Top Ten Favourite Actors and Actresses
| 1. Colm Wilkinson Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera |
1. Marin Mazzie Ragtime, Kiss Me Kate, Passion |
| 2. Terrence Mann Cats, Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Assassins, The Rocky Horror Show |
2. Marla Schaffel Titanic, Jane Eyre |
| 3. Anthony Crivello Kiss of the Spider Woman, Les Miserables, Jane Eyre, Marie Christine |
3. Rebecca Luker Showboat, The Secret Garden, The Sound of Music, The Music Man |
| 4. Rex Smith Sunset Boulevard, The Scarlet Pimpernel |
4. Emily Skinner Side Show, The Full Monty |
| 5. Brent Carver Kiss of the Spider Woman, Parade, Fiddler on the Roof |
5. Alice Ripley Side Show, The Dead, Rocky Horror Show |
| 6. Brian Stokes Mitchell Ragtime, Kiss Me Kate, Kiss of the Spider Woman |
6. Susan Gilmour Les Miserables, Man of La Mancha |
| 7. Chuck Wagner Beauty and the Beast, Jekyll and Hyde, Kiss Me Kate, Into the Woods |
7. Regan Thiel Les Miserables |
| 8. Michael Ball Les Miserables, Aspects of Love |
8. Judy Kuhn Les Miserables, Sunset Boulevard |
| 9. Douglas Sills The Scarlet Pimpernel |
9. Carolee Carmello Parade, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Kiss Me Kate |
| 10. Boyd Gaines She Loves Me, Company, Contact |
10. Audra McDonald Ragtime, Marie Christine, Carousel, Master Class |
Top Ten Productions
| 1. Les Miserables - Toronto, August and December, 1998 This production still ranks as my all time absolute favourite evening of theatre. Besides the obvious thrill of seeing Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, the entire cast was top-notch, the score as beautiful as ever and the entire production first rate. I can't count the number of times I was moved to tears during this production. |
| 2. Fiddler on the Roof - Stratford, June and November, 2000 Fiddler has always been one of my favourite shows and scores, but this production will forever now be the one against which all others are ranked. Brent Carver's performance as Tevye was flawless, and he was matched by the rest of the cast, who all performed beautifully. The whole look of the production was wonderful, made even more so by the fact that I had seen another production in the *same* theatre that afternoon, and a completely different set, including a *turntable* appeared in the two hours I was gone to dinner! |
| 3. Cats - Toronto, late 1980s Cats is listed as number 3 on my list, mostly because it was my first exposure to *big* musical theatre. Although it no longer ranks as one of my favourite shows, as a child I was absolutely enthralled by the entire production, and it sparked what will obviously be a life-long love of the theatre. |
| 4. Titanic - New York City, February, 1999 Titanic was an obsession of mine long before I saw the show, and so seeing it in NYC was a dream come true. We rushed and sat in the front row, and I've never felt such a part of a production before or since. I felt like I could reach out and touch these people, and they were no longer actors to me, but they became the characters. Titanic remains one of my favourite scores, and seeing it live ranks very high on my *wow* list. |
| 5. Phantom of the Opera - Toronto, various times between late 1980s and late 1990s Cats was my first introduction to theatre, but Phantom was the first show I saw after I knew that this was going to be a big part of my life. It was also my first introduction to the gloriousness of Colm Wilkinson. Like Cats, Phantom has since slipped on my list of favourite shows, but at the time I thought there was nothing like it. The score, the spectacle, that awesome chandelier ... for a long time I thought it would never be topped. |
| 6. Beauty and the Beast - Toronto, various performances in 1990s BatB was a show I waited a long time to see - I first heard snippets from it during the 1994 Tony awards, bought the CD, and then spent a year in Europe listening to it. :-) When I finally did get a chance to see a production I was very worried that this Chuck Wagner guy who I had never heard of would never live up to Terrence Mann of the recording, whom I adore. Ah, what fools these mortals be. Chuck was phenomenal (a new obsession was born), the entire production was a jewel, and "If I Can't Love Her" remains my all time favourite musical theatre song. |
| 7. Ragtime - New York City, May 1999, and Ottawa, June 2000 Ragtime is another of my favourite scores, and another show it took me a long time to actually get to see - there were years between my first hearing of the cast recording and my first viewing of the show. I was actually surprised by how much I was moved by the show in the theatre, but I walked out with my heart soaring. Plus, Ragtime is the only big show I've seen where I actually have stood on the stage and touched the props, so that's cool too. :-) |
| 8. Parade - New York City, February, 1999 Parade was a rarity for me - I went into it not knowing the score or the plot or even the main characters' names. All I knew was that Brent Carver was in it, and I had been waiting a long time to see him perform live. And I think because I *wasn't* familiar with the show, I enjoyed it that much more. The score is beautiful, and I loved the staging. Brent was wonderful, as expected, and the rest of the cast was amazing as well. A real treat and an unexpected treasure in the middle of my first trip to New York City. |
| 9.Sunset Boulevard - Toronto, mid 1990s Sunset was my first introduction to the wonderful Rex Smith, and for that reason alone it ranks in my top ten. But it is also my favourite Andrew Lloyd Webber show and score, and I was fortunate to see it in all its over-produced splendour, complete with staircase and car chase. |
| 10. The Scarlet Pimpernel - New York City, February and May, 1999 Quite simply the most fun I've ever had in the theatre. Period. |
Top Ten Individual Performances
| 1. Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, Les Miserables |
| 2. Brent Carver as Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof |
| 3. Colm Wilkinson as the Phantom, Phantom of the Opera |
| 4. Brent Carver as Leo Frank, Parade |
| 5. Douglas Sills as Percy, The Scarlet Pimpernel |
| 6. Rex Smith as Joe Gillis, Sunset Boulevard |
| 7. Marla Schaffel as Caroline Neville, Titanic |
| 8. Chuck Wagner as the Beast, Beauty and the Beast |
| 9. Carolee Carmello as Lucille Frank, Parade |
| 10. Mo Bock as Cervantes/Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha |
