goat or Who Is Sylvia/- I love that play
Katherine Hepburn- Madwoman of Chaillot
Judy Garland at the Palace- my mother would not take me- she said Judy could no longer sing
Elaine Stritch- A Delicate Balance
Hepburn only did Madwoman on film...and it was a stinker, unfortunately. Even though she won a Tony, you didn't miss much with Woman of the Year. She won in a bad year for musicals. Really was nothing special. i saw everything else and they were great.
