Peters & LuPone in Wicked, Plus 9 Other Fantasy Casting Diva Performances We'd Love to Have Seen!

Let's face it: Musical theatre fans are a devoted bunch, who often travel the world to catch the latest Rose, Norma Desmond, Elphaba and other iconic theatrical characters. And, sometimes, these same theatre folk like to imagine who might have been cast in a specific musical had the show come along in a different era. In honor of these musical theatre devotees, Playbill.com offers Fantasy Picks.

(Clicking on a name bolded in blue will take readers to that actor or show's entry in the Playbill Vault.)

Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone in Wicked


	Had the international megahit Wicked been produced in the late 70s, we would love to imagine that two-time Tony winners Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone would have shared the stage as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively. We can almost hear Peters asking, "It's good to see me, isn't it?" or belting out "Popular," and the thought of LuPone literally soaring with "Defying Gravity" is equally thrilling.

Ethel Merman and Barbara Cook in Wicked


	Going back a few decades more, how glorious would Barbara Cook have sounded delivering the stratospheric soprano portions of Stephen Schwartz's score? And, the musical theatre dynamo that was Ethel Merman would surely have been the funniest Elphaba around, and New Yorkers would have undoubtedly heard her rendition of "Defying Gravity" all the way down to Battery Park.

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	That Judy Garland never had the chance to star in a Broadway musical is one of the great losses for musical theatre fans. And, what better role to showcase the irrepressible Garland than the irrepressible Auntie Mame in Jerry Herman's Tony-winning musical Mame? We can't decide which would have been more exciting — hearing Garland's throbbing tones exclaiming "It's Today" or that exquisite voice bringing a wealth of emotion to "If He Walked into My Life."


	Just where was Tony winner and Olivier nominee Betty Buckley when the powers that be were looking for someone to succeed Patti LuPone in the original production of Evita? That Buckley never got the chance to play the role of the Argentine actress who rose to become First Lady of her country is one of the major disappointments for fans of notoriously high belters. One can hardly imagine just how amazing Buckley would've sounded belting the high portions of Andrew Lloyd Webber's score ("he supports you, for he loves you, understands you, is one of you"), and we're sure her "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" would have been breathtaking.


	Carol Channing is one of the more unique artists to have emerged in musical theatre history, which may be why she stepped into the role of Dolly Gallagher Levi as often as she did, since there were too few parts to suit her inimitable talents. Had The Drowsy Chaperone come along a few decades earlier, we think Channing, who is blessed with superb comic timing, would have been a real hoot in the title role of the boozy actress/chaperone, and what a delight she would have been singing "As We Stumble Along."


	Most of our favorites actually had the chance to play the ill-fated Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical take on Billy Wilder's classic film, but had the musical come along in the 80s, we would have loved to have seen triple-threat Liza Minnelli tackle the role of the former silent-screen star. With her large eyes and expressive features, Minnelli would have been a natural for the demands of the silent screen, and we would have loved to have heard how she would've brought "With One Look" and "As If We Never Said Goodbye" to full, exciting life. And, can't you just picture Minnelli in full Desmond drag insisting, "And, now, Mr. DeMille, I am ready for my close-up!"