Getting your portrait on the wall at Sardi’s is a big deal for Broadway actors. Both Darren Criss and Lea Michele received theirs recently (these portraits are caricatures but you can judge whether they actually look like Darren and Lea).
Darren Criss is currently starring in Maybe Happy Ending on Broadway (which earned him a Tony Award last year). His Sardi’s portrait was unveiled his last week. Kevin McHale, Alex Newell, Lea Michele, and Matthew Morrison attended his ceremony.
Lea Michele is currently starring in the Broadway revival of Chess and received portrait this week. Her besties Jonathan Groff and Darren Criss attended her ceremony, as did fellow Glee alumni Kevin McHale and Alex Newell.
Kevin McHale is currently starring as William Morris Barfée in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He has had several of his former Glee costars as guest contestants including Darren Criss and Amber Riley.
Darren at the Spelling Bee:
Amber at the Spelling Bee:
Olivier Award winner Amber Riley posted last week that she will not be performing on Broadway for the foreseeable future because “asking people to sing at the top of their range 8 shows a week without proper support or compensation” is not healthy or sustainable, even if you have proper training.
Jonathan at the Spelling Bee:
Heather Morris just joined the cast of 11 to Midnight last week:
Matthew Morrison is finishing his three week stint in Just in Time. He had a temporary gig as Bobby Darrin, replacing his former Glee costar Jonathan Groff (before Jeremy Jordan takes over the role full time).
Last night, Jonathan came to watch Matthew as Bobby so he got a little twirl during the curtain call performance:
Telly Leung is starring in Masquerade, the off Broadway immersive Phantom of the Opera show. He plays one of the six Phantoms. His previous Broadway roles include Aladdin and Sammy in Allegiance. His other theater credits include playing George in the world premiere of the musical adaptation of My Best Friend’s Wedding, the 25th anniversary staging of The Secret Garden at Lincoln Center, Angel in the Hollywood Bowl performance of Rent, and Boq in the Chicago sit down production of Wicked.
Other Glee cast members who have been on Broadway:
Tony Award winner Alex Newell (Unique) played Mama Morton in the Broadway production of Chicago earlier this year. Their previous credits include Once Upon This Island, Shucked, Pericles, Bat Boy, The Drowsy Chaperone, Little Shop of Horrors, Pippin, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Tony Award winner Ali Stroker (Betty) starred as Ado Annie in the Broadway revival of Oklahoma. Her previous roles include Anna in the Broadway revival of Spring Awakening and Anne in the off-Broadway production of Richard III at The Public.
Laura Dreyfuss (Madison) starred as Zoe Murphy in the original Broadway cast of Dear Evan Hansen:
Samantha Marie Ware (Jane) has had a steady Broadway career. She played Nabulungi in the Broadway production and the national tour of The Book of Mormon, Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds in the Chicago sit down production of Hamilton, and Marianne in the pre-Broadway production of The Girl from the North Country at The Public.
Melissa Benoist (Marley Rose) starred as Carole King in the Broadway production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical:
Double Tony winner Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina Cohen-Chang) starred as Dawn in the Broadway production of Waitress. In recent years, she has become a Broadway producer and has won two Tony Awards (Once Upon This Island and The Inheritance).
Lindsay Pearce (Harmony) has starred as Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked and as Rose in the off-Broadway production of Titanique. She played Janis in the national tour of Mean Girls and Fantine in the national tour of Les Misérables.
Grant Gustin (Sebastian) starred as Jacob in the Broadway musical adaptation of Water for Elephants:
Becca Tobin (Kitty) was a swing in the Broadway production of Rock of Ages.
Billy Lewis Jr. (Mason) has done several national tours including We Will Rock You, Hair, and Spring Awakening.
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