Celebrity Vehicles on Broadway

With Emma Stone arriving on Broadway as Sally Bowles in Cabaret on November 11^th, I thought it would be a good time to discuss celebrities on Broadway. These days, it’s hard to find a Marquee that doesn’t have a movie star’s name on it. Bradley Cooper, Michael C. Hall, James Earl Jones, Glenn Close…and the list goes on. The reason? Quite simply, movie stars sell tickets.

Emma Stone in Cabaret - Source: Playbill.com

However, this practice is slightly different than what it used to be in the past. Broadway used to make movie stars, now it depends on them. Movie legends such as Julie Andrews, Fred Astaire, Meryl Streep, and more, all got their start in theater on Broadway. Even if it wasn’t on Broadway, most movie stars had their beginnings in the theater, since that was the acting outlet available to them growing up.

This is not to say that Broadway actors aren’t making it in Hollywood. Lea Michele, Josh Gad, Nick Jonas, and Kristen Bell all started on Broadway. However, now it seems that the funnel moves in the opposite direction; movie stars are being enticed to Broadway in order to boost ticket sales. It is an understandable strategy, but now that it is becoming such a regular practice, isn’t it starting to take away from the art?

Denzel Washington in A Rasin in the Sun - Source: Nytimes.com

Rather than going to see a Broadway show for it’s own sake, some audience members are going in order to see their favorite celebrity. In some way then, it feels as if there is little difference between going to a Broadway show and going to the mall to have Jane Lynch sign a copy of her book. On the other hand, you might be attracting an audience that otherwise would not go see a Broadway show. And if the show were to close without it’s celebrity vehicle, isn’t it better that the show stay open with them in it?

Not to mention that many movie stars are incredibly talented. Jane Lynch recently starred in Annie and she’s won an Emmy Award. Bradley Cooper has been nominated for two Oscars. And is there anyone who wants to argue that Denzel Washington isn’t talented enough to perform on Broadway? But what it does is marginalize and disenchant true theater and musical theater actors. People who have worked their whole life to perfect their singing, dancing, and acting on stage, are passed over for someone in Hollywood. While many theater actors also recognize the legitimate talents of movie stars, they certainly feel frustrated that producers do not trust that their names and talents will be enough to sell tickets.

The marquee for The Elephant Man Starring Bradley Cooper - Source: Broadwayworld.com

I certainly see both sides of the argument and I can’t say definitively that one perspective is right or wrong. But it would be nice to see theater actors be more appreciated in their own medium because after all, they perform eight times a week with no extra takes.