Broadway is unique. In most venues, TV, movies, radio, etc., we never really get to see our favorite celebrities up close and personal. But Broadway is different. Depending on how much money you dished out for tickets, you may end up just a few feet away from your favorite Broadway star. This is something that can't be equaled by any other medium of entertainment, excluding of course sports events. But to get a courtside seat to a Knicks game is going to cost you thousands of dollars. Few real people can afford that.
In the meantime, Broadway has certainly given us our share of popular stars. One needs to look no farther than Julie Andrews who originated the role of Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady." Many people felt it was strange that she wasn't picked to do the movie version, especially since Audrey Hepburn couldn't even sing and had to have her vocals dubbed in. Certainly one of the strangest casting jobs in all of movie history.
If you're looking for a more recent example, there is always Michael Crawford who originated the role of "The Phantom Of The Opera" in the early 80s. Crawford's portrayal was so incredible that he was actually named a living legend because of it. Nobody has since sung "Music Of The Night" like Crawford, a song that has been literally linked with him for all eternity.
If you need an even more recent example of two people who will forever be linked with a show, you need look no farther than Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel who portrayed the good witch and the wicked witch respectively in the Broadway production of "Wicked." When it came time to hand out the Tony Awards for that year it was literally a toss up as to who was going to win between the two of them. Menzel ultimately ended up winning. It was said that these two were so perfect for their roles that there may never be anyone who comes close to pulling off a performance as great as the ones these two gave us.
And then of course there are the Broadway stars that transcend Broadway and grace just about every corner of stage and screen. There is no better example of this than Hugh Jackman who was simply brilliant in "The Boy From Oz" and "Oklahoma." Many of us also know him as Wolverine in the "X-Men" series of movies. Jackman is probably one of the most popular performers on stage today.
The list, of course goes on and on. There's currently Sara Ramirez and Christopher Sieber of "Spamalot," a Monty Python goof that is probably one of the funniest plays to come out in a very long time that mixes comedy with some of the best, and most hysterical, music around. Just one listen to "The Song That Goes Like This" is all you need to realize that Ramirez and Sieber are pure comic and musical geniuses.
And just think of it. These are people who you can actually see live.
It doesn't get any better than that.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Celebrities