During Lockdown, I got really into Broadway, West End, and musicals. I never liked musicals before, but lockdown did something inexplicable to my interests. I mean, I have “watching a Broadway show” on my bucket list now!
I found this post from July 2019 closely related to this topic (What Character Could Work in a Musical?). But I’m taking it in a different direction. Has a known Broadway or West End actor played a DC hero or villain? What is a fan cast involving a Broadway or West End actor that you want to watch?
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What a fun question! The first who comes to mind is Julie Andrews, who was on Broadway in The Boy Friend (1954-55), My Fair Lady (1956-59), Camelot (1960-62), and Victor/Victoria (1995-97). She apppeared in Aquaman (2018) as Karathen, guardian on the Trident of Atlan. But let’s see how many more we can find!
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Ah! Of course, there’s the great Ethel Merman, who starred in 16 different Broadway shows, including Gypsy, two runs of Annie Get Your Gun, and Hello, Dolly! She appeared in the 1966 Batman TV show as Lola Lasagne, criminal accomplice to The Penguin.
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And speaking of Penguin – Burgess Meredith himself, who frequently appeared in the 60s Batman series as The Penguin, was on Broadway early in his career in The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1935), High Tor (1937), Lilliom (1940), The Playboy of the Western World (1946), and Major Barbara (1956).
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Jeremy Jordan, who played Win Schott Jr. on TV’s Supergirl, appeared on Broadway in Rock of Ages, the 2009 revival of West Side Story, Bonnie & Clyde, Newsies, American Son, and Waitress.
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Michael Gough, who played Alfred Pennyworth in 4 Batman movies, won a Tony Award for Best Actor recognizing his performance in Bedroom Farce on Broadway in 1978.
Michael Caine, who played Alfred in Nolan’s Batman trilogy, starred in the West End production of The Long and the Short and the Tall for four months in 1959.
Jeremy Irons, who played Alfred in two of Zack Snyder’s DCEU films, starred in many West End Shakespeare productions, and a Tony-winning Broadway performance in The Real Thing.
Alan Napier, who played Alfred in the 1966 series, had a ten year run on the West End before his television debut.
And Efrem Zimbalist Jr., who played Alfred in Batman: The Animated Series, appeared on Broadway in The Rugged Path.
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Neil Patrick Harris, who voices Nightwing in Batman: Under the Red Hood, won a Tony Award for his 2014 starring role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway.
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Speaking of Hedwig, Harris was succeeded in the Broadway role by Darren Criss, who has recently been voicing Superman in the animated films Superman: Man of Tomorrow and Justice Society: World War II.
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Christopher Reeve and Kevin Conroy
I don’t think either of them spent much time on Broadway, but they both have a couple of credits. They both attended Julliard at about the same time.
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Jesse L. Martin who plays Joe on the Flash was one of the original cast members of Rent in the 90’s as Collins. He also reprised the role in the movie.
