(Clicking on a name bolded in blue will take readers to that actor or show's entry in the Playbill Vault.)
Janet McTeer in A Doll's House.
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"In July of 2000 I sat outside of the Belasco Theater with my eyes welled up with tears. My friend Da'Mon Vann met me and asked what was wrong. I said, 'That everything was more than all right.' I was so moved by Janet McTeer's delicate and brave performance. I said in that moment that I wanted to move to New York and I want to do work on that blessed stage. My Broadway debut was in Passing Strange on that very same stage eight years later." |
Anika Noni Rose in Caroline, or Change.
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"Not only is she my best friend but such a gifted spirit. That rich voice coming out of young, spirited Emmie Thibodeoux raptured everyone who witnessed." |
Tonya Pinkins in Caroline, or Change.
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"Never has my body trembled as it had when Tonya stood at the foot of the stage and ripped a hole in the heart of 'Lot's Wife.' The combination of Tony Kushner, Jeanine Tesori, George C. Wolfe and Tonya's sheer raw vitality let those words...'scour my skin til I stop feeling' shatter the hearts of Broadway." |
Nicole Ari Parker in A Streetcar Named Desire.
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"From her first entrance, I knew her story. Her past and her present. Exquisite performance. In my mind, a legendary performance. She is cut from the cloth of Uta Hagen, Helen Hayes, Lynne Fontanne and Maggie Smith." |
Linda Lavin in The Lyons.
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"How can a mother with such an ascerbic tongue and nasty wit enthrall me more? She is truly a master of language and ferocity while always allowing the characters' vulnerability to shine through." |
The original cast of Chicago.
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"Now, I was too young to have actually have seen this, but I have YouTubed every scene I could of the original production with Gwen Verdon, my friend Chita Rivera, Jerry, under Bob Fosse's direction. I love how raw and gritty it all is. It is the underbelly of society, and they all looked like they were having a deliciously raucous time." |
Sutton Foster in The Drowsy Chaperone.
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"I'm a sucker for Sutton. She really is the consummate Broadway Musical Theatre Queen. 'Nuff said." |
Phylicia Rashad in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
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"Pretty much anything that Ms. Rashad does is with so much grace and detail. Her Big Mama was an inspiration." |
Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice.
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"I wanted him to get his 'pound of flesh.' He truly made Shylock seem beyond reasonable and justified to me. Brilliant." |
Daniel Breaker in Passing Strange.
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"Not only did I share the stage with this man, but I got to watch his skill every night from offstage. Daniel has so much heart and passion, not to mention he makes a mean meal. His electrifying performance dazzled me." |
