Broadway's Most Bankable Star?
Broadway's Most Bankable Star?
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #2
Posted: 5/6/26 at 5:16pm
While I do admit Daniel Radcliffe has made a pretty successful and consistent transfer to Broadway star, I would still find some others to revival him as well:
- Jonathan Groff
- Jeremy Jordan
- Lea Michele
Though, for those older theatre goers, I would love to know if back in the their prime if Bernadette Peters, Patti Lupone, Angela Lansbury, Ethel Merman, would be that same type of bankable star In the day or could you easily still get tickets even if a show was a hit? I feel like my attention to sales and grosses only came into affect when The Producers was the hit of New York
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #3
Posted: 5/6/26 at 5:34pm
It pretty much depends on the right star (or combo of Stars) in the right show. Jeremy Jordan isn't doing a lot for sales right now at CITS, and Lea Michele isn't making CHESS a tough ticket.
I'd say 2 of the most consistent box-office Stars over the last 2 decades have been Denzel Washington and Bette Midler.
Understudy Joined: 3/3/23
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #4
Posted: 5/6/26 at 5:38pm
Nor did Jeremy Jordan sell out Floyd Collins or his return to Gatsby.
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #5
Posted: 5/6/26 at 5:39pm
I agree with Jonathan Groff and Hugh Jackman should be added to that list. Leah Michele maybe not as much - but Chess's sales numbers drop off quite a bit when she is on a scheduled vacation day.
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #6
Posted: 5/6/26 at 5:44pm
Lisalemann said: "I agree with Jonathan Groff and Hugh Jackman shouldbe added to that list. Leah Michele maybe not as much - but Chess's sales numbers drop off quite a bit when she is on a scheduled vacation day."
Just in Time is the first time Jonathan has shown that he can bring box office to a show as Merrily was mostly about Dan.
Lea rescued FG and made it a hit and Chess only got to open because of her and the fact that it opened big and ran as well as it has so far before hitting a ceiling it was always going to hit, and yes it crashes whenever she's out, shows she will bring in the box office.
People doubted her after FG saying she couldn't bring an audience for Chess and they were wrong.
Also its not that hard. Lea Michele. not Leah or Michelle.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/13
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #7
Posted: 5/6/26 at 5:46pm
^^^ 100%
Lisalemann said: "I agree with Jonathan Groff and Hugh Jackman shouldbe added to that list. Leah Michele maybe not as much - but Chess's sales numbers drop off quite a bit when she is on a scheduled vacation day."
Her name is Lea Michele.
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/4/04
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #8
Posted: 5/6/26 at 5:48pm
Lisalemann said: "I agree with Jonathan Groff and Hugh Jackman shouldbe added to that list. Leah Michele maybe not as much - but Chess's sales numbers drop off quite a bit when she is on a scheduled vacation day."
I don’t care how “bankable” Jackman might be. If she’s singing at a Rupert Murdoch event, she’s not somebody I’ll ever pay to see again.
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #9
Posted: 5/6/26 at 5:49pm
Sutton Ross said: "^^^ 100%
Lisalemann said: "I agree with Jonathan Groff and Hugh Jackman shouldbe added to that list. Leah Michele maybe not as much - but Chess's sales numbers drop off quite a bit when she is on a scheduled vacation day."
Her name is Lea Michele."
Yawn. Please go away dear, you're just wasting space here.
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #10
Posted: 5/6/26 at 6:06pm
Lea Michele in FG was something of a full circle moment, both from Glee and her making her whole image the second coming of Barbra Streisand. A case of perfect person in perfect role for a pop culture moment. And she sold that show for almost a whole year.
Chess is undoubtedly helped a lot by Lea being in it, but after 6 months its starting to flag a bit and there clearly aren't the same number of people willing to see her in something less obvious.
I wouldn't put her in the same league as Daniel Radcliffe who has shown he can sell multiple shows now. And quite a diverse range of shows/roles.
Id also say Jonathan Groff is a little untested long term too. Will be interesting to see whatever he does next as a sole name lead, and see if he can generate as much buzz and ticket sales as he has done this past year.
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/1/13
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #11
Posted: 5/6/26 at 6:54pm
I'm so impressed with Daniel Radcliffe's career, and especially the choices he's made in building it. Consequently, I'm always happy when he gets positive press.
IMO, he been so smart about choosing projects that appear to be "unexpected", and present challenges for his personal growth as an actor.
Having his reputation so cemented as Harry Potter, it was such an interesting and bold choice to choose characters and projects to follow-up with like, Allen Ginsberg, "Horns", "Swiss Army Man", and Al Yankovic.
His first live theater after Potter required full frontal nudity, which he followed up with carrying the lead role in a musical (would anyone have guessed that he could sing and dance?) ...and he is dyspraxic with apraxia of speech.
Although I don't think everything he's done has been praise-worthy, I'm always impressed by his willingness, and ability to make interesting career choices.
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #12
Posted: 5/6/26 at 8:44pm
Theatrefan2 said: "Lea Michele in FG was something of a full circle moment, both from Glee and her making her whole image the second coming of Barbra Streisand. A case of perfect person in perfect role for a pop culture moment. And she sold that show for almost a whole year.
Chess isundoubtedly helped a lot by Lea being in it, but after 6 months its starting to flag a bit and there clearly aren't the same number of people willing to see her in something less obvious.
I wouldn't put her in the same league as Daniel Radcliffe who has shown he can sell multiple shows now. And quite a diverse range of shows/roles.
Id also say Jonathan Groff is a little untested long term too. Will be interesting to see whatever he does next as a sole name lead, and see if he can generate as much buzz and ticket sales as he has done this past year."
Harry Potter is why Dan is selling so many tickets and I say that as a huge Dan fan and what he has done with his career since then.
My comment re Lea was compared to other Broadway stars. the fact that the show craters when she takes a break is obvious but do go on making qualifications about her success.
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/1/13
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #13
Posted: 5/6/26 at 9:12pm
GirlFromOz68 said: "Harry Potter is why Dan is selling so many tickets "
No.
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #14
Posted: 5/6/26 at 9:32pm
Jessica Vosk
Beanie Feldstein
Ana Villafañe
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #15
Posted: 5/6/26 at 10:42pm
Sadly, it’s movie stars. Bernadette, Patti, Audra and the like no longer move tickets outside of an initial rush. Broadway doesn’t make stars like it used to. Now it imports them to sell out houses. Clooney, Reeves, Denzel, Jake, Bette, etc. Even some reality stars create brisk business for short runs.
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #16
Posted: 5/6/26 at 11:40pm
The “Broadway’s most bankable star” question depends on what we mean by Broadway star. Radcliffe is absolutely bankable, but much of that comes from Harry Potter. Same with Jackman/Wolverine, Lea Michele/Glee, Denzel, Bette, etc. They can sell Broadway tickets, but their fame is not Broadway-first.
If we’re talking about bankable stars whose public identity is still primarily theatre-defined, I keep landing on Sutton Foster and Jonathan Groff. They’ve both done screen work, obviously, but Broadway still feels like the center of their clout, and their names can still sell tickets, attract investors, and make a production feel like an event.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/12/22
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #17
Posted: 5/7/26 at 9:02am
LooseTapScrews said: "The “Broadway’s most bankable star” question depends on what we mean by Broadway star. Radcliffe is absolutely bankable, but much of that comes from Harry Potter. Same with Jackman/Wolverine, Lea Michele/Glee, Denzel, Bette, etc. They can sell Broadway tickets, but their fame is not Broadway-first.
If we’re talking about bankable stars whose public identity is still primarily theatre-defined, I keep landing on Sutton Foster and Jonathan Groff. They’ve both done screen work, obviously, but Broadway still feels like the center of their clout, and their names can still sell tickets, attract investors, and make a production feel like an event.
I agree. Has Groff been in anything on Broadway that was not a huge success?
"
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/20/18
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #18
Posted: 5/7/26 at 9:27am
Audra should be in the conversation (FOR SMALLER MUSICALS ONLY) without question. GYPSY lost every dime, but it was prohibitively expensive to run. Sign her for a year in the right vehicle in a 1000-1200 seat house, a cast of 10-20, and a 10-15 piece orchestra and the situation would be different.
Updated On: 5/7/26 at 09:27 AMBroadway's Most Bankable Star? #19
Posted: 5/7/26 at 9:39am
Daniel Radcliffe is famous because of Harry Potter. He's bankable because he's proven himself to be a superb stage performer.
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #20
Posted: 5/7/26 at 2:30pm
I see this prompt and think right away, "isn't it Denzel Washington?" His second act as a powerhouse stage performer is bordering on being as big a part of his legacy as his film stardom.
Stand-by Joined: 5/19/20
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #21
Posted: 5/7/26 at 2:35pm
ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Audra should be in the conversation (FOR SMALLER MUSICALS ONLY) without question. GYPSY lost every dime, but it was prohibitively expensive to run. Sign her for a yearin the right vehicle in a1000-1200 seat house, a cast of 10-20, and a 10-15 piece orchestra and the situation would be different."
Most of Audra's shows have not done well at the box office. Many closed early. Ohio State Murders, Frankie and Johnny, Shuffle Along...
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #22
Posted: 5/7/26 at 3:09pm
I think Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele certainly have their fans (perhaps her more than him), but the level of ticket sales for Daniel Radcliffe and Hugh Jackman and Bette Midler have been on a different level, George Clooney as well (though it remains to be seen if theater was a one time thing for him or if we'll be seeing him more often).
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #23
Posted: 5/7/26 at 5:49pm
Theatrefanboy1 said: "While I do admit Daniel Radcliffe has made a pretty successful and consistent transfer to Broadway star, I would still find some others to revival him as well:
- Jonathan Groff
- Jeremy Jordan
- Lea Michele
Though, for those older theatre goers, I would love to know if back in the their prime if Bernadette Peters, Patti Lupone, Angela Lansbury, Ethel Merman, would be that same type of bankable star In the day or could you easily still get tickets even if a show was a hit? I feel like my attention to sales and grosses only came into affect when The Producers was the hit of New York"
*rival
Broadway Star Joined: 4/14/12
Broadway's Most Bankable Star? #24
Posted: 5/7/26 at 9:37pm
It seems to me that Josh Groban deserves some mention here. And there are others who have become bankable solo performers as a result of recognition they received from their Broadway careers. An Audra McDonald concert ticket is always tough one to get, and Jordan seems to sell out some pretty large venues all over, including Royal Albert Hall. Their inability to carry an underperforming show completely on their back is no reflection of their talent, but more a reflection of a public that values fame over talent.
“Bankability” can also be a double edged sword, and can lead to stars being badly miscast, as was the case with the recent revival of The Music Man.
Videos
