The best and worst live performance witnessed

[wheredidhegogeorge2]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 3:05am

So Im curious to know what some of the best and worst live performances weve all witnessed are. The actors, the show, whatever. Throw em out there. Ill give it a start. I would have to say Norbert in DRS, Kelli Ohara in the Pajama Game, Aaron Lazar in TLITP and Les Mis and Caissie Levy of Hairspray are my tops. Mark Kudisch in Summer and Smoke at Hartford Stage, and Millie (And of course Sutton). Norm Lewis in Les Mis was also amazing. Also Wicked was quite incredible. And the absolute worst was David Ayers in Wicked!!! OMG give me the gun. Im gonna have to throw Tim Howar of Rent and Daphne from Les Mis in. I just didnt care for what she brought to the character. Tarzan didnt really do it for me either, but it had its moments. Feel free to argue, disagree and dont be shy. After all, we all are theater dorks!!!
Updated On: 1/13/07 at 03:05 AM

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 3:08am

WE ARE NOT THEATRE DORKS! WE ARE THEATRE LOVERS! :)

[wheredidhegogeorge2]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 3:15am

They go hand in hand!!!!! Pride in one is pride in another!

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 3:21am

Best:
Roger Bart- The Producers
Gary Beach- The Producers
Tammy Blanchard- Gypsy
Matthew Broderick- The Producers
Norbert Leo Butz- Wicked
Kristin Chenoweth- Wicked
Julie Hanson- The Phantom of the Opera
Ted Keegan- The Phantom of the Opera
Nathan Lane- The Producers
Idina Menzel- Wicked
Bernadette Peters- Gypsy
Carole Shelley- Wicked
Kim Stengel- The Phantom of the Opera

Worst:
Tim Martin Gleason- The Phantom of the Opera
Carol Kane- Wicked
Kendra Kassebaum- Wicked
Heidi Kettenring- Wicked
Logan Lipton- Wicked
Timothy Britten Parker- Wicked
Rebecca Pitcher- The Phantom of the Opera
Updated On: 1/10/07 at 03:21 AM

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 3:58am

I was just playin with ya!

BEST:
Nathan Lane - Butley, The Producers, Forum, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, and everything he's ever done! haha.
Mario Cantone - Laugh Whore
Roger Bart - You're A Good Man Charlie Brown
Jim Dale - Barnum
Harvey Fierstein - Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, Torch Song Trilogy
Bernadette Peters - Gypsy
Joel Grey - Cabaret
Tim Curry - Rock Horror Show and Spamalot
Kate Wetherhead - Spelling Bee
Dana Ivey and Julian Ovenden - Butley
Cathy Rigby - Peter Pan and Seussical
Jim Brochu and Steve Schalchlin - The Big Voice: God or Merman
Rosie O - Fiddler and Seussical (actually I thought it was so so but not bad)
Elaine Stritch - At Liberty
Raul Esparza - Company
The entire company of A Year With Frog and Toad, The Producers, Avenue Q, and the Assassins revival.

WORST:
Matthew Broderick - The Odd Couple
Constantine - TWS

Updated On: 1/13/07 at 03:58 AM

[Steve2]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 8:54am

Worst: Jennifer Jason Leigh as Sally Bowles in "Cabaret"

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 8:57am

Best:
Christine Ebersole and the cast of Grey Gardens
Nathan Lane - The Producers
Idina Menzel - Wicked

[jewishboy]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 9:01am

Best: Debbie Gravitte as Nina in Tenderloin (Encores! 2000)

Worst: Alfred Molina as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof (revival)

I have many other best performances (Debbie is just my favorite one), but Alfred Molina is the absolute worst perfromance I have ever seen. Updated On: 1/10/07 at 09:01 AM

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 9:14am

Best:
Elaine Stritch in At Liberty
Norbert Leo Butz in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Bob Martin in Drowsy Chaperone

Worst:
Richard Kind in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Treat Williams in Follies
Harvey Feirstein in Fiddler

[ruprecht]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 9:16am

Orfeh playing Janis Joplin will always be one I will feel lucky I got to see. Only person who could have made a better impression was Janis herself.

As for worst, I've gone there already on a dozen different threads and it's a much longer list.

[bwayfan4life]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 9:39am

Best: Idina Menzel-Wicked
John Lloyd Young-Jersey Boys
Adam Pascal-Aida
Damian Perkins-Aida
Jennifer Laura Thompson-Wicked
Lea Solonga-Miss Saigon
Linda Edder-Jekkyl & Hyde (The tour before Broadway)

Worst: Drew Lachey-RENT

[Piercemn]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 9:48am

Best: Julie Harris in The Belle of Amherst, Lynn Redgrave in Shakespeare for My Father, Vanessa Redgrave in Long Day's Journey into Night, Jefferson Mays in I Am My Own Wife, Nathan Lane in ...Forum, the ensembles of Mamma Mia, The Wedding Singer and Ragtime. Jessica Tandy in Foxfire and Byron Jennings as Richard III at the Guthrie. Also, Maureen Moore in Gypsy. I was sobbing by the time it was over, because she hit all the right emotional points. I even wrote her a letter.

Worst: Patti LuPone in Master Class and Rex Smith in Kiss Me, Kate. Megan McGillis in Beauty and the Beast was appalling. She missed the first eight bars of every song! I've seen better community theatre performers.

Updated On: 1/12/07 at 09:48 AM

[lostgirl]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 9:50am

Best: Victoria Clark in The Light in the Piazza- hands down winner

Worst: David Hasselhoff in Jekyll and Hyde. Yep, I saw that live. It was...dire
Updated On: 1/10/07 at 09:50 AM

[Princeton78]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 9:53am

On a positive note, I'll choose to not share the worst performance i've seen, but I'll say that hands down, the two best were Bebe in "Chicago," (as Velma) and Harvey in "Hairspray."

[MamawhoBoreme]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 10:32am

Best-
Idina- Wicked
Frenchi Davis- Rent
Beth Leavel (sp?) - Drowsy
Christopher J. Hanke-Rent

Worst
Drew Lachey-Rent
Derrik Williams- Wicked

[Gingersnap2]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 10:55am

Worst:

Bob Cuccioli as Lancelot in "Camelot." He was someone's understudy in the tour with Richard Harris in the early 80s. I saw him go on and it was a wooden performance.

Marie Danvers as Christine in "The Phantom of the Opera." My first Christine and she was awful.

Kim Stengel as Carlotta. Just too cartoonish.

Ben Magnuson as Anthony Hope. He bored me to death.

Whover was Javert the third time I saw "Les Miserables" on tour. Fantine wasn't so great, either.

BEST:

Micheal Cerveris in "Sweeney Todd."

Anthony Crivello as Javert.

Susan Owen as Christine.

The actress who played Titania in a funky regional production of "A Midsummer's Night Dream" - whoever she was, she was amazing.

Hugh Panaro as Bobby in "Company" at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle.

[JRybka]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 11:02am

It was from a mediocre show but Norbert Leo Butz in Thou Shall Not. The audience just knew they were watching history in the making with his energy and brilliance.

Also a couple moments to remember:
BJ Crosby's "Fools Fall in Love" from Smokey Joe's Cafe

and

Megan Hilty's "Popular" from Wicked

and

The WHOLE cast of The Grapes of Wrath on Broadway


WORST SHOW EVER:

CRAPACABANA!!!!

[Sant]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 11:08am

BEST:

Chita Rivera as Roxie - CHICAGO
Bebe Neuwirth as Velma - CHICAGO
Harvey Fierstein as Edna - HAIRSPRAY


WORST:

Denise Van Outen as Roxie - CHICAGO
Helen Dallimore as Glinda - WICKED

[Neverandy]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 11:08am

Best
Cerveris in Assassins
norbert in DRS and L5Y
SRS in L5Y
Stritch in At Liberty
Worst
Tim Hower in Rent (The worst I have ever seen on Broadway, this was 2 weeks ago and it was so bad I couldn't even post about it, that whole show was a nightmare compared to the other times I've seen it I was appalled)

[Mamie]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 11:10am

Since your question doesn't limit the responses to Broadway musicals, I'd have to say that for me the best was Daniel Davis in "Talking Heads" off-Broadway, and the worst was Brian Stokes Mitchell in "Sweeney Todd" at the Kennedy Center. (He kept that 'nice guy' smile on his face through the whole show.)

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 1:38pm

[PJMPirate]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 1:51pm

Brian Stokes Mitchell in "Man of La Mancha" was one of the best.

[mijofly19]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 1:53pm

Best:
Patti Cohenour as Margart in LITP
Raul Esparza in COMPANY
Jason Gillman as Freddy in DRS

[avab802]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 2:01pm

Best:
Idina Menzel in Wicked
Bernadette Peters in Gypsy
Susan Egan in Cabaret

Worst:
Molly Ringwald in Cabaret

[Smartful Dodger]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 2:02pm

BEST: Christine Ebersole in GREY GARDENS

WORST: Quentin Tarentino in WAIT UNTIL DARK