Hahaha i agree about harvey. Everyone i talk to has no idea who he is. lol Ummm, well Idina and Kristin.
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
To Kill A Mockingbird
I think you might be a little biased with Peters Annie Get Your Rose. In recent years I might say Reba Mc Entire over Bernadette Peters as AGYG proved.
No way are most people going to a show to see Idina or Kristin. I think both are great, but the majority of people who are going to shows have no idea who they are. (Maybe that will change with the Rent movie, and a little with Bewitched...).
I would think the top draws would be someone like Sarah Jessica Parker and, well, her husband.
i think the bernadette is one of the top broadway stars because theatre people and regular people know who she is. generally, most of the public who knows who he is don't like harvey.
I'm a "theater" person and I don't like Harvey that much -- about the only time I've ever found him tolerable was on the Hair recording - honestly him singing Air was the perfect match of performer and song.
Non-theater people also know Mandy Patinkin, though he doesn't do Broadway much any more.
jasonf, i don't like him either. i was just stating because some people here are very jaded! personally i think antonio got robbed of a tony in 2003... he deserved it so much more than harvey... speaking of, antonio proved a very big draw!
Sorry I meant more Broadway-centered performers. I wouldn't say the Rebe Mcentire is broadway-centered. Yes, a lil biased but I still believe it is true.
No, Reba Mc Entire isn't Broadway centred, but then neither is Hugh Jackman. I agree with a previous poster who said Sarah Jessica Parker & Mathew Broderick.
Also, don't know what alterego means about AGYG. Bernadette was a Tony-winning huge hit in that show for a year and a half, returning its investment and making a profit for its producers long before McEntire showed up.
Huh? I'm pretty damn sure people know Sarah MOSTLY because of Sex and the City, and people know Matthew Broderick MOSTLY because of say...Ferris Bueller. I doubt either would be that much of a draw without those things.
Bernadette Peters, on the other hand, is really known mostly for her theatrical work.
It's amazing how many people respond to the post, but don't really read what the question is: bankable, non-Hollywood.
And the answer is clearly Bernadette. She is the closest thing on Broadway to being a household name that is not or was not a film / TV / recording star. Yes, she had some leads in 70's films, but she was never that famous for her work as Steve Martin's foil.
Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Hugh Jackman, etc. are all recognizeable Hollywood stars who happen to love theater. The sad truth is there really are NO bankable Broadway-only stars in 2005.
People might mostly know SJP from Sex and the City and MB from Ferris etc., but they are ABSOLUTELY established Broadway stars. The post was who's the biggest draw -- both of them are definitely THEATER people, despite what people know them from outside of the theater world.
Non-theater People who know Bernadette Peters wouldn't be able to name a show she was in. But they may know her from The Jerk, Pennies from Heaven, Annie, or any of the other movies she's done.
All right - I give on the "non-Hollywood" - but I still say then that this disqualifies Bernadette because she HAS done Hollywood. Or are we not putting that qualifier on it?
This whole thread confuses me...aren't Nathan Lane and Bernadette bigger box office draws on Broadway because of their outside work? Of course they are both huge theater stars with illustrious stage credits, but wouldn't the average tourist catching a show know Nathan Lane because of "The Birdcage" and Bernadette from her movie and tv appearances (or hell, even her Breyers commercials from back in the day)? Updated On: 7/8/05 at 12:25 AM