As if the promise of a Broadway performance wasn’t enough, many of these shows often boast a star-studded lineup – and this year is no different. From Broadway legends to Emmy Award winners, chart-topping musicians and stars of the big screen, this year’s bill is bursting with celebrities.
So, if you want to know which stars will be gracing the stage in 2023, you’ve come to the right place. In the guide below, we’ve compiled a list of seven of the biggest celebs you should check out before it’s too late.
So don’t wait! Get your tickets right now to see these incredible performers.
1. Ben Platt
Ben Platt is not new to the stage, in fact, he was bitten by the theatre bug very early on in life and landed his first role in The Music Man at the tender age of nine. After several years in education studying the performing arts, he landed his big break, playing Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon.
After the tour ended, he attended Columbia University in New York and even became a member of the campus a cappella group. This paved the way for his breakthrough film role as Benji Applebaum in Pitch Perfect, which was released in 2012.
After that, he had a handful of on-screen appearances, before returning to the stage to star in Dear Evan Hansen, the show that won him his Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
This year, you can catch Ben in Parade on Broadway, a musical dramatisation of the real-life trial, imprisonment and lynching of Jewish factory manager Leo Frank.
2. Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe is best known for his lead role in the Harry Potter franchise, though he has appeared in several movies since the final instalment in 2011. His post-Potter career included movies like The Woman in Black, Victor Frankenstein, Now You See Me 2 and The Lost City.
He made his stage debut way back in 2002 when he appeared as a guest in The Play What I Wrote, but he has since established his stage career on both sides of the pond. His first full-time theatre role was Alan Strang in the West End revival of Equus in 2007, he made his Broadway debut a year later with the same show.
Now he’s back on Broadway, this time appearing in Merrily We Roll Along, a musical that follows three old friends through their lives, spanning an impressive 20 years.
3. Lea Michele
No stranger to the stage, Lea Michele started her Broadway career early, playing Young Cosette in Les Misérables at the age of eight. In 2004, then aged 18 and having spent years in stage school, she returned to the stage for a revival of Fiddler on the Roof.
Her professional training, coupled with her acting experience paved the way for her signature role as Rachel Berry in the TV series, Glee. She received Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations for this character and the show was a complete success.
Michele even went on to release three studio albums, before returning to Broadway in 2022 as Fanny Brice in the Funny Girl revival. You have the pleasure of seeing her play Brice until September 2023, so don’t miss out! Book your tickets right away.
4. Gaten Matarazzo
Gaten Matarazzo is another star who made his Broadway debut very young at the age of nine when he played Benjamin in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. He later secured roles in Godspell and Les Misérables.
However, you’re more likely to know him as Dustin Henderson, the character he played in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. The series was met with huge critical acclaim and mainstream success.
Despite this, it wasn’t long before Gaten returned to the stage and this year you can see him playing Tobias in the revival of Sweeney Todd.
5. Jodie Comer
Early in her career, English actress Jodie Comer landed multiple roles on British TV, including appearances in Law & Order, Waterloo Road and My Mad Fat Diary. But her breakout role came in 2018 when she starred as Villanelle in the BBC thriller Killing Eve. It was this role that secured her an Emmy and a British Academy Television Award (BAFTA).
She didn’t stop there, in 2021 she starred alongside heartthrob Ryan Reynolds in the film Free Guy and in the same year, she was in the Channel 4 drama Help. This won her another BAFTA.
In 2023, you can catch Comer in the one-woman play, Prima Facie which sold out in the West End, before being confirmed for Broadway. The story follows barrister Tessa who is sexually assaulted leading her to question the entire legal system and her role in it.
6. Josh Groban
Josh Groban is a Grammy award-nominated singer and actor whose career in musical theatre began as a young child. In 2001 he released his debut album and since then, he has gone on to produce 13 live and studio albums. Of those, four have been certified as multi-platinum.
His Broadway debut was in 2016 when he played Pierre in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, a role he played until the show closed in 2017. Now, in 2023 he has returned to the stage after being cast in Sweeney Todd.
Groban plays the lead, Sweeney Todd, alongside Annaleigh Ashford and the aforementioned Gaten Matarazzo.
7. Laura Linney
Finally, with an array of Broadway and movie achievements under her belt, Laura Linney certainly has had an impressive career. She has had several Oscar nominations and has starred in movies such as You Can Count On Me, Kinsey and The Savages.
But her impressive resume doesn’t stop at movies, she has also had several TV appearances, resulting in four Emmy Award wins. She appeared in Wild Iris and The Big C to name just a few, but most recently, she starred as Wendy Byrde in Netflix’s smash hit show, Ozark.
Her Broadway debut was in 1990 playing Vivian Beaumont in Six Degrees of Separation. Since then, she’s performed in The Seagull, Holiday, Honour and The Crucible which earned Linney her first Tony Award nomination.
This year, she’s back in a new Broadway play Summer, 1976, where she’ll star alongside Jessica Hecht.