Imagine settling into your seat at Mean Girls on Broadway, excited to witness the unbeatable talent of performers who have trained their entire lives in singing, dancing and acting. Much to your surprise, in walks Cameron Dallas, emerging from the Vine screen onto the stage to perform as the show’s male lead, Aaron Samuels. And his skill level doesn’t quite live up to your expectations (or the $200 ticket price). You quickly find yourself agreeing with the sentiment shared by a Reddit user who described the performance as “hilariously bad.”
Dallas’ Mean Girls run is one of the more egregious examples of a common, yet controversial, practice on Broadway known as stunt casting: when celebrities are cast in shows to boost ticket sales, often without regard for the celebrity’s training or relevant experience.
Another recent example is the long-awaited opening of “The Last Five Years” on Broadway, which featured Nick Jonas as the male lead, Jamie Wellerstein. Although the production was criticized for a number of reasons, Jonas’ pop star-style vocals and emotionally stunted performance were some of the more unsatisfactory aspects; social media response to a video of Jonas’ rendition of “Moving Too Fast” ranged from “ew turn it off” to “yikes.” So, not exactly a home run casting decision.
Celebrity castings certainly attract publicity– I hadn’t even heard of “& Juliet” until Charli D’Amelio made her Broadway debut in the show, and now it has a permanent residence in my Instagram feed. However, when done poorly, these castings cause outrage, damage the show’s image and hurt the integrity of theater as a whole. This practice is especially offensive in an industry where success is hard to come by. Fans and actors alike often feel that celebrities are being served leading roles on a silver platter. Meanwhile, thousands of talented performers dedicate their lives to training and auditioning only to receive a string of no’s in exchange for their hard work.
Naturally, audiences are upset by lackluster celebrity performances, but stunt casting doesn’t always mean disappointment. When “The Summer I Turned Pretty” star Lola Tung was cast as Eurydice, the female lead of Hadestown, she silenced any objections to the decision with a well-loved performance that managed to shine alongside Jordan Fisher’s insane vocal talent. Reality TV personalities may not be who you’d picture in a theater, but “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Whitney Leavitt’s Broadway debut in Chicago has been met with widespread social media praise all the same. These castings aren’t quite so offensive. If the performers on stage can put on a good show, does it really matter how they made it there?
Love it or hate it, stunt casting helps Broadway’s heart keep beating. Musicals, especially those that have opened since the pandemic, are struggling financially. Big-name castings can build the buzz needed to keep shows afloat, which in turn, preserves the jobs of the many other performers, musicians and crew members working on those productions.
Dedicated theater fans and traditional Broadway performers shouldn’t be neglected in favor of a flashy celebrity name. After all, these people keep Broadway alive too, and it’s a slap in their faces to let just anyone onto the stage as long as they have a big enough social media following. Beyond that, I really don’t believe putting a completely untalented celebrity in a major role has ever worked for a show’s benefit; the backlash that comes from these decisions causes more negative media attention than it’s worth. But, when big followings and theater talent collide, stunt casting can be a major win for theater goers, performers and the future of Broadway.
