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[Jazz music]
--A major highlight of any new Broadway season is meeting the performers who are
making their bow on the biggest stage in the world. Whether fresh on the scene or
finally making the leap to the Great White Way, here are our top picks for
best debuts of the year. --Number five is Ari'el Stachel's
performance as Egyptian musician Haled in The Band's Visit. Stachel
exudes charisma as he flirtatiously tries to pick up women by asking them
about jazz great Chet Baker, or offers coolly confident advice to a shy Israeli
on how to talk to women. There's an ease and soulfulness tattles debut that's
memorable. --Eva Noblezada's performance as Kim
in the striking new staging of the mega musical Miss Saigon is so stunning and
sophisticated that it's easy to forget she had just turned 21 when the show
opened on Broadway this year. And only seventeen when she was first cast in the
revival's original London bow. Her fresh take on the well-worn role left us
excited to see what's next for this rising star.
--Back in 1989, Miss Saigon
made its world premiere in London with a young man called John John Brionness in
the ensemble. 28 years later, he would make his Broadway debut in the lead role
of the Engineer and made it his own. For a new generation,
his resourceful, despicable ***, will be a performance they remember for a
lifetime.
--Playing one small girl who sent on a journey by the gods, Hailey
Kilgore's performance as Ti Moune in Once on this Island is truly something
special. Kilgore, an 18-year old Oregon native was a student at the American
Musical and Dramatic Academy when she auditioned to play the peasant girl at
the beating heart of the beloved musical. And who knows how high her standout
talent will take her? Kilgore's Broadway debut is a blessing and has transformed
her into a star.
--Our number one pick is Ethan Slater's delightful debut as the
title character in Spongebob Squarepants. Slater slays with his high energy
performance as a simple sponge with an upbeat outlook. He manages to evoke the
beloved cartoon without mimicry and displays a deft physicality that looks
effortless. And he can seriously sing. Slater's the real deal in our pick for
the top debut of 2017. We look forward to all the newbies taking
stage in 2018.