When thinking of New York City, one of the first things associated with it is live theater. Acting on a stage tends to be how many famous movie and TV stars get their beginnings and grow their love for acting, but not many of them get to go on the Broadway stage to perform in their careers. It would often be a rare occurrence to see the stars go from screen to stage, but now it tends to be a tactic used more often by Broadway theater companies to secure longer runtimes for their shows.
Today, if you were to go on Broadway, there are over 41 theaters with different music, musicals, plays and Broadway stars in each one of them. Some shows only have performances for a few months, and some run for years. Phantom of the Opera, the longest show in Broadway history, had its opening performance in 1988 and closed its curtains on April 16, 2023.
In the digital age, where fans can watch their favorite TV shows and movies online, the theater world offers the rare experience of witnessing stories in person. Over the years, theater companies have used different tactics to promote their shows with the power of television and movies. In 2007, “Legally Blonde: The Musical” did a TV special with MTV, drawing 12.5 million views and increasing ticket sales.
To increase ticket buyers, there have also been reality shows where they cast the next big leads on Broadway, yearly performances in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and even performances on America’s top news networks.
One tactic that tends to be the most popular for bringing in new fans is celebrity casting. When looking for someone new to fill in a role, directors sometimes decide to cast somebody that already has a large fan base attached to them. Casting someone’s favorite TV or movie star could bring a sense of familiarity to the show and excitement to see their favorite actor perform in person. As of February 2024, there are 15 different celebrity castings on Broadway.
These castings range from reality TV star Ariana Madix, currently starring in “Chicago,” to “The Summer I Turned Pretty” actress Lola Tung in “Hadestown,” two current and well-known stars with two different types of fan bases. Madix brings in a more middle-aged crowd, while Tung attracts a younger audience.
Theater fans can have a mixed reaction to these castings, feeling unsure about stars who may need to be trained for Broadway, as acting on TV and movies translates differently on the stage.
“I am not a huge fan of it unless they’re already trained in some sort of music because otherwise, celebrity casting like that takes away opportunities from other people trying to break out into the Broadway scene,” said Rebecca Jones, a junior mathematics major. “When Colleen Ballinger was in ‘Waitress,’ the girl could not separate her Broadway singing voice from the Miranda Sings voice, and it kills me every time I watch the videos.”
In some cases, celebrity casting goes well. Many TV or movie stars are classically trained in musical theater, which means when it comes to trading out the “theater pro” for the celebrity, it can go really well.
“Even though Sabrina [Carpenter] was only on ‘Mean Girls’ for a few days before it got shut down due to COVID, her run was absolutely amazing, and I feel as though that comes from background training that she had,” said Eliza Rainy, a senior theater and English major.
With all of these celebrity runs on Broadway bringing in new fans, these shows’ runs can be extended and can help more people grow a love and admiration for live theater performances.
