Musical Roles for Jessie Buckley

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 11:56am

Jessie Buckley first came on the scene in 2008 as the runner-up to Jodie Prenger on the BBC’s reality competition series, I’d Do Anything (which searched for leads for the Rowan Atkinson-led West End revival of Oliver!). Since then, she has been seen on TV in HBO's 2019 Emmy-winning miniseries, Chernobyl, and the fourth season of the FX anthology series, Fargo. Her film credits include Tom Harper's Wild Rose, Rubert Goold's Judy, Charlie Kaufman's I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Lost Daughter (which earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nom), and Sarah Polley's Women Talking. In 2022, she won a Laurence Olivier Award for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in the West End revival of Cabaret with Eddie Redmayne. Most recently, she won an Oscar for her performance as Agnes Shakespeare in Chloé Zhao's Hamnet.

My question for those reading, what musical theatre role(s) would you love to see her play?

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 12:02pm

I'd like to see her Harper in Angels in America.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 12:04pm

Barbara Woodruff in a revival of the 1962 Tony Award winning Broadway musical NO STRINGS. 

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 12:31pm

Does she have a Fosca in her?  I'd love to see her act the part.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 12:44pm

SteveSanders said: "Does she have a Fosca in her? I'd love to see her act the part."

 

We're reserving Fosca for Gaga!

[Joyce 9]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 12:46pm

I’m not really a fan of hers, but maybe Mrs Lovett?  Don’t really see her as Mrs Anna

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 1:41pm

Maria …Sound of Music  

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 2:02pm

Well if we ever get that Next to Normal movie…

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 2:04pm

Sweet Charity

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 2:05pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Well if we ever get that Next to Normal movie…"

I've been saying for years that Ari Aster needs to direct this if it ever happens.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 2:06pm

TotallyEffed said: "I'd like to see her Harper in Angels in America."

 

Ah yes...ANGELS IN AMERICA -- THE MUSICAL!

[Joyce 9]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 2:06pm

We’re reserving Next to Normal film for Angelina Jolie

[SidebySidebyLogan]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 2:08pm

TotallyEffed said: "SteveSanders said: "Does she have a Fosca in her? I'd love to see her act the part."



We're reserving Fosca for Gaga!"

I would also accept Laura Benanti

[binau]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 2:59pm

Now that she is becoming a bit of a name I would like to see her reprise her Sally Bowles on screen. In fact, I wonder if they'd ever green light a movie with both Jessie Buckley and Eddie Redmayne. 

[tacotheatrelover]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 3:03pm

binau said: "Now that she is becoming a bit of a name I would like to see her reprise her Sally Bowles on screen. In fact, I wonder if they'd ever green light a movie with both Jessie Buckley and Eddie Redmayne."

sweet baby jesus on a moped please not redmayne. There have been so many magnificent emcees since redmayne, why not pick one of those? Why not pull Alan Cumming out of retirement yet again? Why must we go through his horrid portrayal of the emcee yet again?

[binau]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 3:04pm

I agree he wouldn’t be my first preference either I’m just thinking what a studio could green light. Maybe someone like Paul Mescal instead?

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 4:36pm

Her attendance in Cabaret was so abysmal it makes me think that perhaps 8 shows a week of a musical is too much...

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 4:48pm

iluvtheatertrash said: "Her attendance in Cabaret was so abysmal it makes me think that perhaps 8 shows a week of a musical is too much..."

To be fair that production made Sally scream everything while acting like a robot I think she said in an interview her voice gave out and it was tough on her 

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 5:04pm

Joyce 9 said: "We’re reserving Next to Normal film for Angelina Jolie"

Next to Normal is about two people who became parents extremely young and grapple with self-hatred for their failures (i.e. the lyric "I was a child raising a child"). The characters are, at the absolute oldest, in their very early forties, and playing younger is a lot harder on screen than on stage (if you don't believe me, ask Ben Platt). No disrespect to Angelina Jolie, but she aged out of the role a decade ago.

[Melissa25]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 5:12pm

Her Aldonza would be quite interesting. 

[Joyce 9]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 5:48pm

Age, like race, doesn’t matter to me.  It’s acting.  And Alice ripley and J Robert Spencer just played the roles again a few months ago

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 6:42pm

Joyce 9 said: "Age, like race, doesn’t matter to me. It’s acting. And Alice ripley and J Robert Spencer just played the roles again a few months ago"

Sure thing Joyce, I mean Merkin, I mean Flash. 

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 9:30pm

Joyce 9 said: "Age, like race, doesn’t matter to me. It’s acting. And Alice ripley and J Robert Spencer just played the roles again a few months ago"

Does being able to sing the role matter to you? 

[raddersons]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 9:41pm

Suffering. Longing. Joy. Now more than ever. We need Jessie’s Gertrude McFuzz right now. 

[Joyce 9]

Posted: 3/16/26 at 9:42pm

Honestly, no.  I’m a huge fan of non singers in musicals, the likes of Glenn Close, Carol Channing, Angela Lansbury, Elaine Stritch, Gertrude Lawrence, Michael Crawford, Zero Mostel, Bea Arthur.  I’d take a great actor/comedian any day over a singer who can’t act.  And I’ve got a long list of those, many working on Broadway today.