With Sting going into the Last Ship tonight, I'm trying to think of as many examples as I can of people who were one of the writers of a show (Book, Music or Lyrics, or any combination thereof), who also acted in that show. I've thought of these examples:
Sting - The Last Ship Lin-Manuel Miranda - In the Heights + Hamilton Tom Jones - The Fantasticks (1993 Japan Tour) John Cameron Mitchell - Hedwig Jeff Bowen & Hunter Bell - [title of show] + Now. Here. This Dave Malloy - Great Comet + Ghost Quartet Harvey Fierstein - several of his shows Jason Robert Brown - The Last Five Years (I think he did a concert production in 2006 with Julia Murney, right?)
Claude-Michel Schonberg played the role of Louis VI in "La Révolution française". He also played the role of Courfeyrac on the "concept album" (1980). But, I don't know if he played this role on stage.
Maybe I do not speak English as well as you, but I can perfectly pronounce the names of all characters of Les Misérables.
Kaufman and Hart both played Whiteside in different productions of The Man Who Came To Dinner. (Hart played him at Bucks County with Kaufman as the Noel Coward role and Harpo Marx in the Marx Bros role). Kaufman also starred in the Broadway run of "Once In A Lifetime", as seen in Act One.
Matinee idol Ivor Novello wrote and starred in many hit musicals in the West End.
George Grossmith, the original principal comedian of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company for whom all those famous G&S patter songs were written, was also a writer and composer. In the years after he left D'Oyly Carte, he toured extensively in one man shows of his own sketches and songs. His son, George Grossmith, Jr., was a hugely successful actor, writer, director, producer and songwriter and starred in many of his own works.
W.S. Gilbert appeared several times in Trial By Jury. The performances were charity benefits and he played the silent role of the Associate.
Well Andrew Lippa performed in I Am Harvey Milk! I forgot about that one.
By the way, thanks for your replies everyone! Some of these I knew about but had forgotten, and others were completely unknown to me. Really interesting stuff!
As someone who calls herself both an actor and a writer, I'm really grateful for this thread. Good to know I'm not the only one who has wanted to do this...haha.
Like the aforementioned Comden and Green, Mae West, Anthony Newley and Ruth Gordon; Charles Ludlam, Charles Busch, Noel Coward, Harold Pinter, Joan Rivers, Eve Ensler and George M. Cohan often appear/appeared in their own plays
Also:
Woody Allen in Play it Again, Sam David Hare in Via Dolorosa Sam Shepard and Patti Smith in their co-authored Cowboy Mouth Elaine Stritch in At Liberty (written with John Lahr)