James Monroe Iglehart won a Tony Award for his performance as the Genie in the hit Disney musical Aladdin and now does double duty at Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in Broadway’s smash hit Hamilton. But here the stage great looks back on his favorite performances he saw from the audience.
Brian Stokes Mitchell in Ragtime
Ragtime was my first Broadway show. I was on tour with Show Boat at the time. I got the CD, and it blew me away. His voice was mesmerizing.
That show changed my life completely. I love solo shows and never forgot the performance. I have never seen someone change characters so smoothly and so quickly. Whoopi changed my life.
Andre De Shields in The Full Monty
I loved the movie and did not know much about the Broadway show. He was in his late 50s, and Andre’s energy was crazy. His performance blew me away. I want to be just like Andre.
James Earl Jones in Driving Miss Daisy
Why? For one reason and one reason only: It is James Earl Jones. The minute he spoke, I lost it..
The entire ensemble of In The Heights
This was the first time I got to watch my friends in a hit Broadway show. I heard everyone stating that the ensemble was amazing in the show, and all I thought was, "Those are my friends!"
Chazz Palminteri in A Bronx Tale
I was so enthralled and captivated with Chazz when he took the stage. This is one show I will never forget.
Christian Borle in Peter and the Starcatcher
One of the most innovative shows I have ever seen. When it comes to skills, no one is as good as Christian. He is a beast on stage.
Norm Lewis in Phantom of the Opera
Phantom was a show I saw as a teenager. I saw it four different times. I wanted to be the Phantom. But then I saw Norm Lewis do it, and he did it so well, I did not want to be the Phantom anymore.
Angela Lansbury, George Hearn and the 1982 national touring company of Sweeney Todd (as captured on video)
I loved everything about this show! The music, the story, the cast was just magnificent! It's my favorite show for real!
Addendum…
This really is not fair. This list should be a top 100 list, as I also need to include The Wiz, Little Shop of Horrors and so many more.