"Replacement" cast members who were better than the originals

[HamilHansen]

Just wondering your opinions. Were there any cast members who replaced the original cast member and were in yout opinion better than them?

I have one:

Javier Munoz for Lin Manuel-Miranda in Hamilton

[Zamedy154]

Reba over Bernadette in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN

[corbucketty]

Jill Paice for Lauren Ward as Miss Honey

[sondmon]

Headley over Hudson in Color Purple

[kdogg36]

They were both wonderful, but Marin Mazzie over Alice Ripley in Next to Normal. Also, Van Hughes over John Gallagher, Jr. in American Idiot.

[bwayphreak234]

- Any of the Lola replacements in Kinky Boots

- Heather Headley over Jennifer Hudson

- Marin Mazzie in The King and I

- Brendon Urie in Kinky Boots

[AC126748]

Bernadette Peters in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

Jonathan Pryce in DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS

Heather Headley in THE COLOR PURPLE

 

[KathyNYC2]

corbucketty said: "Jill Paice for Lauren Ward as Miss Honey

 

"

Alison Luff over both of the two. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Ben Platt in Book of Mormon

[trpguyy]

Pick any other Elphaba

[poisonivy2]

Marin Mazzie and Daniel Dae Kim over Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe in The King and I

Sara Bareilles over Jessie Mueller in Waitress

 

[thebookofwhizzer]

Laura Michelle Kelly and Christian Borle in Mary Poppins

 

"

 

[GavestonPS]

Based only on the night I saw Kahn, Judy Kaye over Madeleine Kahn.

I loved Madeleine Kahn and many here saw her on nights when she was brilliant. And that's theater, folks! But Judy Kaye taught me something very important about musical comedy, in particular: it's not enough to have the skills, you also have to act like you want to be up there. OTTC was always a great party with Judy Kaye!

[LYLS3637]

He technically wasn't a replacement but he understudied so I'll say it.

Max Von Essen for Ricky Martin in EVITA.

[thirtythirtyninety]

Jonathan Pryce in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

[philly03]

Lea Salonga over Daphne Rubin-Vega, Les Mis 2006

Rachel York over Christine Andreas, The Scarlet Pimpernel

[Lot666]

Do original vs. revival productions count? If so, I thought Jon Jon Briones, Eva Noblezada, and Alistair Brammer were better than Jonathan Pryce, Lea Salonga, and Simon Bowman in Miss Saigon.

[HeyMrMusic]

I love Jessie Mueller and pretty much think she can do no wrong, but I preferred Sara Bareilles in Waitress.

[JBroadway]

I agree about Bareilles. I thought she was better than Mueller by leaps and bounds (I should note that I do NOT love Mueller and think she absolutely CAN do wrong). Bareilles naturally was everything Mueller was visibly trying hard to be. 

And I agree about Heather Headley in The Color Purple. I didn't even realize what that the role had that much potential for depth and dimension until she did it. 

I would also add Kevin Kern in Finding Neverland. Much better than Matthew Morrison. He technically wasn't a replacement, but it sounds like he might as well have been based on how often Alfie Boe called out. 

I didn't see Michelle Williams in Cabaret, but I LOVED Emma Stone in the role, and the consensus seems to be that Williams was awful (which doesn't surprise me, given that I didn't enjoy her over-the-top performance in Blackbird, or even really Manchester By The Sea for that matter). Stone's singing was only passable, but her acting was electric. 

I thought Rob McClure was a better fit for Nick Bottom in Something Rotten than Brian d'Arcy James.

I'm also not a bit fan of Idina Menzel, so though I've only seen bootlegs of her as Elphaba, I definitely think she's ben surpassed by tons of her replacements.

[HamilHansen]

JBroadway said: I thought Rob McClure was a better fit for Nick Bottom in Something Rotten than Brian d'Arcy James.
 

Yes. As much as I love Brian and his voice, Rob was a much better fit for the part.
 

 

"

 

[ethan231h]

As amazing as Patina Miller was in Pippin...I gotta say, I adored Ciara Renee. She brought some different vibes to the role that I really loved. 

I also think Josh Grisetti was/is great in Something Rotten (Broadway/tour)

[IHeartNY2]

Also preferred Sara Bareilles in Waitress.

[hak5]

enjoyed Norbert Leo Butz as Roger in RENT better than Adam Pascal

[Sondheimite]

I liked Michael C Hall and, obviously, John Cameron Mitchell in the Hedwig revival substantially more than Neil Patrick Harris.  But, again, I acknowledge it's not fair to pin NPH's Hedwig against JCM's Hedwig.   

[BroadwayConcierge]

Heather Headley in The Color Purple and Rob McClure in Something Rotten!.

Also, as much as I love Anthony Ramos, I think both of his successors (Jordan Fisher and Anthony Lee Medina) are superior Laurens/Philips.