Latest Headlines View More Articles

VIDEO: Preview SCOTLAND, PA in New Music Video

THE MUSIC MAN Is Accepting Online Submissions to Find Tommy Djilas

Photo Flash: In Rehearsal with Chicago Shakes' THE KING'S SPEECH

« Back to the Message Board

E-Mail

Subscribe

Performances You Wish You Had Seen

Jarethan

Profile

Broadway Legend
joined:2/10/11

Broadway Legend
joined:
2/10/11

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#1
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.

GavestonPS

Profile

Broadway Legend
joined:6/10/12

Broadway Legend
joined:
6/10/12

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#2
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

Butter Broadway

Profile

Featured Actor
joined:3/28/17

Featured Actor
joined:
3/28/17

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#3
Posted: 4/21/17 at 1:27am

Patti Lupone in Evita

LesWickedly

Broadway Legend
joined:2/18/13

Broadway Legend
joined:
2/18/13

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#4
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).

Jeffrey Karasarides

Profile

Broadway Legend
joined:11/27/11

Broadway Legend
joined:
11/27/11

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#5
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

ItsJavert

Profile

Chorus Member
joined:4/7/17

Chorus Member
joined:
4/7/17

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#6
Posted: 4/21/17 at 6:33am

Colm Wilkinson and Philp Quast in Les Miz as well as other shows.

DrFrasierCrane

Profile

Swing
joined:4/17/17

Swing
joined:
4/17/17

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#7
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

Another Winter

Profile

Understudy
joined:7/18/16

Understudy
joined:
7/18/16

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#8
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!

Another Winter

Profile

Understudy
joined:7/18/16

Understudy
joined:
7/18/16

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#9
Posted: 4/21/17 at 7:51am

Double post

Updated On: 4/21/17 at 07:51 AM

AC126748

Profile

Broadway Legend
joined:7/15/06

Broadway Legend
joined:
7/15/06

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#10
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

Lot666

Profile

Broadway Legend
joined:2/8/17

Broadway Legend
joined:
2/8/17

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#11
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

============> this board is a nest of vipers <============
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage

Updated On: 4/24/17 at 08:29 AM

BuddyStarr

Profile

Broadway Star
joined:3/28/17

Broadway Star
joined:
3/28/17

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#12
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

disneybroadwayfan22

Profile

Broadway Legend
joined:2/10/13

Broadway Legend
joined:
2/10/13

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#13
Posted: 4/21/17 at 8:44am

Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana in Cinderella Performances You Wish You Had Seen

markypoo

Profile

Broadway Star
joined:9/16/05

Broadway Star
joined:
9/16/05

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#14
Posted: 4/21/17 at 9:08am

Montgomery & Stone in the 1903 Broadway Wizard of Oz.

Love to know what made them so wonderful.

Babe_Williams

Profile

Broadway Star
joined:3/8/17

Broadway Star
joined:
3/8/17

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#15
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

Ado Annie D'Ysquith

Profile

Broadway Legend
joined:12/1/14

Broadway Legend
joined:
12/1/14

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#16
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

Profile

Understudy
joined:7/9/15

Understudy
joined:
7/9/15

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#17
Posted: 4/21/17 at 9:43am

John Cameron Mitchell in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

darquegk

Profile

Broadway Legend
joined:2/5/09

Broadway Legend
joined:
2/5/09

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#18
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

Broadway Legend
joined:
5/11/06

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#19
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

Profile

Broadway Star
joined:11/10/14

Broadway Star
joined:
11/10/14

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#20
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

Updated On: 4/21/17 at 10:22 AM

ijest22

Profile

Understudy
joined:4/14/17

Understudy
joined:
4/14/17

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#21
Posted: 4/21/17 at 10:23am

Glenda Jackson as Martha in Who's Afraid of...?

AmericanVicomte

Profile

Chorus Member
joined:8/12/16

Chorus Member
joined:
8/12/16

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#22
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

Updated On: 4/21/17 at 10:52 AM

TNick926

Profile

Stand-by
joined:9/5/13

Stand-by
joined:
9/5/13

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#23
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

TNick926

Profile

Stand-by
joined:9/5/13

Stand-by
joined:
9/5/13

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#24
Posted: 4/21/17 at 10:54am

Jarethan

Profile

Broadway Legend
joined:2/10/11

Broadway Legend
joined:
2/10/11

Performances You Wish You Had Seen#25
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.

« Back to the Message Board

Hot Discounts

Come From Away

Beautiful

Chicago

Jersey Boys

Latest Headlines View More Articles

Latest Headlines View More Articles

Performances You Wish You Had Seen

Follow Us

BWW Sister Sites

Around the World