Standing Ovation

Montego Glover's Favorite Performances

Montego Glover discusses Mark Rylance in "Jerusalem," Phylicia Rashad in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," and Cherry Jones in "Doubt."

Tony Sheldon on Judy Garland in 'A Star Is Born,' Colin Bates in 'Billy Elliot'

Judy Garland in "A Star Is Born" never fails to exhilarate me and leave me shattered at the end of the film. It seems to be the pinnacle of her career and shows absolutely every facet of her talent.

Leslie Jordan on Christina Pickles and Cynthia Harris in 'Cloud Nine'

It was a rainy Wednesday and I decided to check out a matinee of "Cloud Nine," a play described as "a cautionary expedition into the cuckooland of sexual role-playing." My life was forever changed by that play.

Ashok Amritraj on Sidney Poitier in 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'

You can't talk about Sidney Poitier's performance in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"—really, you can't talk about Sidney's entire career—without acknowledging the major historical significance of his presence in movies.

Chris Game on John Cazale in 'Dog Day Afternoon'

As Fredo, Cazale almost shrinks himself. The lips are thin, the mustache is thin, the clothes are too big. He embodies that chair like a praying mantis on his back, flailing on the ice, then collapses in exhaustion.

Richard Maltby Jr. on Zoe Caldwell in 'The Way of the World'

Zoe Caldwell, I never met you, but you changed my life. And isn't that what theater is all about, changing the lives of people you'll never meet?

Jane Anderson on Vanessa Redgrave in 'If These Walls Could Talk 2'

Vanessa Redgrave. Her work is metaphysical. I swear to God, when she drops into character, her molecules get rearranged.

JoBeth Williams on Robert Duvall in 'Tender Mercies'

Robert Duvall's performance as Mac Sledge in "Tender Mercies" took my breath away and embodied what I consider the ultimate goal of an actor: to simply live in the skin of the character.

Austin Pendleton on Uta Hagen in 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'

The most exciting evening I've had in the theater was a preview of the original production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and the most exciting aspect of that glorious production was Uta Hagen's as Martha.

William Esper on Alfred Lunt in 'The Visit'

Lunt filled his performance with the genuine inner agony that gave birth to his performance. I understood that in acting, no matter how vivid the external form, if it lacks inner content, it ultimately leads to an empty experience.