Okay, whats the greatest performance you've ever seen on stage?

[On_Avenue_Payt]

We'll do one for Musical, and one for Play. Can't wait to hear your responses!

You should probably post your age too, cause obviously some people are going to be 16-18 years old and have only been seing shows a limited amount of time, while others are going to be 40-50 years old and have been seeing shows their old life.

I'm 19.

Musical: Norbert Leo Butz, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Play: Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

[madbrian]

For a play, it would be Tovah Feldshuh in Irena's Vow. For a musical, I'd have to go with Donna McKechnie in A Chorus Line. Oh, and my age? I happen to be a mere...48 years old.

[wicked_beast4]

Their old life? Wow, I can hear the war drums now...

But mine would be

Musical: Daniel Evans/Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park with George (Neither performance would have been the same if not for the other)
Play: Kevin Kline, Cyrano De Bergerac

I'm 15.

[ColorTheHours048]

I'm 19

MUSICAL: Victoria Clark in PIAZZA
PLAY: Either Amy Morton in A:OC or Kathleen Turner in ...VIRGINIA WOOLF?

[adamgreer]

LuPone in Gypsy or Ebersole in Grey Gardens. I'd be hard-pressed to choose one of them. Ripley in next to normal is also right there.

Play is easy: Dennehy in Salesman.


I'm 25.

[Just_John]

Musical: Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Play: Cherry Jones, Doubt

[GlindatheGood22]

Musical: Alice Ripley in Next to Normal
Play: Sarah Steele in Speech and Debate


I'm 16.

[PRFRMR20]

Musical (easy): Raul Esparza, Company
Play (tie): Jefferson Mays, I Am My Own Wife
Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King

[givesmevoice]

I have a hard time deciding for musical, but probably LuPone in Gypsy, Ebersole in Grey Gardens, or Victoria Clark in Follies.

Play is easier. Geoffrey Rush in Exit the King.

and I'm 23.

[madbrian]

OK, so I feel sooooooooo old. Even more than usual.

[Dollypop]

O'm 61 year old (and damned proud of it).

At last count, I had over 3,000 Playbills, so that means I've seen at least that many plays and musicals.

Okay, Musical: Tie between LuPone in GYPSY and Channing in HELLO, DOLLY!

Play: Elizabeth Ashley in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF.

[kec]

Musical: Yul Brynner in the 1980 revival of THE KING AND I

Play: Dame Judi Dench in HAY FEVER (in London)

I'm 50.

[theaterkid1015]

I'm 18.

Musical: EHHH, this is hard. Best PERFORMANCE was Patti LuPone in GYPSY for me, but I'm still blown away by the power Chita Rivera has on stage (I saw her in DANCER'S LIFE.)

Play: Estelle Parsons, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

[LizzieCurry]

I'm older than the OP and younger than Dollypop is all I'm sayin'.

Musical: the entire cast of Pasadena Playhouse's 110 in the Shade; Colm Wilkinson in the pre-Shanghai cast of Les Miz; Tyrone Giordano as Huck Finn

Play: T. Scott Cunningham in the national tour of Take Me Out; Rene Augusen in ACT's The Rainmaker

[Mister Matt]

Play: Janet McTeer in A Doll's House (though Patti LuPone in Master Class is a close second)

Musical: Betty Buckley in Sunset Boulevard

[broadwaytourist]

Geoffrey Rush individually, but the cast of Journey's End was so brilliant from top to bottom. That was, hand's down, the most amazing evening of theatre I've ever experienced.

Musical - I enjoyed Hugh Jackman in Boy from Oz. Not world changing, but a fun night. The only standing O I've seen not at curtain call.

I'm 49.

[jordangirl]

I'm 37.

Musical ~ Alice Ripley in next to normal
Play ~ Elizabeth Marvel and Norbert Leo Butz (because they totally fed off each other and worked so well together) in (We're allowed to pick from off-Broadway too, right?)

[BroadwayBound115]

I'm 18.

I feel stupid not putting Patti LuPone for Gypsy, but I must say, Debra Monk in Curtains was fantastic!

As for play, hmmm... I was really blown away by Estelle Parsons and Johanna Day in August: Osage County

[Princeton78]

I'm 30.

Musical: Bebe in Chicago (as Velma) and Harvey in Hairspray

Plays: I haven't seen enough to really make a great judgment, but Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin in Virginia Wolf are going to be pretty hard to top.

[yay_gerb]

i'm 18 and i actually just got into the theater scene at the begining of this past season so this is pretty much just judging that.

musical-either Patti in Gypsy or Alice in N2N. i might have to go with Patti.

play-if we can do off broadway i'm going to second what jordangirl said about NLB and Marvel in Fifty Words. that was quite a powerful show.

[givesmevoice]

haha, BroadwayBound, did you see Seth Rudetsky's deconstruction of Debra Monk in Curtains? he compared her to The Penguin. it was amazing. (as was she in Curtains)

[Gothampc]

Musical: Faith Prince in Falsettoland

Play: Judi Dench in Amy's View or Debra Monk in Picnic.

[Sauja]

It feels stupid because it was a small role in a less than perfect show, but for a musical, my very fondest memories are of Lillias White in The Life.

I'm tempted to echo Mister Matt on Janet McTeer in A Doll's House but think I'll go more recent and toss a nod to Deanna Dunagan in A:OC, even as I'm unsure I spelled her name correctly.

[UAisGREAT]

PLAY (MALE): Geoffrey Rush in Exit the King
PLAY (FEMALE): Amy Morton in August:Osage County

MUSICAL (MALE): Norbert Leo Butz in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
MUSICAL (FEMALE): Patti Lupone in Gypsy


I am kind of tentative saying Norbert Leo Butz for Dirty Rotten Scoundrel but I thought he really embodied the character. He does not have the most spectacular voice, but his comic timing, commitment, and acting chops were incredible. If I was going to choose a male performance in a musical simply on their voice I would have to say Paulo Szot in South Pacific or Gavin Creel in anything.

Oh, and I am 22. I am so excited for the upcoming season! Sounds like there are going to be some really great shows/performances.

[nealb1]

Musical - Natasha Richardson in "Cabaret" tied with Elaine Paige in "Sunset Blvd"
Michael Crawford in "The Phantom of the Opera" tied with Hugh Jackman in "The Boy From Oz"

Play - Faye Dunaway in "Master Class"

It's so hard to pin point an actual favorite. There are so many favorites, for so many reasons.