In summer 1995, Glenn Close departed her Tony-winning role as Norma Desmond in the original Broadway production of Sunset Boulevard. The Oscar nominee was succeeded by Tony-winning Cats star Betty Buckley, who brought her own sensational take on the former silent screen star. Buckley was a thoroughly vulnerable Norma, offering a richly layered and achingly seductive take that masterfully built to a wildly climactic mad scene. Such is the magic of seeing replacement actors, who can bring their own special take to a role you thought you knew well.
This summer, several Broadway musicals have welcomed new leads, both established performers and relative newcomers, who are bringing audiences to their feet eight times a week. From a Gilded Age star to a Hamilton original cast member, don't miss your chance to witness stage magic from these multitalented artists.
Sunset Blvd.
Speaking of Sunset Blvd., the current Broadway production—winner of the 2025 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical—recently welcomed dashing leading man Jordan Donica to the hit staging at the St. James Theatre. Donica, who is blessed with a rich, booming, rangy baritone, has stepped into the role of the mysterious butler Max opposite 2025 Tony winner Nicole Scherzinger. Tony-nominated for his performance as Lancelot in the 2023 revival of the classic American musical Camelot, Donica (who can also be seen in the current season of HBO Max's The Gilded Age) will stay with Sunset through its final performance July 20. And his booming rendition of "Greatest Star of All" is not to be missed.
Jamie Lloyd's exciting, stripped-down version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, which features an enormous LED screen and plenty of stage blood, also now features Pierre Marais (who previously played Sammy in the acclaimed production) in the leading role of struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis—whose chance arrival at Norma Desmond's Hollywood mansion will eventually lead to his downfall.
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Hell's Kitchen
The Tony-nominated Alicia Keys musical, Hell's Kitchen, also recently welcomed a new star: Amanda Reid, who was most recently seen as Carter on Apple TV's Me and previously appeared in Miss Juneteenth, is currently making her Broadway debut in the leading role of Ali, a 17-year-old who wants to live out her NYC dream despite the protestations of her single mom. With music and lyrics by Keys and a book by Kristoffer Diaz, the hit musical is inspired by the 15-time Grammy winner's own life and features many of her biggest hits, including "Girl on Fire" and "Empire State of Mind," as well as a few new gems.
Reid isn't the only newcomer to the show. The current cast also boasts vocal powerhouse Jessica Vosk (Wicked) as Jersey, original Tony-nominated Hamilton star Christopher Jackson as Davis (in his first stage role since Hamilton). Plus Phillip Johnson Richardson (The Wiz) as Knuck. This many changes to the principal cast means if you haven't been in a while, you should pay Hell's Kitchen another visit. Plus, Kecia Lewis—who won a 2024 Tony Award for her passionate performance as Ali's piano teacher, Miss Liza Jane—continues to give a spine-tingling rendition of "Perfect Way to Die."
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Hadestown
Ali Louis Bourzgui, who made a splash in the 2024 Broadway revival of The Who's Tommy—earning a Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut—stepped into the role of Orpheus in the Tony-winning Hadestown in May at the Walter Kerr Theatre. This emotional theatrical experience, which layers the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with that of Hades and Persephone, also welcomed Myra Molloy, known for voicing the Thai version of Disney’s Moana and winning Thailand’s Got Talent, to the role of Eurydice. These talented young performers are worth another trip to the Underground.
Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell’s folk- and jazz-infused musical, is the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It also currently features Tony nominee Phillip Boykin (The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess) as Hades, Tony nominee Daniel Breaker (Passing Strange) as Hermes, and Lana Gordon (Chicago) as Persephone.
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The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby—the visually stunning hit musical based on the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel—features a new pair of ill-fated lovers: Ryan McCartan and Aisha Jackson. McCartan, whose earlier Broadway work includes Frozen and Wicked, is now playing obsessive millionaire Jay Gatsby opposite the Daisy Buchanan of Jackson, who made history as the first Black woman to play Anna in Broadway's Frozen. They currently share the stage with former Aladdin title player Michael Maliakel as Nick, Bad Cinderella leading lady Linedy Genao as Myrtle Wilson, Austin Colby as Tom Buchanan, original Six star Samantha Pauly as Jordan Baker, Violet's Charlie Pollock as George Wilson, and Waitress' Eric Anderson as Meyer Wolfsheim. The lavish new musical, which won Linda Cho the 2024 Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Musical, continues at the Broadway Theatre.
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Gypsy
While history-making Tony winner Audra McDonald continues her thrilling, volcanic performance as Rose in the Tony-nominated revival of Gypsy at the Majestic Theatre, the acclaimed production is offering audiences a chance to see another actress inhabit the role of the famed stage mother one performance a week. Montego Glover, Tony-nominated for her work as Felicia in the Tony-winning musical Memphis, will play Sunday matinees beginning July 20 and continuing through August. The actress made her Broadway debut in 2006 in the original production of The Color Purple, subsequently appearing on the Main Stem in It Shoulda Been You, Les Misérables, and Into the Woods. If you've seen McDonald, go back to see Glover—who gives a similarly powerful, yet unique, performance.
The George C. Wolfe-directed revival of the classic musical continues to star 2025 Tony nominees Danny Burstein as Herbie and Joy Woods as Louise plus Jordan Tyson as June, Kevin Csolak as Tulsa, Olivier winner Lesli Margherita as Tessie Tura, Lili Thomas as Miss Mazeppa, and Mylinda Hull as Miss Electra.
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