Replacement vs. Original

[bwayfan4life]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 10:02am

With all the buzz about Lea replacing Daphne in Les Miz, I was wondering for those that have seen an original performer and then thier replacement, what replacements were actually better than the original?

[Jimmcf]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 10:05am

Elaine Paige as Norma Desmond in 'Sunset Boulevard'

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 10:06am

I didn't see it, but the general consensus was that Reba McIntyre was much better than Bernadette Peters in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN.

[D2]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 10:11am

In the revival of H2$, Sarah Jessica Parker, Adriane Lenox and Brooks Ashmanskas were all far superior to the originals.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 10:14am

Betsy Joslyn was my favorite Witch in Into the Woods.

I thought that both Robert Westenberg and especially Harry Groener were better than Mandy Patinkin and that Maryann Plunkett was better than Bernadette Peters in Sunday in the Park With George.

For my taste, Helen Stenborg and Charlotte Moore surpassed Frances Sternhagen and Zoe Caldwell in A Perfect Ganesh.

[bwayfan4life]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 10:15am

I often heard that Elaine made the best Norma, because she was one of the only ones to play the part that the audiance could connect with and care about. I saw the tour of Sunset Boulevard with woman that sang Downtown, she was good, but I would have loved to see Elaine in the part.

[D2]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 10:18am

Petula Clark is the "woman who sang Downtown." She was the best Norma I've seen, although I didn't see Elaine Paige. I did see Patti LuPone and Betty Buckley. Patti LuPone was better than the reviews and hype, Betty Buckley was dreadful.

[bwayfan4life]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 10:22am

Petula Clark, thanks, I couldn't quite remember and didn't want to butcher her name, she was the only one that I have seen and she was the best part of the show, she had a lot of fun with the part and handled the songs quite well.

[sharon1]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 12:08pm

She and Michael Ball did a concert version a couple of years back in the UK and it was fantastic.

[theatahguy]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 12:13pm

The Goat or Who is Sylvia. I was fortunate to see the play with Mercedes Ruehl & Bill Pullman and again with Sally Field & Bill Irwin. I *almost* think Ms. Field was better than Ms. Ruehl. Very very different performances, but both were brilliant.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 12:15pm

"Betty Buckley was dreadful."

Well, duh, but I loved her Norma.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:01pm

I also enjoyed Buckley (though I hate the show).

McIntyre was truly a revelation in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN. It seemed like a totally different (and far better) show with her in it.

[Chris T]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:07pm

I thought Buckley sang the role of Norma Desmond really well, but I didn't like her take on the character (I wasn't that struck by Elaine Paige, either).

But, getting back to the topic, Phil Whitchurch was a far better Dad in Billy Elliot than Tim Healy. Tim was playing a dad, where as with Phil you really believed that he was Billy's dad.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:14pm

I found Jennifer Laura Thompson to be FAR superior to Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, and not sure it counts since he was the stand-by, but Bryan batt was a gazillion times better than Gary Beach in "La Cage"

[lawyerman]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:16pm

plenty of replacements were better than their originals.

i think its pretty standard for someone new to come in and revitalize/revisit a role completely differently.

RENT, Spelling Bee, Chicago come to mind. (esp RENT...)

[bwayfan4life]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:33pm

I totaly agree about Jennifer Laura Thompson, she was strong and confident in the scenes where Glinda was older, and in the scenes where Galinda was younger she did a great of job of acting "blonde", but didn't over do it. Her singing was also first rate she and Idina made a great team.

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:42pm

Jonathan Pryce was far superior to John Lithgow in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

[bwayfan4life]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:47pm

I may get flack for this, but I gotta be honest. I have seen RENT close to 15 times. Especially the week before Christmas. I always buy tickets way in advance. Well, anyway There I was in New York and a few days before I saw the show, I saw a poster with Joey Fatone starring in RENT. I was confused, I could not picture him as either Roger or Marc. My first thought was, "they don't need to bring in pop stars, this is real music" and was a little disappointed, but looked forward to the show anyway. I have to admit he surprised me. He brought an energy and humor to the part of Marc that I had not seen before, and the cast responded to his enthusiasm. It was one of the best performances of the show that I had seen. A few years later it happened again this time I saw a poster with Drew Lachey, I don't mean to be cruel, but oh my, why would they do that to such an incredible show. It was almost painfull and you could tell that the rest of the cast knew it.

Updated On: 1/5/07 at 01:47 PM

[PottstownTeacher]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:48pm

I saw Glenn Close, Betty Buckley, Elaine Paige and Petula Clark in SUNSET. Far and away, the best "complete" performance, meaning that Norma as was total character, not just great acting, not just great singing, but COMPLETE ... was Glenn Close. Was she the best "singer"? Of course not. She is an actress first and foremost. However, she used her limited vocal abilities to their utmost potential. She treated her songs as operatic arias, acting the crap out of them for all their worth. Betty Buckley of course sang the hell out of the score, but everytime she opened her mouth to sing, it was almost as if she planted herself Center stage and announced, "Quiet please ... I will now sing and stop the show." Elaine Paige very much mirrored Gloria Swanson's performance. I loved her, but she looked silly next to the towering Alan Campbell. Petula Clark sang the role very nicely and had some wonderful moments acting wise, but she used an "American" accent that was grating to the ear. That being said, for me ... Petula Clark was THE BEST "Mrs. Johnstone" in BLOOD BROTHERS. I adored Stephanie Lawrence in the original company and then I went back to the show to see Petula, Carole King and Helen Reddy. Again, each lady brought something different to the role, but Petula Clark captured all the nuances of the role the best, in my humble opinion. Carole King was wonderful and I enjoyed Helen Reddy, although her acting wasn't the best. Everytime she sang she just sounded like a Helen Reddy record. "Tell Me It's Not True ... and then I'll Tell You I am Woman!" But it's like so many other posters have said, each new cast member brings a new excitement to the piece. That's just my 2 cents.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:57pm

Most definitely, Reba McEntire in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN back in 2001

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:58pm

"I enjoyed Helen Reddy, although her acting wasn't the best. Everytime she sang she just sounded like a Helen Reddy record."

I should hope so!

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 2:00pm

I'll say that I enjoyed Judy Kaye's "naughty nurse" performance of Mrs. Lovett in the recent Sweeney revival was better than Patti's.

Hunter Foster was better than Matthew Broderick in The Producers.

Harry Groener was SIGNIFICANTLY better than Tim Curry in Spamalot.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 2:21pm

I agree, theatahguy. Mercedes Ruehl was superb, but Sally Field was a revelation. Seemingly uneasy in the early scenes when she had to pretend, as a character, to be mocking a Noel Coward type of character, that thread got carried through and it became a play about an intelligent but essentially average woman who discovers passions in herself that she didn't know she was capable of feeing.

Unfortunately, I didn't much like Bill Irwin in it, so I was very surprised later by how wonderful he was in Virginia Woolf. But I did kind of wish that I could have seen Field together with Bill Pullman.

And another replacement I should mention, though it was somewhat special circumstances, was Judy Kaye in Twentieth Century.
Updated On: 1/5/07 at 02:21 PM

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 2:36pm

I guess I've seen neither performance live, but it seems to me that Lea Salonga and perhaps some other Eponines were better than Frances Rufelle...at least on record definitely.

I haven't seen Kerry Butler, but I've heard Diana Degarmo gives her still competition as Penny in Hairspray.

And though he was never the actual replacement, Sean McCourt was the best wizard I have ever seen, even better than Joel Grey.

[mattonstage]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 2:43pm

Having not seen Alan Cumming, I thought Neil Patrick Harris was the best Emcee I saw in "Cabaret"