CONFIRMED: Wayne Brady & Taye Diggs to join MOULIN ROUGE in July

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/25/25 at 6:31pm

According to these (now deleted, but screenshotted) Instagram posts, Wayne Brady and Taye Diggs are allegedly joining MR as Zidler and The Duke respectively on July 22nd.

https://x.com/tveitidk/status/1915876593475490209?s=46&t=0XG46rJiPEOy8dyIeDsimg

Thoughts?

 

Updated On: 4/28/25 at 06:31 PM

[MollyJeanneMusic]

Posted: 4/25/25 at 6:46pm

My guess is the announcement's scheduled for a different day and got posted early?  This is GREAT casting - I'm curious as to how much of a pull Wayne Brady's going to have, as I don't remember him being a big impact on sales for The Wiz (although they didn't use him a ton in the marketing I saw), but I love seeing seasoned theatre performers who have crossed over to film/TV return to Broadway!  Stunt casting without the "stunt" of it all...And between the two of them plus Jordan and Soles, would this mark the first time that MR has had an all-Black leading cast?

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/25/25 at 6:54pm

Jordan and Solea are scheduled to leave July 20th.

Not sure either performer would do a ton to move the needle. Brady can play an Emcee very well (which is essentially what his Wiz was).
 

Diggs, on the other hand, seemed VERY out of practice with musicals when he last did HEDWIG in 2015. I know the Duke is not a huge role by comparison but I don’t see him bringing the same menacing swagger that David Harris has.

 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 4/25/25 at 7:37pm

I guess David Harris will be leaving almost as soon as he arrives back into the show. I almost imagined him finishing the run, he seems that popular and it’s clear he enjoys the job. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/28/25 at 12:26pm

CONFIRMED 

Diggs through 9/28

Brady through 11/9

https://www.broadway.com/buzz/205593/taye-diggs-and-wayne-brady-to-join-moulin-rouge-on-broadway/

[RumTumJM]

Posted: 4/28/25 at 1:42pm

So, what does this likely mean for Chess? 
 

Wasn’t it reported that Chess would have already begun performances in the Hirschfeld by November 9th?

Has it been delayed or found a new theater?

 

 

 

[nealb1]

Posted: 4/28/25 at 2:25pm

The only reports for "Chess" have been pretty much speculation.  Nothing official.  Quite possible that it will play at another theatre, if it does happen.  Time will tell.  

[DAME]

Posted: 4/28/25 at 3:14pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "I guess David Harris will be leaving almost as soon as he arrives back into the show. I almost imagined him finishing the run, he seems that popular and it’s clear he enjoys the job."

David Harris is back?  He left to do old friends and I guess it didn’t work out.  I didn’t know he was back at MR.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 4/28/25 at 3:28pm

DAME said: "BorisTomashevsky said: "I guess David Harris will be leaving almost as soon as he arrives back into the show. I almost imagined him finishing the run, he seems that popular and it’s clear he enjoys the job."

David Harris is back? He left to do old friends and I guess it didn’t work out. I didn’t know he was back at MR."

Sorry about that, my phrasing was poor. David is not back in the show. I had thought he would go back into the show by taking over from Andy Karl on his original return date, which was reported as July 22, before Diggs stepped in. But it seems they’re going from Karl right into Diggs, meaning no return to the show for Harris.

Something weird going on for him to leave Old Friends during rehearsal and not go back to Moulin Rouge at all. Maybe they wanted the Diggs “star power”(?) and bought him out, and he’ll return after Diggs leaves? If it lasts that long.

A curious situation! 

 

Updated On: 4/28/25 at 03:28 PM