Bama on Broadway: 13 Alabama performers who made it to the big time in theater
We’ve got Broadway on the brain right now, and with good reason. Two actors from Birmingham — Jordan Fisher and Brandon A. McCall — are performing in big, splashy musicals in New York City. They’re key players in famous shows by Stephen Sondheim and Elton John, earning applause in the theater capital of America.
Their success has us bursting with pride, and thinking about other performers from Alabama who’ve appeared on Broadway. Here are 13 examples of Alabama people making their marks on the Great White Way, from current stars to bygone celebrities.
JORDAN FISHER
Who: Actor, singer, winner on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2017. Born in Birmingham, grew up in Trussville. First stage experiences happened in school plays — most notably, singing ‘’Conjunction Junction’’ in a fifth-grade production of ‘’Schoolhouse Rock” — and this led to roles at Birmingham Children’s Theatre and youth programs of Red Mountain Theatre Company.
On Broadway: Currently playing Anthony, the romantic hero of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Cast features Josh Groban, Annaleigh Ashford, Maria Bilbao and Gaten Matarazzo (of “Stranger Things” fame). The show is a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Tony-winning musical, which opened on Broadway in 1979.