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Finest acting performances on Broadway?

Younger Brother

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Broadway Star
joined:8/27/12

Broadway Star
joined:
8/27/12

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#1
Posted: 12/20/13 at 4:49pm

I started a thread for movies on the off topic board and figured I'd do a theatre related performance. What are some of your favorite acting performances in a musical or play?

Kichkinet4life

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Understudy
joined:9/4/13

Understudy
joined:
9/4/13

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#2
Posted: 12/20/13 at 5:12pm

Best musical performance is a throw-up…Jan Maxwell in Follies / Patti LuPone in Gypsy / Faith Prince in Guys and Dolls

Best straight play performance is between Valerie Harper in Looped & Cythania Nixon in EVERYTHING SHE TOUCHES!

Jordan Catalano

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Broadway Legend
joined:10/9/05

Broadway Legend
joined:
10/9/05

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#2
Posted: 12/20/13 at 5:16pm

Frank Wood - SIDE MAN

The greatest performance by an actor in a play I'll ever see.

thespian geek

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Broadway Legend
joined:10/1/04

Broadway Legend
joined:
10/1/04

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#3
Posted: 12/20/13 at 5:20pm

Off the top of my head, the best performance I've ever personally seen was Mark Rylance in Jerusalem.

dramamama611

Broadway Legend
joined:12/4/07

Broadway Legend
joined:
12/4/07

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#4
Posted: 12/20/13 at 5:29pm

Tracey Letts in Virginia Woolf
Amy Morton in Virgina Woolf AND August

I LOVED Bobby Steggart in the Ragtime revival.

If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

Updated On: 12/20/13 at 05:29 PM

Nydiva2

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Swing
joined:11/25/13

Swing
joined:
11/25/13

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#5
Posted: 12/20/13 at 5:31pm

A pretty obscure one, but indelible. Tom Aldredge in an short-run, off-Broadway play called "Incommunicado". At the time I saw it I had known Tom for at least 20 years; and I came out trembling to the bone by the most powerful performance I'd ever seen. I'll never forget that - or him.

That and Carole Shelley in "Elephant Man". Well, Carole Shelley in just about EVERYthing. Magnificent actress.

Littleshopofcarrie

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Broadway Star
joined:12/9/12

Broadway Star
joined:
12/9/12

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#6
Posted: 12/20/13 at 5:50pm

Patti LuPone - Gypsy
Betty Buckley - Carrie

mamaleh

Broadway Legend
joined:5/11/04

Broadway Legend
joined:
5/11/04

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#7
Posted: 12/20/13 at 5:56pm

In a straight play: Mark Rylance (TWELFTH NIGHT, JERUSALEM, BOEING-BOEING)

In a musical: Hugh Jackman in THE BOY FROM OZ

tom2000a

Chorus Member
joined:11/10/12

Chorus Member
joined:
11/10/12

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#8
Posted: 12/20/13 at 6:42pm

Maggie Smith in Lettuce and Lovage.

Rosemary Harris in The Royal Family.

promisespromises2

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Broadway Star
joined:5/23/13

Broadway Star
joined:
5/23/13

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#9
Posted: 12/20/13 at 6:49pm

Ones that I have seen (and that's not many, just got into theatre about a year ago!) is Louise Dearman in Wicked when I went overseas to England. Her acting was just brilliant, even though her Glinda sucked (and by that I mean the girl who was playing Glinda at the time, not when Louise played Glinda). And I loved Kate Baldwin in Big Fish. I'm excited to see what other things she will do in the future.

Updated On: 12/20/13 at 06:49 PM

Sally Durant Plummer

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Broadway Legend
joined:8/15/13

Broadway Legend
joined:
8/15/13

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#10
Posted: 12/20/13 at 6:50pm

Patti LuPone - Gypsy
Dorothy Collins - Follies
Barbra Steisand - Funny Girl
Bernadette Peters - Sunday in the Park With George

"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir

taximom

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Swing
joined:5/14/08

Swing
joined:
5/14/08

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#11
Posted: 12/20/13 at 8:20pm

Donna Murphy in Passion.

Updated On: 12/20/13 at 08:20 PM

GlindatheGood22

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Broadway Legend
joined:7/17/07

Broadway Legend
joined:
7/17/07

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#12
Posted: 12/20/13 at 8:23pm

Musicals:
Alice Ripley in Next to Normal
Laura Benanti in Gypsy
Laura Benanti in Women on the Verge
Patti in Women on the Verge
Audra in Porgy and Bess
Brian d'Arcy James in Next to Normal (better on Bway)

Plays:
Joe Mantello in The Normal Heart
Ellen Barkin in The Normal Heart
Cherry Jones in The Glass Menagerie, especially the jonquils monologue
Phylicia Rashad in August: Osage County
Alan Cumming in Macbeth
Sarah Steele in Speech and Debate

I know you. I know you. I know you.

rosscoe(au)

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Broadway Legend
joined:8/20/05

Broadway Legend
joined:
8/20/05

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#13
Posted: 12/20/13 at 8:47pm

It would have to be the original cast of Angels in America.

Well I didn't want to get into it, but he's a Satanist. Every full moon he sacrifices 4 puppies to the Dark Lord and smears their blood on his paino. This should help you understand the score for Wicked a little bit more. Tazber's: Reply to Is Stephen Schwartz a Practicing Christian

Adam Chris

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joined:1/18/05

Broadway Legend
joined:
1/18/05

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#14
Posted: 12/20/13 at 8:50pm

I know most might disagree, but the best performance of the Phantom for me was Michael Crawford. You can't judge what he did by video clips because its doesnt have the same impact as being there. At times it seemed he was in slow motion - I don't know how he did that. Every moment he was on stage was absolute magic. So for me, he was the best actor I've seen in that role.

bobs3

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Broadway Legend
joined:4/8/12

Broadway Legend
joined:
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Finest acting performances on Broadway?#15
Posted: 12/20/13 at 8:52pm

Vanessa Redgrave in LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT -- hands down!

MCfan2

Broadway Legend
joined:4/29/06

Broadway Legend
joined:
4/29/06

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#16
Posted: 12/20/13 at 9:14pm

I have always, always wished I could've seen Michael Crawford in "Phantom," Adam. I've seen him do some of the songs in concert, and I've seen video clips of his performance, and based on those, I'm pretty sure I would've agreed with you on that one.

J. Mark McVey was the first Valjean I ever saw, and he gave an incredibly moving performance.

PianoMann

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Broadway Legend
joined:5/12/11

Broadway Legend
joined:
5/12/11

Finest acting performances on Broadway?#17
Posted: 12/20/13 at 9:16pm

I think I'd have to say Tracy Letts in Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf.

In all of my theatergoing experience, I've never see a performance quite like that... I'll carry it with me forever.

ray-andallthatjazz86

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Broadway Legend
joined:8/2/05

Broadway Legend
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Finest acting performances on Broadway?#18
Posted: 12/20/13 at 11:03pm

I agree with Tracy Letts. It's one of those performances that I will never be able to forget about. Equally mesmerizing was Amy Morton. The two of them together on stage in that production is as good as it gets.
Morton also gave my absolute favorite performance on Broadway in AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY. Her reading of the line "I'm running things now!" sent chills down my spine. I don't think I'd ever seen anything that got to me that way, and I doubt I ever will. I remember going down for a cigarette right away, dying to talk to someone about it, but happy I didn't have to speak (I was by myself) since I didn't feel I could.
And not on Broadway, but Donna Murphy as Phyllis in FOLLIES was perfection from beginning to end.

"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"

east side story

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joined:4/21/11

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joined:
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Finest acting performances on Broadway?#19
Posted: 12/20/13 at 11:21pm

Technically off-Broadway, but…

Carla Gugino -- Suddenly, Last Summer

Honorable Mentions:
Lupone -- Gypsy
Entire cast of The Normal Heart revival

budfrump

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Understudy
joined:5/9/11

Understudy
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Finest acting performances on Broadway?#20
Posted: 12/20/13 at 11:28pm

Having only seen 8 Broadway shows in my short life, I don't have much to work with, but I have seen some incredibly inspiring performances!

I found Norbert Leo Butz's performance in Catch Me If You Can to be a powerhouse! So much fun, and so thrilling to watch. Also Douglas Hodge in La Cage and Rachel Bay Jones in Pippin had a huge effect on me! I feel very fortunate to have seen the shows I've seen!

disneybroadwayfan22

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joined:2/10/13

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Finest acting performances on Broadway?#21
Posted: 12/20/13 at 11:35pm

Alice Ripley in Next to Normal and Bertie Carvel in Matilda (First thing that came up) Audra M. sounded incredible in Pippin and it's too bad that I'll never see her

VotePeron

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joined:5/2/13

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Finest acting performances on Broadway?#22
Posted: 12/20/13 at 11:55pm

Bertie Carvel, Matilda
Kristin Nielson, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Cristin Milioti - Once

mjohnson2

Broadway Star
joined:11/2/13

Broadway Star
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Finest acting performances on Broadway?#23
Posted: 12/21/13 at 3:34am

Alice Ripley in Side Show. I was so young when I saw it, but I remember there being a visible puddle of tears that she had cried on the stage floor (I was in the mezzanine).

Anything regarding shows stated by this account is an attempt to convey opinion and not fact.

qolbinau

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Broadway Legend
joined:6/29/08

Broadway Legend
joined:
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Finest acting performances on Broadway?#24
Posted: 12/21/13 at 4:53am

Marin Mazzie Next to Normal

Bernadette singing Send in the Clowns in A Little Night Music

"It’s the fractured quality in [Bernadette Peters'] singing voice and line readings that puts across the character as someone for whom resentment is sliding into madness." - NYtimes on Follies (2011).

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