My Top Five Favorite Broadway Women

Ok, you've heard me talk about my favorite men of Broadway, so now it's time to talk about the ladies. These are my favorite women of Broadway, the ones who make me feel totally inadequate with my singing, yet keep me listening with my mouth gaping, wondering how in the world they can sing like that. But these aren't just women with great pipes; they have all been nominated for and/or received major theatre awards. My friends say I'm a much harsher critic of my fellow females, so let's see who made the cut, shall we? So without further ado...

If I could capture one person's sound, a la Ursula in The Little Mermaid, then I would come after Linda Eder. Linda's voice has an amazing range, a very unique sound, and a rich fullness to it, and a little something that we musicians who sing low notes call "soul." Linda can belt out the low notes with power and soul, and then she soars lightly up to the high notes with a versatility that you wouldn't expect out of someone so soulful.

Linda's story is pretty amazing. She was on Star Search in the 80's and had the longest winning streak they had had to date. Through that experience, she met composer Frank Wildhorn, who she married. He began to write music, and she sang in Jekyll and Hyde in London and on Broadway, earning her critical acclaim. She also made several solo albums (my personal favorite being Broadway My Way; it's very sing-along-able). While she hasn't appeared in any other plays, she has had two Broadway special concerts. She also sang on demo recordings that Wildhorn made for his other plays. Until they separated and divorced, it seemed like Linda had a perfect life. I still think she's got a phenomenal story and an absolutely amazing voice.

Idina Menzel has gained popularity recently. She appeared in the film adaptation of RENT, then the Disney film Enchanted. She won the Tony Award for her performance in Wicked, then went on to recreate the role for the London stage. She has put out new solo recordings as well (she even sang a song on the Beowulf soundtrack). Most recently, she played the role of Florence in a concert version of Chess in London, which will be available on DVD later in the year (oh yes, I love me some Chess; thank you Idina!). She's been a busy girl, and it has paid off.

Of course, these aren't all Idina's credits. She also appeared in Aida, The Wild Party, Hair, and a concert performance of Funny Girl. You can hear Idina's lovely voice on her three solo albums, or the soundtracks of her stage perforances: either recording of RENT, Wicked, The Wild Party, and See What I Wanna See.

Idina has a very unique voice and a distinct techinque. Her voice is very powerful and very soulful, giving her the ability to play the diva as Maureen or the victimized witch as Elphaba. She also has a very impressive range and versatility. Read my review of Wicked for some examples!

It's difficult to begin with someone as talented and as successful as Kristin Chenoweth. Perhaps you caught her performance of "That's How You Know" from Enchanted at the Oscars this year? Maybe you've been charmed by her antics on TV's Pushing Daisies, or moved by her more dramatic role on The West Wing. You spotted her in the movie Bewitched? Or perhaps you fell in love with her onstage in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown or Wicked. Maybe it's all of the above.

Kristin has a gorgeous operatic soprano voice, and it has won her critical acclaim and a very loyal fan-base. She is one of only three musical theatre singers that has had a concert at The Metropolitan Opera. She has a very unique sounding voice that is difficult to describe, but it is one that will leave a distinct impression on its audience.

Kristin received a Tony Award for portraying Sally in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, and she was nominated for another for her performance as Glinda in Wicked (but lost to Idina Menzel). She has been nominated and has received many other theatre awards.

There's so much I could say about her, but I'd rather let her sing for herself.

Now, I know I said that if I had Ursula's magic voice-stealing shell, I'd steal Linda Eder's voice...but depending on what music I've been listening to, about half the time I'd rather steal Sherie René Scott's voice. Which is really ironic, as she originated the role of Ursula onstage!

Sherie has a very clean sound, very refined, very effortless, but still very powerful. She has the kind of range and versatility where she could sing just about any note and it would sound good. Her voice is very soulful, which is why I imagine she pulls off roles like Cathy in The Last Five Years and Amneris in Aida so well- it gives her a certain vulnerability that is very easily accessible and very sympathetic. This does not negate her power- she played Maureen in RENT and Ursula in The Little Mermaid after all; don't let the soft sweet stuff fool you.

She has appeared in many Broadway productions, including a solo show about her own life called You May Now Worship Me. She has been in such popular shows as The Who's Tommy, Grease, RENT, Aida, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and The Little Mermaid. Off-Broadway, she has appeared in Debbie Does Dallas: the Musical (as Debbie), The Last Five Years, Bright Lights, Big City, and more.

I have a soft spot for Sherie René Scott. She's the only one on my list who I've actually seen perform live. I saw her in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and she saved me from utter heartache that night (the two male leads were both depressingly absent). I had already fallen in love with her voice- The Last Five Years is one of my favorite albums to listen to, and Aida lives in my car stereo, and I've been known to listen to Bright Lights, Big City in certain moody moods. But I was completely blown away by her stage presence. I can see why she complements Norbert Leo Butz so well on stage. He is very obviously charismatic, while she is subtly charming. Having said that, once she began to sing, I was floored by her performance. I was in the second mezzanine and I felt as if she was standing two feet in front of me- that's how powerful her voice is (trust me, that auditorium wasn't so kind to NLB's understudy, poor fellow). And she's so funny! Not in the obvious, knee-slapping sort of way, but in a very natural, more intellectual sort of way. I'd love to meet her; I daresay it would be one of the most interesting brief meetings of my life.

Patti LuPone is one of the Broadway diva's of our time. She originated and recreated some very important and influential roles in musical theatre, both in London and on Broadway. Since there are waaaay too many credits to list them all here, here are my favorites.

• Eva Peron in Evita- Yes, Patti was the original Broadway Eva, for which she won the Tony award. Her performance was phenomenal- if you haven't seen any video of her Eva, you can still feel the power on the recording. I love Evita very much, and I love listening to Patti belt out "Buenos Aires" and disdainfully declare "screw the middle classes!"
• Fantine in Les Misérables- She created the role for the original production of Les Mis. Now, if you've read my other hubs, you know that I LOVE Les Mis dearly. So you can imagine just how much I adore Patti for this. I can never decide whether I would rather play Eponine or Fantine if I were to be in the show, but Patti definitely makes a strong case for Fantine. She milks the sadness out of "I Dreamed A Dream."
• Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard- Ok, Andrew Lloyd Webber is my first musical composer love, but I'll admit that I never got too into Sunset Boulevard...until I heard some of these songs. "As If We Never Said Goodbye" and "With One Look" move me to tears every bloody time. And then, when I got a little older and very interested in film, I saw the film Sunset Boulevard...WOW. I have a huge appreciation for Patti for recreating such an iconic and powerful role (but I have to admit, it sounds like a LOT of fun). Let's just say hearing Patti say "I'm ready for my close-up" gives me the chills.
• Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd- Now, before I have Angela Lansbury fans coming after me with their rolling pins, I will point out that Patti did not originate this role. Mrs. Lansbury did, and she did it superbly (really, I mean it, I have that recording). Patti, both in her performance as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd in Concert with George Hearn and again onstage in the 2005 revival with Michael Cerveris, Patti added so much to the role. For those of you who have only seen the movie, PLEASE watch the clip below of Patti singing "A Little Priest." She adds the appropriate personality and humor to the role that was utterly lacking from Helena Bonham Carter's performance, as well as her unique voice belting out Sondheim in a way Hollywood people just can't.

Because I've never been able to just pick five, here's my close (and I mean CLOSE) runners-up and my favorite things they've done.

• Carolee Carmello- I adore listening to her strong, belty voice. And she managed to earn a Tony nomination for her performance in the brief and unappreciated Lestat. I love her in Parade, and she's one of the better things about the London version of Jekyll and Hyde.
• Sutton Foster- I love her to death, and I can't get over the fact that she's been so successful while she's still so young! She earned critical acclaim for Thoroughly Modern Millie, Little Women, and The Drowsy Chaperone in rapid succession. Although my personal favorite thing is still the benefit concert of Chess- she played Svetlana. She also has a recurring role on the HBO series The Flight of the Conchords, where she's very cute.
• Rebecca Luker- Another person I would gladly give my right arm to sound like. She played Christine in The Phantom of the Opera opposite Steve Barton (hub to come on my love of Steve!), as well as playing in (among many other things) Showboat, The Secret Garden, Mary Poppins, and The Sound of Music. She's one of those sopranos who give sopranos a good name, plus she's from my home state of Alabama.
• Ruthie Henshall- Ok, another Fantine. She played Fantine in the 10th Anniversary Concert of Les Mis, and she was fantastic. I later came to love and respect her even more for her performance in the Sondheim review Putting It Together. She was utterly charming, graceful, humorous, yet deeply moving. Her duet with John Barrowman "Unworthy of Your Love" is currently my ringtone, if that tells you anything.