Photo Credit to Cece Lipman
Stunt casting on Broadway has been a hot topic for musical fans, especially on social media. Stunt casting is when a celebrity that has prior experience outside of musicals takes a role in a musical. People think that they have an advantage and are getting the role because of their prior fame. Although people are quick to judge, they tend to forget that many of these celebrities have experience with singing, acting and dancing. Or they are playing a role that is within their acting range.
Peyton List- Heathers
In the West End production of Heathers, actress Peyton List recently took over the role of Heather Chandler. This was controversial because many people on social media thought that List did not have to work hard for the role. She had prior experience on television such as “Jessie”, “Bunk’d”, “Cobra Kai” and “School Spirits”. Many fans of the musical wrote on social media that her acting was too Disney-like.
Although List has had a respectable career, and could be potentially successful on Broadway in the future, the character of Heather Chandler is too much of a powerhouse to begin one’s role in the theater industry, especially due to the challenging vocals in songs like “Candy Store”. List is talented, and possesses a good voice and acting skills, it is likely that she was rushed into the role of Heather. Fans have expressed hope for her improvement in her Broadway career.
Megan Thee Stallion- Moulin Rouge
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion recently took the role of Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge. Although the role of Zidler is typically played by a man, Megan Thee Stallion took on the role and put her own spin on it. Zidler’s character requires very little singing, and actors that take on the role are mainly required to possess plenty of energy and confidence, which Megan Thee Stallion maintains perfectly. She even performed her own hit song “Body” during the bows of her opening night. Furthermore, in a show like Moulin Rouge, the main creative aspect to it is the glitz and glamour. The other characters pick up on maintaining the vocals and intense choreography the show is known for. Megan was a great fit for the role, and did a great job putting her own spin into the character of Zidler.
Sabrina Carpenter- Mean Girls
In 2020, prior to her more recent albums, Sabrina Carpenter took the role of Cady Heron in Mean Girls the Musical. She was only able to perform as Cady for a limited amount of time due to COVID-19. Though, she still did a good job with the role. Similar to Peyton List, Carpenter has a background in acting for Disney. She was on shows like “Girl Meets World” and “The Adventures of Babysitting”. While this did not work in List’s favor, the role of Cady Heron was likely easier to adapt due to the character’s awkwardness and lack of social skills. This is easier to portray than a mean girl like Heather Chandler. Despite the short run of the show, Carpenter successfully portrayed the quirkiness of Cady.
Jordan Fisher- Dear Evan Hansen/Hadestown/Little Shop of Horrors
Although Jordan Fisher is known for his bigger roles in “Liv and Maddie” and “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before”, he has a plethora of Broadway experience. Some major roles Fisher has taken on are Evan Hansen in “Dear Evan Hansen” in 2020, and Orpheus in “Hadestown”, both of which are very emotionally draining characters to play, though they were portrayed very well. As of March 2026, Fisher has taken the role of Seymour Krelborne in “Little Shop of Horrors”. In contrast to his prior roles, Seymour is more awkward and stunted, however so far Fisher has done the role justice.
Colleen Ballinger- Waitress
Former Youtuber and comedian Colleen Ballinger took the role of Dawn Mayo in Waitress in 2019. Although Ballinger had previous singing experience, a lot of her singing and acting did not seem at all versatile. In fact, the majority of her vocals strayed too close to her parody singing videos. They especially sounded close to her character Miranda Sings, who is known for having a bad singing voice and not knowing it. This is an example of stunt casting being negative, because although it did boost ticket sales for the show, Dawn is a difficult role to play, and Ballinger did not meet fans’ expectations.
Gaten Materazzo- Sweeney Todd
Although Gaten Materazzo is most known for his role in “Stranger Things” as Dustin Henderson, he has been on Broadway for the majority of his career, starring as Gavroche in Les Mis at 11 years old. During the midst of his fame on “Stranger Things” Materazzo returned to Broadway and took on the role of Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd, which was widely praised by fans of the musical as well as fans of “Stranger Things”.
Whitney Leavitt- Chicago
Whitney Leavitt first rose to fame after the release of the reality show ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives”. Her role in Chicago as Roxie Hart was especially controversial, because she had no Broadway experience prior to the musical. However, she starred in season 34 of “Dancing With the Stars” and studied dance in college. Similar to Megan Thee Stallion in Moulin Rouge, the role of Roxie Hart does not require much vocal experience. It does require a lot of personality, confidence and dancing experience, all of which Leavitt possesses.
