THEIR FAVORITE THINGS: Falling and Wicked Star Julia Murney Shares Her Theatregoing Experiences

(Clicking on a name bolded in blue will take readers to that actor or show's entry in the Playbill Vault.)

August: Osage County.


	"When Amy Morton let rip with 'I am running things noooow!' at the end of the act, all of us in the audience went crazy, and my friend turned to me and said, 'That's like the straight play equivalent of a green girl going up on a cherry picker.' 'Nuff said."

Dreamgirls.


	"I got to see the original cast and besides experiencing those thunderous performances, it was the first time I actually understood that someone (namely Michael Bennett) was behind everything that I was seeing — the transitions alone were worth the price of admission. My friends from summer camp and I used to second act every chance we got, back when such a thing was possible."

Patrick Stewart's one-man Christmas Carol.


	"I saw it on a New Year's Day eve, when I was as tired as tired could be, and watching him do his jam was the only thing that could have kept me awake. He is magical."

In the Heights Off-Broadway.


	"When I saw it Off-Broadway, I was completely transported — by the energy, how different it felt — and that choreography made me wish I could rush the stage and be a part of their joy. Then it transferred to Broadway and was somehow even better...muy muy bien."

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess.


	"I had never seen the show, so I don't know what was missing in terms of material — and I didn't care...all I know is the chance to see Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis, Phillip Boykin and that cast embody those characters with such ferocity was my great honor to observe."

Noises Off.


	"I saw the original cast with my dad, and he actually fell out of his chair laughing. Not much better than that."

1776.


	"The Roundabout revival: all those juicy men singing together (what a fabulous sound) and finding myself wondering at the end if they were going to sign that constitution. When the end is a foregone conclusion and you still wonder how it will end, that's a great show."

Our Town.


	"Okay, it's Off-Broadway but I have to include it — I helped my friend Jason Butler Harner run lines before he went in as the Stage Manager, and I recall saying to him, 'It's really a lovely play, isn't it?' And then I saw the production, and it totally gobsmacked me. It was absolutely like seeing it for the first time. And JBH kicked ass."

Ragtime .


	"The opening sequence of the original production. Unparelleled. Me sitting front row mezz at the Ford's Theatre (as it was called then). Dizzy with amazement."

Les Liaisons Dangereuses.


	"He opened his mouth to speak and I was done. Alan Rickman. Alan Rickman. My God, Alan Rickman."

Sunday in the Park With George.


	"My mom and I went to TKTS one day and got a pair of tickets not knowing much about what we were seeing. It wasn't until I got the cassette recording (yep, dating myself) and learned the score that I really understood how magnificent it is. But what I will never forget is when I saw the original production, at the end, as they sing 'forever,' the characters all curtsy and bow to George, and I realized I was crying and wasn't even sure why. I was too young at the moment to know that it was the moment I realized I wanted to be an artist."