Note from the Editor: We recently tasked our bloggers with coming up with their top picks when it came to “Broadway Royalty.” Here you’ll find one entry from a younger blogger, while tomorrow we’ll have a second opinion from an older member of our team. It is interesting to see who ranks at the top of different generations’ lists and we’d love to hear your opinion on the matter. Leave your thoughts in the comments, or tweet @campbroadway!
We all worship the glorious talents of those who perform on the Great White Way eight times a week, but there are those who shine a little brighter in our eyes. They are the royalty of the stage. We’re crowning the princesses and princes of the stage, and even the King and Queen whom rule over all. These ten performers are currently shining on Broadway in some of the most popular of shows!
Princess Lindsay Mendez – WICKED
Speaking of “Popular,” the first Princess is on our list comes from the show Wicked, which is currently celebrating it’s 10 year anniversary this month! Lindsay Mendez, the most recent Green Girl, is being crowned for several different reasons. The main one being her pipes. Have you heard this woman sing? She has some serious talent! Just listen to the Dogfight cast album and you’ll be getting chills! This beautiful lady has starred in the 2007 revival of Grease, has had the leading role in Dogfight, and many other wonderful productions. Our hearts flutter for this fly girl!
Prince Derek Klena – WICKED
When you see the name Lindsay Mendez, you know Derek Klena won’t be far behind! Our first prince has been the leading man in quite a few productions! He starred as Tommy in the 2012 revival of Carrie: The Musical. Along with Mendez, he was the leading man in Dogfight, and is currently portraying Fiyero in Wicked opposite of Lindsay Mendez. Derek has a smooth voice that soothes the soul! He’s funny and charming, which you can clearly tell in the vlog series Lindsay Mendez had on Broadway.com. The friendship between these royals is just to perfect for words.
Princess Patina Miller – Pippin
Who doesn’t mimic those iconic poses that Patina Miller makes in the beginning of Pippin while listening to the cast album? And lets face it; we all wish that we could have a body like hers. I mean, just look at those biceps! But besides the buff body and the fancy poses, Patina has a whole lot more going for her! Her voice is smoother than glass! Her voice is sweet and powerful, just all around magnificent. Previously she performed in Sister Act as the lead role. She also did a production of Hair in Central Park during the summer of 2008. This is definitely a woman you’ll want to watch!
Prince Zachary Levi – First Date
This man may be new to Broadway, but he’s not new to our hearts! Zachary Levi snuggled our way into our hearts when he voiced our favorite hero/thief, Flynn Rider, in the Disney animated film, Tangled. Now, he’s made his Broadway debut in the original musical comedy, First Date. Krysta Rodriguez has a vlog series similar to the one Lindsay Mendez had in which Zachary Levi made many appearances. We saw that he had more in common with Flynn than we thought! His beautiful voice plus his sarcastic style of humor gives him a unique personality that is impossible to hate. From the giant couch in his dressing room to the dance party stage door signings, this guy is incredible creative! He’s more than a peach, he’s a prince!
Princess Annaleigh Ashford – Kinky Boots
Who didn’t see this coming? I mean, how could we leave Annaleigh Ashford off the list? She’s simply too wonderful! This chick has got the voice like no other! She played our favorite Good Witch, Galinda the Good in Wicked of course. She’s the perfect “Popular” girl. She also originated the role of Margot in Legally Blonde: The Musical. Her credits also include Dogfight, where she performed alongside Lindsay Mendez and Derek Klena, which were both mentioned earlier. Right now, Annaleigh Ashford is portraying Lauren, a quirky and funny girl who falls head over heels in love with her boss, Charlie Price. Her fabulousness will definitely not be forgotten! She has a huge career ahead!
Prince Santino Fontana – Cinderella
This man is more than a prince on this list, but a real prince on the stage! He currently plays Prince Topher in Roger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. He is known for his hysterical sense of humor (are you seeing a pattern here? It seems like it’s a requirement to be on Broadway, you have to be funny!) and pranks. You can see him interacting with his costar, Laura Osnes, on Twitter, reminding her of embarrassing hi-jinks that occurred backstage. Their friendship is adorable and endearing and we fans love every second of it! Fontana has appeared in many different productions including Billy Elliot and The Importance of Being Earnest. He’s talented and extraordinarily handsome, what more could a girl want?
Princess Kara Lindsay – Newsies
How could you not love the tap-dancing, sassy, quick-thinking reporter, Katherine Plumber? Better yet, how could you not love the woman who originated the role, Kara Lindsay? This adorable little lady made her Broadway debut as the charming Katherine Plumber but she does have some other credits under her belt! She played Laura Wilder in The Little House on the Prairie with Melissa Gilbert. But the real reason we love her is her astounding vibrato! Her voice is gorgeous and magnificent, especially in her fast-paced solo “Watch What Happens.” (Which is harder to sing than most think, trust me. I know. I’ve tried it. But then again, who hasn’t?) The best part about her is how she delivers her lines. She’s incredibly feisty and not afraid to lash out at the cunning Jack Kelly whom she refuses to admit she’s fallen for.
Prince Corey Cott – Newsies
This guy stars opposite of Kara Lindsay in Newsies, performing as the wonderful Jack Kelly. He joined the cast immediately after his graduation at Carnegie Mellon, so it’s his first show in the Big Apple. His sweet voice and obsession with his puppy, Theo, who is famous among the fans, which are also dubbed “fansies.” His adorable instagram photos featuring the little dog have won the hearts of many. Like the others on this list, he also has quite the funny bone. Many of his instagram videos feature a unique mask that is a mixture of a pumpkin and Obama’s face. He’s quirky and a goofball which, of course, captures our hearts.
Queen of Broadway
Did you know that actual Disney Princesses exist? No? Well, the Queen of Broadway happens to be the one and only Cinderella herself! With a Cinderella story of winning a part from a reality TV show and going on to become a phenomenon on the stage, Laura Osnes is one of the most popular woman on the Great White Way today. And she happens to play Cinderella herself with Santino Fontana at her side. She’s had a 2 season vlog series on Broadway.com called “The Princess Diaries” and it showed the viewers how remarkably sweet Osnes truly is. She has the personality of a real Disney Princess, and her story shows that she’s closest to the girl in the glass slipper (even though she’s a brunette). People have embraced her warmly into the Broadway world after she played Sandy in the 2007 revival of Grease. She’s also been in Anything Goes, South Pacific, and Bonnie and Clyde. She’s an incredible talent with a voice like bells and a smile like the sunshine. There’s not a person who dislikes Laura. Though, it’s hard to dislike someone who’s as close to perfection as possible!
King of Broadway
The spectacular actor crowned King has just won a Tony for his performance in Kinky Boots along side Annaleigh Ashford and Stark Sands. Billy Porter holds many people captive with his feisty personality and the sweet, yet inspirational tweets. Many Broadway fans throughout the world love him and his performance, which they witnessed on the Tony Awards this past year. He plays Lola, a drag queen that embarks on a journey with Charlie Price to create a heel that only the bravest of men are daring to wear. On Twitter, he’s followed by the shows fans but gets so much more than what they bargained for. Porter posts the most beautiful quotes and inspirational sayings that makes a person ready to get up and go and take on life. In the 1994 revival of Grease he played Teen Angel, the miraculous guardian angel of the beloved Frenchy. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon, which seems to have a lot of alumni currently on Broadway.
The King, Queen, Princes, and Princesses have been chosen because of their lovability and talent. They are the top dogs in New York and I’m sure the die-hard Broadway fans agree! There is no doubting that they are the “Kings of New York!”
Photo via The Wall Street Journal