It is not an uncommon occurrence to arrive at a Broadway theatre and open the playbill only to have a celebrity’s name jump off the page. The influx of celebrities gracing the Broadway stage is advantageous in the box office, yet raises debates regarding their skill level, according to nyucommclub.com. Grappling with increased production costs following COVID-19, Broadway producers are turning to casting famous entertainers in order to fill more seats and inflate ticket prices, according to link.springer.com. However, these celebrities may take the spotlight away from lesser-known Broadway actors who have earned roles based on skill and experience in the theatre industry, according to voicemag.uk.
There are plenty of Hollywood names on Broadway this season, including Mr. Robert Downey Jr. in the play McNeal, Mr. Jim Parsons in a revival of Mr. Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, Mr. Adam Driver in an Off-Broadway revival of Hold On to Me Darling, Mr. Kit Connor and Ms. Rachel Zegler in the new Romeo & Juliet, and Ms. Charli D’Amelio joining the ensemble of & Juliet. More celebrities will take to the New York City stage during the spring of 2025, including Mr. Denzel Washington and Mr. Jake Gyllenhaal in Shakespeare’s Othello, Mr. Nick Jonas in the musical The Last Five Years, and Mr. George Clooney in an adaptation of his 2005 film Good Night and Good Luck, according to The New York Times. These celebrities represent a variety of screen actors, musicians, influencers, and past musical theatre actors coming to the stage.
One benefit of bringing celebrities to Broadway is the financial gain, according to ivey.uwo.ca. Following COVID-19, Broadway is still adapting to increased production costs and reduced audience numbers that have not fully rebounded. Compared to the 2018-2019 season, gross numbers of theatre attendance have decreased by 17 percent, according to hollywoodreporter.com. On top of that, the cost of physical production elements for shows, such as lumber, has escalated since before COVID-19, according to forbes.com. The industry hopes to draw more people to the theatre with the appeal of seeing Hollywood glamour onstage, according to The New York Times. This provides an incentive for audiences to pay for tickets and is a profitable opportunity for Broadway producers who can then afford to raise ticket prices.
The inclusion of a celebrity in the cast of a Broadway play in a given week improves the revenue of the production by an average of $250,000. Mr. Kyle Maclean and Mr. Fredrik Ødegaard, professors at the Ivey Business School at Western University, conducted a study to determine the impact of celebrities on the financial aspect of the Broadway industry. The results pointed to increased ticket prices and demand for tickets as ways to generate profit for a show. Mr. Ødegaard commented on how Broadway can use this data to inform future productions, according to ivey.uwo.ca.
“We believe our findings are particularly significant now that Broadway and other live entertainment industries have started to re-open from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr. Ødegaard said, according to ivey.uwo.ca. “This industry has faced, and continues to face, record levels of structural uncertainty, and understanding drivers of demand and revenue is more important than ever.”
Strategically casting celebrities for short-run plays rather than long-run, expensive musicals is also more likely to earn a profit, according to The New York Times. Plays typically lack elaborate sets and dance or musical appeal to tourists, therefore tending to garner a smaller audience than musicals. Now with the addition of screen actors, these plays are thriving. Journalist Ms. Elisabeth Vincentelli described the differences between plays and musicals in the box office, according to cineaste.com.
“Shows like The Book of Mormon and Hamilton thrive without stars, not to mention long-running blockbusters like The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, and Jersey Boys,” Ms. Vincentelli said, according to cineaste.com. “But those are all musicals, which tend to do better no matter what. Where Hollywood stars make a difference in terms of box office is with plays. It’s hard to fathom many, not all, but many, plays ever making it to Broadway without some Hollywood pizzazz, and that’s a rather depressing state of affairs.”
With the rise of social media over the past decade, Broadway producers have turned to ‘stunt casting,’ or casting high-profile influencers who may not have theatrical experience as a publicity stunt or to fill a role, according to voicemag.uk. This way of casting raises ethical and practical questions. A controversy has emerged about casting famous entertainers who lack the top-tier skills and experience needed to be a Broadway performer over lower-profile actors who have taken years to build up their repertoire and skills in a competitive industry, according to voicemag.uk. Ms. Rosa Todd, Voice Magazine contributor, commented on certain benefits that stunt casting offers, according to voicemag.uk.
“I believe it would be wrong for a show that already draws in a large audience and lots of money, to cast a celebrity in a role, simply for the reason that they are a celebrity, when a lesser known actor would be able to do the role justice,” Ms. Todd said, according to voicemag.uk. “Although, one has to bear in mind that when a show closes every cast member is put out of work, so if the casting of one celebrity can help to sell tickets and keep a show open for everybody, as well as attract a larger audience to the theatre, surely that’s a good thing?”
While bringing celebrities to the stage has its financial benefits, people may then buy tickets simply to see the new star and not to appreciate the production, according to onstageblog.com. Money, and especially the uptick in ticket prices following the casting of a celebrity, continues to be one of the most pressing issues in the industry. Regardless, many are willing to pay extra to see their favorite influencer in person but may be too focused on one name in the playbill rather than the substance and craft of the show, according to nyucommclub.com.
At Sacred Heart Greenwich, the Theatre III class led a current events discussion surrounding the prevalence of screen actors on Broadway. They considered the benefits and downsides of stunt casting. Junior Chloe Hill, a member of the Theatre III class, commented on how stunt casting can bring in more profit for the industry and create interest in live theatre among younger audiences, yet how it attracts inconsiderate audiences.
“The benefits of this ‘stunt casting’ […] allow[s] people that do not know Broadway but have interest in actors [to have] the opportunity to see different shows and expand their horizons,” Chloe said. “The downsides of this are rowdy crowds and fans who are only there for the actors and do not have an appreciation for Broadway or a respect for theatre etiquette. I think that bringing these popular actors to [the] stage benefits the younger audiences and allows for more revenue. […] It is creating more interest in Broadway and theatre in general.”
When Ms. D’Amelio announced that she was joining the cast of & Juliet, skeptics questioned her ability to act and sing with Broadway-level talent, according to cornellsun.com. One question was if she truly earned the role, or if her over 100 million followers on TikTok did. Her limited experience in theatre despite her background in dance raised suspicion. Miss Ally Sutherland, a student at New York University, asserted that the drawbacks of stunt casting overshadow the true brilliance of a Broadway production, according to nyucommclub.com.
“Broadway is a place for audiences to connect with stories, and be inspired by the talent, not just another way to conduct meet and greets with celebrities,” Miss Sutherland said, according to nyucommclub.com. “In a landscape where shortcuts and sensationalism can easily overshadow substance, Broadway needs to hold fast to its traditions and values. After all, it’s the dedication to craft and the pursuit of artistic excellence that has made Broadway the cultural phenomenon it is today.”
Featured Image by Caroline Gammon ’26
