Best/Worst Celebrities that went onto Broadway

[cattails17]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 1:44pm

I want to hear your opinions about what celebrities (singers, actors, etc.) who went on Broadway (excluding those who got famous due to Broadway) were good and which were bad. Ill go first.
Good: Kristen Bell in Tom Sawyer, Emma Stone in Cabaret, Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed in Business among others he was in, Ariana Grande in 13, Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig, Billy Joel Armstrong in American Idiot (obviously)
Bad: Carly Rae Jepsen in Cinderella, Cody Simpson in Anastasia (he was alright but I thought he was considerably worse than the two Dmitrys before him),

Let me know your thoughts! Updated On: 1/21/21 at 01:44 PM

[binau]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 1:53pm

In before people criticise her, I thought Catherine Zeta-Jones in Night Music was a good thing - she was glamorous, funny and her warm voice had a nice texture that suited the score. Even though of course I think Bernadette's Send in the Clowns was the most incredible moment I've ever had in a theatre, I will admit that a certain glamorous excitement left the show with CZJ (and Lansbury). Sadly, I think people look at CZJ's Tony Performance (which I acknowledge was a mess) and think she was awful in the role. 

[jvoom]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 2:09pm

I didn't see her myself but I have a friend who will go to his grave swearing Reba in "Annie Get Your Gun" is the best example of perfect star casting .

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 2:31pm

I'm not going to list the good ones, because I've actually enjoyed the vast majority of celebrity performances I've seen onstage. It's actually kind of rare that I really dislike a celebrity performance. So here are some of my least-favorites:

Brooke Shields - Addams Family
Michelle Williams - Blackbird
Jessica Lange - Long Day’s Journey 
Keri Russell - Burn This
Mark Ruffalo - The Price 
Joshua Jackson - Children of a Lesser God
Bruce Willis - Misery  
Cuba Gooding Jr - Trip to Bountiful 
Lucas Hedges - Waverly Gallery 
Dove Cameron - Clueless
 

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 2:47pm

Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the show, I did like Josh Groban in Great Comet.

I had no expectations going in, and really enjoyed Al Roker in Waitress!

[NameGreg]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 2:54pm

While he’ll never shed his Harry Potter image, I believe Daniel Radcliffe has proven himself to be a very strong stage actor. I thought he more than held his own in Lifespan of a Fact against a Tony winner and nominee. In fact, I thought of the three stars, he was the highlight. Granted, he had the largest, showiest role.

I will admit though, his signing voice isn’t very strong, but it’s not actively bad like some people made it out to be. He carried How to Succeed’s tunes well enough and his acting and singing were enough for me to forgive any wonky vocals.

Another good example in my book was Zachary Levi in She Loves Me. He was acting opposite some experts in musical comedy, but he never once felt out of place, and I thought he was a perfect match for Laura Benanti, being just as good as she was. And she was on fire.

I’ll also agree with the Josh Groban mention above. His vocals were never in doubt, but his whole performance was really just lovely. And the one time that he gets to speak during it proved that he’s just as strong of a performer even when not putting his top notch pipes to use. All of this is even more impressive in my book considering he never left the stage and had to work as a musician throughout.

Updated On: 1/21/21 at 02:54 PM

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 3:30pm

cattails17 said: "I want to hear your opinions about what celebrities (singers, actors, etc.) who went on Broadway (excluding those who got famous due to Broadway) were good and which were bad. Ill go first.
Good: Kristen Bell in Tom Sawyer, Emma Stone in Cabaret, Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed in Business among others he was in, Ariana Grande in 13, Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig, Billy Joel Armstrong in American Idiot (obviously)
Bad: Carly Rae Jepsen in Cinderella, Cody Simpson in Anastasia (he was alright but I thought he was considerably worse than the two Dmitrys before him),

Let me know your thoughts!"

I'm not sure I would count Kristen Bell as a celebrity at the time she was in Tom Sawyer. I think Tom Sawyer may be what started opening doors for her, as it lead to her role in the off-Broadway production of Reefer Madness, which, despite it's short run, opened even more doors for her.

[JuneJune]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 3:44pm

I wasn't a fan of Mark Ballas in Kinky Boots. His acting was great, but his singing was dull. He could hold a note and be on tune, but for lack of a better term, his singing was very vanilla. Plus he couldn't project well and got drowned out by others, but I see others praising him so maybe I just caught him on a bad day.

[JuneJune]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 3:44pm

I wasn't a fan of Mark Ballas in Kinky Boots. His acting was great, but his singing was dull. He could hold a note and be on tune, but for lack of a better term, his singing was very vanilla. Plus he couldn't project well and got drowned out by others, but I see others praising him so maybe I just caught him on a bad day.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 3:49pm

Deeply loved Jordan Fisher in Dear Evan Hansen and Brandon Urie in Kinky Boots (his horrible fans were a different story though). 

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 7:25pm

I really liked Jason Mraz as Dr. Pomatter in Waitress. 

I'm also not sure this really counts but Jeff Daniels in TKAM? 

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 7:28pm

poisonivy2 said: "I really liked Jason Mraz as Dr. Pomatter in Waitress.

I'm also not sure this really counts but Jeff Daniels in TKAM?"

Oooo yes!! I agree about Jason Mraz!! 

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 9:13pm

“Michelle Williams - Blackbird”

Oh no, I loved her in that. Haunts me to this day.

For worst? Kerry Washington in American Son

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 9:29pm

BroadwayNYC2 said: "“Haunts me to this day."

 

Same here, but in a different way. 

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 1/21/21 at 10:18pm

Best - brendon urie , Helen Mirren, Reba,


Worst- Julia Roberts (which I would like to give her another chance), Catherine Zeta Jones (lnm)

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 12:28am

I don't know if it was her performance, the direction, the script, or a mix of all three, but I thought Emilia Clarke was dreadfully dull in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Debra Winger was clearly in way over her head in The Anarchist, though I doubt that anyone could have made that show interesting.

I didn't see her, but because I saw a Bernie meme with him put into "Favorite Son" from The Will Rogers Follies today, I'm curious how Marla Maples did when she took over Z's Favorite.

I'd also be curious to hear from those who saw Kathie Lee Gifford instead of Carol Burnett in Putting It Together. 

Natasha Richardson's performance as Sally Bowles still haunts me to this day.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 1:07am

From the original list, Ariana Grande riffed a couple times in the ensemble. Do we count this as a notable performance?

I’d like to add Christina Applegate in Sweet Charity.

[StardustsChild]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 1:16am

I definitely don't count Kristen Bell in Tom Sawyer, or Ariana Grande in 13 - they were both child actors for whom those shows were their big break. They didn't go "onto" Broadway, they started there. The same is true of Anna Kendrick in High Society.
I absolutely agree about Reba and vehemently disagree with Jason Mraz - his eyes were so incredibly flat, and it felt like watching a mannequin. On the other side of the Waitress coin, I thought Jordin Sparks and Katharine McPhee were delightful in the role (McPhee's Trumpism notwithstanding)
I really enjoyed Corbin Bleu in Holiday Inn - he was perfect for the archetype, and clearly having the time of his life.

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 1:39am

I really think they should consider Claire Crawley for  Chicago.

[Gorlois]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 4:15am

I didn’t see her, but I’m surprised to see Jessica Lange in Long Day’s Journey Into Night listed here under “bad.” I would have thought she’d be perfect in that role. I was going to ask if that was the general consensus, but now I see she won the Tony for it.

Updated On: 1/22/21 at 04:15 AM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 9:18am

Gorlois said: "I didn’t see her, but I’m surprised to see Jessica Lange in Long Day’s Journey Into Night listed here under “bad.” I would have thought she’d be perfect in that role. I was going to ask if that was the general consensus, but now I see she won the Tony for it."

 

I didn't list her under "bad," I listed her under "least favorite" because it's just my opinion. Most people liked her performance. I thought it a tedious, hammy, slog of a performance, with the scenery chewed to bits by the end. But again, I'm in the minority there. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 1:46pm

Best:

- Jake Gyllenhaal (SITPWG was stunning and “A Life” was wrenching to me)

- Emma Stone (“Cabaret” - Had she opened, she’d have a Tony)

- Michael Urie (“How To Succeed” - I fell in love with him here and now anything he is in is must-see for me)

- Michael Shannon (I’ve seen every Broadway role he has every done and he has NEVER given a bad performance. I hope he gets a Tony someday.)

- Michelle Willliams (“Blackbird” was wonderful and haunting, making up for her performance in “Cabaret&rdquo

Worst:

- Zach Braff in “Bullets Over Broadway” - Not bad by any stretch, but comparatively bland and outshined by his costars

- Ricky Martin in “Evita” - Nice to look at but definitely was an oddly happy Che. Can’t help but wonder about what Raul Esparza could’ve done in the role (Ironically, he was in “Leap of Faith” just around the corner)

- Miss Peppermint in “Head Over Heels” - Groundbreaking for sure and glamorous as hell, but at times a bit vocally outmatched.

 

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 1:49pm

poisonivy2 said: "I'm also not sure this really counts but Jeff Daniels in TKAM?"

I wouldn’t count him. His career started in NY Theatre and Broadway (Lanford Wilson’s “Fifth of July” in 1980).

[temms]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 2:01pm

Best: Fantasia in "The Color Purple".

Worst: By the widest possible margin, John Stamos in "Nine". Utterly out of his depth. "Bells Of St. Sebastian" was an out-of-tune semi-falsettoed atrocity sung with the terrified blank expression of someone who knows they are in way over their head. 

I didn't see Ally Sheedy in "Hedwig" but more than one friend has said she was even worse.

Updated On: 1/22/21 at 02:01 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 2:11pm

Mark Ballas was fantastic in Jersey Boys (I didn't see him in Kinky Boots).

When Alan Rickman was in Seminar, a friend was in town for the weekend and on a whim we got tickets at TKTS and ended up in the front-row balcony. He was everything I'd hoped he'd be and more!

One celeb I wish I'd seen: Darrell Hammond as Vice Principal Panch in Spelling Bee. How was he? Mo Rocca was hilariously bizarre. I loved his performance.