PLAYBILL POLL: What Is Your Favorite Revival of a Musical? | Playbill

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Polls PLAYBILL POLL: What Is Your Favorite Revival of a Musical? With the success of the 2013 revival of Pippin and the upcoming revival of Kander and Ebb's Cabaret, Playbill.com recently shared a list of some of our favorite Broadway revivals; this led us to wonder what were our readers' favorite musical revivals.

Playbill.com polled our readers via Facebook and Twitter. Their responses follow:

La Cage aux Folles stars Kelsey Grammer and Douglas Hodge
Photo by Joan Marcus
Jen Lau: The 2010 revival of La Cage aux Folles is my favorite revival of a musical - its intimate staging and stellar cast captured the essence of the show's message of love and family.

Phill Greenland: I loved the Douglas Hodge La Cage.

Based on the French play of the same title, La Cage aux Folles opened on Broadway in 1983, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical. Revivals were presented on Broadway in 2004 and 2010, starring, respectively, Gary Beach and Douglas Hodge.

Eddie Korbich and Audra McDonald in Carousel, 1994
Photo by Joan Marcus
David George : Carousel; the Broadway and the Lincoln Center production.

Since it opened on Broadway in 1945, Carousel has been revived numerous times on Broadway. The 1994 revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival. The second musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Carousel is based on Ferenc Molnár’s play Liliom.

Bernadette Peters in Follies.
Photo by Joan Marcus
Jacob E. Sanchez: The recent Kennedy Center revival of FOLLIES, which transferred to Broadway's Marquis then to LA's Ahmanson, looked like a thrilling production and I read nothing but great things about it. I would have loved to see this live. Luckily, a majority of the show (including dialogue) was preserved by PS Classics.

Nathan Hinds: 2011 Follies.

Follies opened on Broadway in 1971 and was Stephen Sondheim’s eighth work on Broadway. The show has enjoyed a number of revivals, all with star-studded casts. The most recent production featured Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell, Danny Burstein and Elaine Paige.

Alan Cumming
Ted Kim: Kander & Ebb revivals are always good.

John Kander and Fred Ebb have written over a dozen musicals, including the hits Cabaret and Kiss of the Spider Woman, both of which earned them the Tony Award for Best Original Score. The revival of Chicago is currently the longest-running revival in Broadway history. A revival of Cabaret, starring Alan Cumming and Michelle Williams, is set to open April 24 following previews that begin March 21.

Patina Miller
Photo by Joan Marcus
Laura Beth Dailey: Pippin. The current Broadway production is thrilling.

The 2013 revival of Pippin earned several Tony Awards, including awards for Best Revival and Best Featured Actress. This successful revival recently welcomed Emmy nominee Annie Potts; it was recently announced that Kyle Dean Massey and Ciara Renee will assume the roles of Pippin and The Leading Player, respectively, on April 1.

Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis
Photo by Michael J. Lutch
Ryan OrangeRyan Blagg: Porgy and Bess were pretty FANTASTIC!

Tyler Hayes: 2012 production of Porgy and Bess with Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis. Everything about that production was phenomenal. I went to see it 3 times.

With music by George Gershwin, Porgy and Bess opened on Broadway in 1935. It was most recently revived in 2011, starring Norm Lewis and Audra McDonald in the title roles. Both actors were nominated for Tony Awards, with McDonald winning her fifth Tony.

West Side Story stars Josefina Scaglione and Matt Cavenaugh
Photo by Joan Marcus
Margaret Daisy Rose: West Side Story 2009. It is my favorite musical of all time and this revival is stunning. The cast led by Matt Cavenaugh and Josephine Scaglione is perfect. The uniqueness of the original lyrics by Stephen Sondheim translated into Spanish with help of Lin Manuel Miranda is spectacular. It adds another more realistic depth to the already emotional production. In my opinion it made the already wonderfully amazing show even more flawless.

West Side Story opened on Broadway in 1957 and was nominated for Best Musical but lost the award to The Music Man. The musical was revived in 2009 sporting a Spanish-infused libretto with translations provided by Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone in Sweeney Todd.
Photo by Paul Kolnik
Corinne Ferraro Lam: The most recent Sweeney Todd.

Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway in 1979, starring Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou. It has been revived twice on Broadway, once in 1989, starring Beth Fowler and Bob Gunton, and again in 2005, starring Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris. The 2005 revival featured the cast playing their own instruments. LuPone played the tuba and percussion, while Cerveris played the guitar.

Bebe Neuwirth in Chicago.
Juan Carlos Garza Segovia: Chicago!!! There is a reason why it is the longest running revival And it was one of my first shows during my first visit to NYC. It is way much better than the movie.

Emily Rasch: Chicago, being the longest running revival, proves that it's still "All That Jazz."

With a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb, Chicago is currently the longest-running revival in Broadway history. The revival opened on Broadway in 1996, starring Ann Reinking as Roxie Hart and Bebe Neuwirth as Velma Kelly, the roles created by Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera in the original production. Neuwirth starred as Roxie in 2006 and is currently portraying Mat Mama Morton.

Joel Grey and Sutton Foster
Photo by Joan Marcus
Hunter K. Taylor: The 2011 revival of Anything Goes with Sutton Foster was amazing! It brought back the thrill of classic Broadway to a new generation. Epic tap dancing, glorious songs, what can be better?

The 2011 revival of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes opened at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre April 7, 2011, and ran for 521 performances, closing July 8, 2012. Sutton Foster won her second Tony Award for her performance as Reno Sweeney. A previous revival cast two-time Tony winner Patti LuPone as Reno.

Kelli O'Hara and Paulo Szot in South Pacific.
Photo by Joan Marcus
Ron Hallsten: South Pacific. While some revivals need to be updated this one did not. Not only was it true to form it had a full orchestra - something missing from modern revivals and current Broadway shows. When I heard the orchestra tuning up, I got that tingle I used to get with every Broadway musical.

South Pacific opened on Broadway in 1948 and ran for nearly 2,000 performances and starred Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza in the leading roles. The 2008 Lincoln Center Theater revival, which was preserved on a PBS broadcast, starred Kelli O’Hara as Nellie. (Laura Osnes assumed the role during O’Hara’s seven-month pregnancy leave.)

Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette
Photo by Ari Mintz
Hayley Goldstein: I'm incredibly fond of Daniel Radcliffe's turn in How To Succeed. He did a fantastic job as Finch, and the revival as a whole was marvelous fun and well performed by everyone.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, based on the Shepherd Mead novel of the same title, opened on Broadway in 1961 at the 46th Street Theatre, winning seven Tony Awards. The show has been revived in 1995, starring Matthew Broderick, and in 2011. The 2011 revival starred several big-name celebrities, including Daniel Radcliffe, who was later succeeded by Darren Criss and Nick Jonas.

Laura Benanti
Dan Lucio: I think I have to go with the 2002 Revival of Into the Woods, Vanessa Williams, Laura Benanti and the rest of the cast all really did fabulous jobs and I've never gotten tired of the Cast Recording.

Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods opened on Broadway in 1987 at the Martin Beck Theatre, starring Bernadette Peters and Joanna Gleeson, among others. The musical won three Tony Awards, including Best Score, Best Book and Best Actress. Disney will produce a film adaptation of the musical, set to premiere in 2014, starring Meryl Streep as the Witch and Anna Kendrick as Cinderella. The 2002 revival featured Vanessa Williams, Tony winner Laura Benanti and more.

 
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