* 

Ruth Gordon as Dolly Levi in The Matchmaker, 1956

Every time that red mouth opened you knew a great big lie was coming out.

Fredric March as Tyrone Sr. in Long Day's Journey Into Night, original production, 1956

Unscrewing a light bulb you saw in his eye the minginess of the man.

Ethel Merman, the original Rose in Gypsy, 1959

I was in a seat on the aisle as she came down shouting, "Sing out, Louise"; as she passed, all the hairs on my arm stood up. Merman embodied Rose's obtuseness.

Geraldine Page as the faded film star Alexandra Del Lago in Sweet Bird of Youth, 1959

Lying on her bed in her slinky gown, she turned her back to us as she talked on the telephone. The sight of that bare back, the vulnerability, was like an arrow to the heart.

Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst in Moon for the Misbegotten, 1973

The electricity between these two superlative performers was terrific. Their total enjoyment playing opposite each other was palpable.

Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn in The Gin Game, 1977

Two incomparable pros whose subtle interactions mesmerized me. They were only playing cards, but so much more was going on here: wars, life and death.

Geoffrey Rush as the King in Exit the King, 200

What an astonishing, sensational performance. I'll never forget his fantastic final descent.

Mark Rylance as the Bete in La Bete, 2010

That first lurch onto the stage talking a mile a minute while spewing food bits everywhere was enough to put me on the floor.