This is quite the year where the performances, at times, blast through and embolden, dramatize and empower the source material of the book and score...
- Christine Ebersole and Patti LuPone - no two other women/actors/singers could have made "War Paint" soar as dramatically and musically, as much as they did; the fireworks they created still amaze me and I just hope it was filmed for a future release. (We went 3 times!)
- Annaleigh Ashford was positively transformational in "Sunday In The Park With George". Even though I did not see Bernadette Peters on stage, I honestly think Annaleigh's "Dot" was a stunning and emotional character study with positively soaring, wonderful vocals. (We saw her 4 times!)
- Tony Yazbeck, Laura Osnes and LCT cast of "Crazy For You" deserve a lot of love; that cast and ensemble were so dedicated and influenced by the work and director...well, they blew the roof off of Geffen Hall
- and more recently, Ethan Slater of "SpongeBob..." I've already seen him once and I'm going back with my husband next week. Ethan and this cast are so committed to this show and its' loving absurdity...It's almost uncanny to believe all these songs from so many different "authors' meld together so well. This is a serious contender come awards time.
- and also, I can't deny that Glenn Close and Bette Midler deserve acknowledging. They are stars in their own orbit that happily visited Broadway.
- Ben Platt in DEH. There really isn't much more to say about him. He was simply phenomenal.
- Michael Urie in Government Inspector. Hilarious, fearless, outrageous, fabulous ... everything we've come to expect from Michael Urie.
- Sara Bareilles in Waitress. A Jenna so full of life, humor, spunk (and amazing pipes) that you wanted her to succeed and get all the things in life that she didn't have.
- Laura Linney and Cynthia Nixon trading off roles in The Little Foxes. Both are such different actresses that they brought different facets of both Regina and Birdie so it was almost like seeing two different plays. I preferred Nixon's sad, plaintive Birdie and Linney's strong, firecracker Regina but I also loved Nixon's cool, businesslike Regina and Linney's loud, tipsy, mentally deteriorated Birdie.
- Lucas Steele as Anatole in The Great Comet. Simply because he was responsible for the most emotional moment I experienced this year in theater. During the final performance when he sang "Goodbye my gypsy lovers" and his voice cracked with emotion and the audience sang back, I looked behind me. The ushers and workers at the Imperial Theatre were singing their hearts out and wiping away tears.
- Denise Gough in People, Places, and Things. I actually find most addict/recovery stories quite tedious but Gough's ambiguity made the play worth seeing.
- Andy Karl in GHD. Perfectly balanced being an asshole and still being likable as Phil. This was a show that should have run much longer than it did.
Aren’t performances from Ben Platt, Lucas Steele, Corbin Bleu, Brandon Uranowitz and Nathan Lane from 2016?
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* Ben Platt - I hate to pander to this hype train because the PR/marketing around his performance this year was insanely over the top and I will be shocked if he could ever pull it off in another role again. But I thought he really gave one of those truly remarkable performances like Alice Ripley in N2N, Ebersole in Grey Gardens, Bernadette in Sunday etc.. that will go down in history as one of the greats. I enjoyed Andy Karl in Groundhog Day but didn't think he stood a chance again Ben for the Tony. I actually think Ben might have one-upped Alice Ripley in N2N.
* LuPone and Ebersole in War Paint - these performances were overshadowed by Bette's star power and personality. However, if we are speaking about acting or singing in any kind of technical detail they absolutely dominated Bette in every way possible. If Bette Midler weren't Bette Midler, it would almost be embarrassingly so.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Standout preformences from the shows I saw in 2017 (some of these may have opened before)
Hamilton CHI- Karen Olivo as Angelica Schuyler Amelie- The little girl that played little Amelie Groundhog Day- Barrett Doss as Rita Great Comet- Ingrid Michealson as Sonia War Paint- Patti Lupone as Rubenstein Come From Away- Everyone, but I loved Q. Smith, even though she has a small role Hamilton- Jevon McFerrin as Hamilton Dear Evan Hansen- Ben Platt as Evan
That was in chronological order, I can't pick. I saw Cats (not my choice) as part of this program with my towns Y, but I slept through a lot of it (it was 8pm, I was tired, and had gotten 3 hours of sleep and was not perticularly entertained, first time I ever slept at a Broadway show)
1. Jake Gyllenhaal- Sunday in the Park with George
2. Denise Gough - People Places and Things
3. Glenn Close - Sunset Boulevard
4. Michael Urie - Torch Song
5. Annaleigh Ashford- Sunday in the Park with George
6. Harvey Fierstein- Gently Down The Stream
7. Bette Midler - Hello, Dolly!
8. Laurie Metcalf and the cast of A Doll’s House, Part 2
9. Cynthia Nixon - The Little Foxes (as Birdie)
10. Carolee Carmelo - Sweeney Todd
I will add a Special mention to Marcy Richardson for her breathtaking aerial performance of Coldplay’s “Yellow” in French in an operatic style on The Nutcracker Rouge. I would have add her to the list but her performance was elevated by the atmosphere, the lighting, the glitters, the act, a perfect marriage of all these elements that made for such a truly perfect performance in New York Theater.
Nicole Rodenburg in Antipodes. Stefania Laviie Owen in Yen. Annaleigh Ashford, Carolee Carmello, Jon Jon Briones., Sara Bareilles. Cynthia Nixon as Regina. Stephen Boyer in Time and the Conway’s. John Epperson in Evening at the Talk House. Daniel Sovich and Christian Demeo in Downtown Race Riot. Tedra Milan in Present Laughter. Susannah Perkins in The Rape of the Sabine Women .... Duncan Smith in Sweeney Todd. Dave Malloy, Gelsey Bell and Brittan Ashford in Comet and Ghost Quartet, Eric T. Miller in Mope. Janet Dacal singing “You’ Got Possibilities “ Katie Lee Hill in KPOP.
qolbinau said: "* Ben Platt - I hate to pander to this hype train because the PR/marketing around his performance this year was insanely over the top and I will be shocked if he could ever pull it off in another role again. But I thought he really gave one of those truly remarkable performances like Alice Ripley in N2N, Ebersole in Grey Gardens, Bernadette in Sunday etc.. that will go down in history as one of the greats. I enjoyed Andy Karl in Groundhog Day but didn't think he stood a chance again Ben for the Tony. I actually think Ben might have one-upped Alice Ripley in N2N.
* LuPone and Ebersole in War Paint - these performances were overshadowed by Bette's star power and personality. However, if we are speaking about acting or singing in any kind of technical detail they absolutely dominated Bette in every way possible. If Bette Midler weren't Bette Midler, it would almost be embarrassingly so."
I disagree re Bernadette in Sunday; despite the Tony (it was a mediocre year), she just couldn't compare to Marti Webb in the original London production. She was very good, but not a performance for the books IMO.
I agree with your second bullet almost. When the two were rarely on stage together, I didn't even know that Ebersole was there, Patti so dominated her (in a good way). Totally agree re the Midler reference; I only saw her once, but she either was having a bad day or all of the adoration is because of the last 40+ years, not this performance.