Phumzile Sojola, who plays Lord Pinkleton in the Broadway debut of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, fills out Playbill.com's questionnaire of random facts, backstage trivia and pop-culture tidbits.

Phumzile Sojola, who plays Lord Pinkleton in the Broadway debut of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, fills out Playbill.com's questionnaire of random facts, backstage trivia and pop-culture tidbits.

The editors of Playbill.com have combed through the past seven years of our popular Cue & A feature to select some of our favorite answers to the question, "What is the one performance that you attended that you will never forget?" Seventy responses from Broadway actors follow.

The editors of Playbill.com have combed through the past seven years of our popular Cue & A feature to select some of our favorite answers to the question, "What is the one performance that you attended that you will never forget?" Seventy responses from Broadway actors follow.

Betsy Wolfe, who plays Rosa Bud in Roundabout's revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, fills out Playbill.com's questionnaire of random facts, backstage trivia and pop-culture tidbits.

Betsy Wolfe, who plays Rosa Bud in Roundabout's revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, fills out Playbill.com's questionnaire of random facts, backstage trivia and pop-culture tidbits.

Tug Coker, making his Broadway debut as Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird, fills out Playbill.com's questionnaire with random facts, backstage trivia and pop-culture tidbits.

Tug Coker, making his Broadway debut as Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird, fills out Playbill.com's questionnaire with random facts, backstage trivia and pop-culture tidbits.

News, views and reviews about the multi-talented women of the musical theatre and the concert/cabaret stage.

News, views and reviews about the multi-talented women of the musical theatre and the concert/cabaret stage.

News, views and reviews about the multi-talented women of the musical theatre and the concert/cabaret stage.

News, views and reviews about the multi-talented women of the musical theatre and the concert/cabaret stage.

As 2006 dawns following a year's worth of grim reports about deaths from war, natural disasters and terrorism, those of us who cling to the theatre as a life raft to help us navigate the stormy world can't help but think of those from our own community who left us in 2005.

There’s nothing quite like the sound of applause in Carnegie Hall, especially when the hall is standing-room-only and the performer is one of Broadway’s leading talents. It’s a sound that echoes throughout the room, filling the famed auditorium with a feeling of excitement that is unparalleled in any other venue. Such was the case this past Friday night when Patti LuPone made her eagerly-awaited Carnegie Hall solo concert debut. Before the evening began, two representatives from GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis) welcomed the audience and announced that the concert had raised a whopping $400,000 to benefit the organization. And, then, the truly magical evening began. Even the overture induced goose-bumps, as several of La LuPone’s “greatest hits” were woven together. This prelude commenced with strains of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” and “Meadowlark,” segueing into segments from “As Long As He Needs Me,” “Buenos Aires,” “Anything Goes” and then, just a quick, almost teasing touch of “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” before concluding with “Over the Rainbow,” a nod to another famed diva who triumphed at Carnegie Hall, the late Judy Garland. As this orchestral suite ended, the two doors on the left side of the stage opened, and out walked LuPone, dressed in a burst of purple silk. As the star of the benefit concert made her entrance, the audience jumped to its feet and serenaded the smiling diva with a rapturous, thunderclap of adoration.

There’s nothing quite like the sound of applause in Carnegie Hall, especially when the hall is standing-room-only and the performer is one of Broadway’s leading talents. It’s a sound that echoes throughout the room, filling the famed auditorium with a feeling of excitement that is unparalleled in any other venue. Such was the case this past Friday night when Patti LuPone made her eagerly-awaited Carnegie Hall solo concert debut. Before the evening began, two representatives from GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis) welcomed the audience and announced that the concert had raised a whopping $400,000 to benefit the organization. And, then, the truly magical evening began. Even the overture induced goose-bumps, as several of La LuPone’s “greatest hits” were woven together. This prelude commenced with strains of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” and “Meadowlark,” segueing into segments from “As Long As He Needs Me,” “Buenos Aires,” “Anything Goes” and then, just a quick, almost teasing touch of “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” before concluding with “Over the Rainbow,” a nod to another famed diva who triumphed at Carnegie Hall, the late Judy Garland. As this orchestral suite ended, the two doors on the left side of the stage opened, and out walked LuPone, dressed in a burst of purple silk. As the star of the benefit concert made her entrance, the audience jumped to its feet and serenaded the smiling diva with a rapturous, thunderclap of adoration.

LAURIE BEECHMAN
The theatre and cabaret worlds lost one of its most talented performers this past week when Laurie Beechman lost her decade-long battle with ovarian cancer. Beechman will probably be best remembered for her work in two of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, where she performed the role of the Narrator and received a Tony nomination for her work; and Cats, where she succeeded Betty Buckley in the role of Grizabella, the faded Glamour Cat. Beechman possessed a voice that seemed to originate from deep in her soul, evoking both the joys and pains of life. She had one of the strongest belt voices around, but she could also create delicate, softer sounds that moved listeners just as profoundly.

I had the good fortune to see Beechman perform live on a number of occasions, and the first time was actually one of my very first Broadway experiences, the Charles Strouse-Martin Charnin hit Annie. I believe I was nine or ten at the time, but I do remember this one woman who appeared as different characters throughout the show and had a great trumpet of a voice that she used during her solo in "N.Y.C." That woman was Laurie Beechman; years later, I read that the composers had actually beefed up her solo when they realized what a wonderfully powerful voice she had.

LAURIE BEECHMAN
The theatre and cabaret worlds lost one of its most talented performers this past week when Laurie Beechman lost her decade-long battle with ovarian cancer. Beechman will probably be best remembered for her work in two of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, where she performed the role of the Narrator and received a Tony nomination for her work; and Cats, where she succeeded Betty Buckley in the role of Grizabella, the faded Glamour Cat. Beechman possessed a voice that seemed to originate from deep in her soul, evoking both the joys and pains of life. She had one of the strongest belt voices around, but she could also create delicate, softer sounds that moved listeners just as profoundly.

I had the good fortune to see Beechman perform live on a number of occasions, and the first time was actually one of my very first Broadway experiences, the Charles Strouse-Martin Charnin hit Annie. I believe I was nine or ten at the time, but I do remember this one woman who appeared as different characters throughout the show and had a great trumpet of a voice that she used during her solo in "N.Y.C." That woman was Laurie Beechman; years later, I read that the composers had actually beefed up her solo when they realized what a wonderfully powerful voice she had.