Female 1. Sutton Foster - Thoroughly Modern Millie 2. Sutton Foster - The Drowsy Chaperone 3. Lea Salonga - Les Miserables (Fantine) 4. Megan McGinnis - Les Miserables 5. Beth Leavel - The Drowsy Chaperone 6. Bernerdette Peters - Gyspy 7. Karen Zeimbra - Curtains 8. Jill Paice - Curtains 9. Patti LuPone - Sweeney Todd 10. Laura Bell Bundy - Legally Blonde
Male 1. David Hyde Pierce - Curtians 2. Edward Hibbert - Curtains 3. Christian Borle - Legally Blonde 4. Hunter Foster - The Full Monty (Regional theatre) 5. Alexander Gemignani - Les Miserables 6. Robert Hunt - Les Miserables 7. Christian Borle - Thoroughly Modern Millie 8. Marc Kudish - Thoroughly Modern Millie 9. Jason Tam -A Chorus Line 10. Adam Jacobs - Les Miserables
Also, I loved the ENTIRE cast of A CHORUS LINE and CURTAINS as a whole.
Female : Irene Worth - Sweet Bird of Youth Rosemary Harris - Pack of Lies Eva La Gallienne - Royal Family Julie Harris - Belle of Amhurst Tammy Grimes - Tatuffe Amanda Plummer - Agnes of God Swoosie Kurtz - 5th of July Maureen Stapleton - The Little Foxes Jane Alexander - The Heiress Judith Ivey - Steambath
Male- Murray Abraham - Cyrano Anthony Hopkins - Equus Ian Mckellan - Bent Judd Hirsch - Tallys Folly Robert Preston - Sly Fox John Wood - Rosencrantz ..... John Malkovich - True West Johnathan Hadary - Angels in America Barnard Hughes - Da Raul Julia - Nine
(For those interested, there is only one performance from a musical that makes my list.)
Not that I've seen too many amazing performances, but...
Male:
Manoel Felciano in Sweeney Todd Boyd Gaines in Gypsy Norbert Leo Butz in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Michael Cerveris in Sweeney Todd
Female:
Patti LuPone in Gypsy Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens Laura Benanti in Gypsy Mary Louise Wilson in Grey Gardens Patti LuPone in Sweeney Todd Sherie Rene Scott in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.
Kristin Chenoweth- The Apple Tree Orfeh- Legally Blonde Kate Shindle- Legally Blonde Janine LaManna- Sweet Charity Jaime Lee Kirchner- Rent Celia Keenan-Bolger- Spelling Bee Laura Bell Bundy- Legally Blonde
Marc Kudisch- The Apple Tree Brian d'Arcy James- The Apple Tree Barret Foa- Spelling Bee Denis O'Hare- Sweet Charity Andy Senor- Rent
Whoops, I meant Grey Gardens. Though, Mary Louise DID play Tessie Tura in the 1973 revival of Gypsy and understudied for Rose. I would have LOVED to see that production.
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.
Hugh Jackman in The Boy From Oz - the best individual performance I've ever seen on Broadway and in Australia!
Nathan Lane - The Producers Gary Beach - The Producers Gary Beach - La Cage Aux Folles Brian Stokes Mitchell - Man of La Mancha Robert Morse - Sugar Anthony Hopkins - Equus
WOMEN: Christine Ebersole GREY GARDENS Patti LuPone GYPSY Tonya Pinkins CAROLINE, OR CHANGE Anika Noni Rose CAROLINE, OR CHANGE Jennifer Colby Talton RENT Audra McDonald 110 IN THE SHADE Mary Louise Wilson GREY GARDENS Megan Hilty WICKED Julia Murney WICKED Beth Leavel THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
MEN: John Gallagher Jr. SPRING AWAKENING Bob Martin THE DROWSY CHAPERONE Rick Faugno JERSEY BOYS Norbert Leo Butz DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS Ano Okera RENT David Hyde Pierce CURTAINS Steven Blanchard BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Howard McGillin THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Randall Keith LES MISERABLES Anthony Rapp LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
Now all I see are cute boys with short haircuts in a maze of their own...
1. Idina Menzel in WICKED 2. Victoria Clark in LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA 3. John LLoyd Young in JERSEY BOYS 4. Christian Hoff in JERSEY BOYS 5. Liev Schrieber in GLENGARY GLEN ROSS 6. Raul Esparza in COMPANY 7. Raul Esparza in TABOO 8. Euan Morton in TABOO 9. Stephen Lynch in THE WEDDING SINGER 10. Marissa Jaret Winokur in HAIRSPRAY 11. Norbert Leo Butz in DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS 12. John Lithgow in DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS 13. Billy Crudup in THE PILLOWMAN 14. David Hyde Pierce in CURTAINS 15. Adam Pascal in CABARET 16. Beth Leavel in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE 17. Sutton Foster in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE 18. John Gallagher Jr. in SPRING AWAKENING 19. Entire OBC in 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE 20. Gary Beach in LA CAGE AUX FOLLES 21. Bill Irwin in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF 22. Kathleen Turner in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF 23. Entire cast of 2006 Revival of A CHORUS LINE 24. Jarrod Spector in JERSEY BOYS 25. Erich Bergen in JERSEY BOYS 26. Karmine Alers in RENT 27. Jeremy Kushnier in RENT
"I wish the stage were as narrow as the wire of a tightrope dancer, so that no incompetent would dare step upon it." Goethe
Women: 1. Christine Ebersole, Grey Gardens and 42nd Street-unlike the vast majority of people here, I believe she deserved her first Tony-I saw the show 3 weeks before the Tonys and predicted she would win. It was an excellent performance. (not the same impact as GG, but still a wonderful job.) 2. Mary Louise Wilson, Grey Gardens 3. Bernadette Peters, Gypsy 4. Laurie Beechman, Les Miserables (Fantine)-My first Broadway experience and she was memorable. 5. Betty Buckley, Sunset Boulevard and Triumph of Love-really thought Triumph was a great role for her-she stopped the show with "Serenity" (great song)-too bad they insisted on putting her in the leading actress category that year-she'd have had a better shot at featured. 6. Raul Esparza, Company-didn't love the show, loved his performance. 7. The cast of History Boys-best straight play I've ever seen 8. Cast of Coast of Utopia-Didn't expect to love the trilogy-couldn't wait for each installment after the first. 9. Alan Cumming, Cabaret-Can't wait to see him in the role again. 10. Donna Marie Asbury, Evita on tour-I really was blown away by her performance. She was quite young when I saw her do this awhile back-amazing job. Still memorable.
"A birdcage I plan to hang. I'll get to that someday. A birdcage for a bird who flew away...Around the world."
"Life is a cabaret old chum, only a cabaret old chum, and I love a cabaret!"-RIP Natasha Richardson-I was honored to have witnessed her performance as Sally Bowles.
1. Nathan Lane (The Producers) 2. Matthew Broderick (The Producers) 3. David Hyde Pierce (Curtains) 4. Raul Esparza (Company) 5. Anthony Rapp (Rent) 6. Michael Crawford (The Phantom Of The Opera) 7. John Lloyd Young (Jersey Boys) 8. Harvey Feinstein (Hairspray) 9. Cheyenne Jackson (All Shook Up) 10. Adam Pascal (Rent)
1. Christine Ebersole (Grey Gardens) 2. Kristin Huffman (Company) 3. Patti LuPone (Sweeney Todd) 4. Karen Ziemba (Curtains) 5. Debra Monk (Curtains) 6. Elizabeth Stanley (Company) 7. Barbara Walsh (Company) 8. Jill Paice (Curtains) 9. Judy Kane (Mamma Mia!) 10. Donna Murphy (Wonderful Town)
I made a list of all your faults, it was quite detailed and lengthy too and when I read it through I missed you. Your like a classic Eagles song, you just cant help but sing along even though it sometimes gets annoying too. I just know I want to be wherever I can wake and see you there next to me. **High Fidelity**
Love is what I do **The Wedding Singer**
Xanadu - Best NEW Musical of the Season!
From Live Broadway Shows: - Lea Salonga, Miss Saigon, Les Miserables Revival, Flower Drum Song & Carnegie Concert - Sandra Allen, Flower Drum Song - Megan Hilty, Wicked - Donna Murphy, Passion - Heather Headley, Aida - Sherie Rene Scott, Aida - Rachel Ward, Victor Victoria - Rebecca Luker, The Sound of Music Revival - Ali Ewoldt, Les Miserables
- Will Chase, Miss Saigon - Jere Shea, Passion - Raul Esparza, Company - John Gallagher, Spring Awakening - Yancey Arias, Miss Saigon - Lou Diamond Philip, The King and I Revival - Alan Cumming, Cabaret Revival - Jonathan Groff, Spring Awakening - Adam Jacobs, Les Miserables - Brian Stokes Mitchell, Ragtime
- Entire cast of 2006 Revival of A Chorus Line
"I love acting. It is so much more real than life." Oscar Wilde "After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." Aldous Huxley
I'm not sure if I can break mine down into 10 males/females...so this is how I'm doing it :)
The entire cast of King Lear at the Goodman last fall (Stacy Keach and company)--hands down the most amazing theatre experience I or anyone else in that theatre may ever have.
Katie Clarke in the light in the piazza (final performance of the tour). Just breathtaking.
Stephanie J. Block as Elphaba-made me realize what that role could/should be, and how glorious a soprano belt really is.
I've seen a LOT of amazing performances in my time...but I think these three were really turning points for me as an audience member and more importantly as a performer myself.
and all that I could do because of you was talk of love...
I haven't seen a lot, but those I did were pretty spectacular:
Raul Esparza - Company Kelli O'Hara - My Fair Lady Patti Lupone - Mrs. Lovett Manoel Felciano - Toby Brian Stokes Mitchell - Ragtime (saw it in LA, so no Audra sadly) John Gallagher, Jr. - Spring Awakening Michael Berresse - Kiss Me, Kate Barbara Walsh - Company
What are the 20 best individual performances (10 male and 10 female) you've seen live?
No particular order...
Male * Steven Goldsmith, Jersey Boys * Christopher Kale Jones, Jersey Boys * Ben Davis, Les Miz (Javert and Enjolras) * Tyrone Giordano, Big River * Brad Little, Phantom of the Opera * Joseph Anthony Foronda, Miss Saigon * Randal Keith, Les Miz * Jason Danieley, 110 in the Shade * Doug Wert, Take Me Out * Jeremy Kushnier, Rent
Female * Ma-Anne Dionisio, Les Miz * Lisa Vroman, Phantom of the Opera * Maggie Benjamin, Rent * Sara Inbar, Spelling Bee * Jackie Seiden, Jersey Boys * Sutton Foster, Thoroughly Modern Millie * Kelly Kaduce, La Bohème * Chloe Wright, La Bohème * Heidi Blickenstaff, Bat Boy * Geena Jeffries, Phantom of the Opera
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
Patti LuPone in Gypsy and Sweeney Todd Donna Murphy in Follies and LoveMusik Raul Esparza in Company Laura Benanti in Gypsy Idina Menzel in Wicked Bernadette Peters in Gypsy
I've seen many good performances but the one that I will never forget is Yul Brenner in the King and I.
He was so perfect and I couldn't imagine then, that a Musical on stage could be as wonderful as it was on Television. It changed my point of view forever.
I cannot limit this to Broadway: 1. Liev Schreiber (Talk Radio) 2. Nina Negri, Vivian Reed, Andrea Jones-Sojola (3 Mo' Divas) 3. Christine Ebersole (GG) 4. Into The Woods (Signature Theatre) 5. Frank Langella (anything he does)
Female: Christine Ebersole- Grey Gardens Mary Louise Wilson- Grey Gardens Victoria Clark- Light in the Piazza Bernadette Peters- Gypsy Audra McDonald- 110 in the Shade Nilaja Sun- No Child Tovah Feldshuh- Golda's Balcony
Male: Jefferson Mays- I Am My Own Wife Bill Irwin- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Alan Cumming- Cabaret Hugh Jackman- The Boy From Oz Shuler Hensley- Oklahoma! Billy Crudup- The Pillowman
"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.
Christine Ebersole in GG Victoria Clark in Piazza Cherry Jones in Faith Healer Patti Lupone in Sweeney Todd Mary-Louise Wilson in GG Tonya Pinkins in CoC
Michael Stuhlbarg in The Pillowman (and in The Voysey Inheritance) Ian McDiarmid in Faith Healer Billy Crudup in The Coast of Utopia David Hyde Pierce in Spamalot Richard Griffiths in The History Boys Oliver Platt in Shining City Domhnall Gleeson in The Lieutant of Inishmore John Gallagher Jr. in Spring Awakening Christopher Plummer in Inherit the Wind Gavin Lee in Mary Poppins
A little swash, a bit of buckle - you'll love it more than bread.