Which Actors Have Done Multiple Broadway Shows Together?

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This time, the reader question was: which actors have done multiple Broadway shows together?

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With Gutenberg! The Musical! opening on Broadway soon, it’s no wonder that folks are wondering about other times that beloved actors have appeared in more than one Broadway show together. Gutenberg boasts a reunion of Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad, two of the original stars of The Book of Mormon. Those who loved their on-stage chemistry and camaraderie as Elders Price and Cunningham back in 2011 will undoubtedly thrill to see the two tearing up the stage together yet again.

There are too many other examples of instances like this to include in one article, but let’s explore some of the highlights!

Most recently, Jose Llana and Lea Salonga found themselves starring in Here Lies Love at the Broadway Theatre, 21 years after co-starring as Ta and Mei-Li in the 2002 reimagining of Flower Drum Song, one block south.

In 1998, Brian Stokes Mitchell co-starred with both Audra McDonald and Marin Mazzie in the landmark Broadway musical Ragtime. As Coalhouse Walker, he shared many of his scenes with both Audra McDonald as Sarah, his love and fellow “Wheels of a Dream”-er, and Marin Mazzie as Mother, whose story became entwined with his. Stokes Mitchell would reunite with Mazzie the following year on Broadway when they played the fiery theatrical couple Lilli Vanessi and Fred Graham in a revival of Kiss, Me Kate. He would also reunite with McDonald in 2016 when they played two of the key figures, Flournoy Miller and Lottie Gee, in the historic Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed.

After Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane’s history-making comedic chemistry shook the very foundation of Broadway in 2001’s The Producers, the two reunited— resulting in box office gold—for both The Odd Couple in 2005 and It’s Only a Play in 2014.

Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz are perhaps best known in a pair for their indelible performances in the original off-Broadway production of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last 5 Years. But the two have also starred on Broadway together more than once, as replacements for Roger and Maureen early on during the original run of Rent, and in 2005’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Close friends Gavin Creel and Sara Bareilles co-starred in Bareilles’ Waitress, as Dr. Pomatter and Jenna, in 2019, before sharing the stage again as Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince and Baker’s Wife in 2022’s Into the Woods.

After originating the roles of Che and Eva in the original Broadway production of Evita in 1979, legends Mandy Patinkin and Patti LuPone were bonded for life. Their friendship over the years led to a reunion on Broadway 32 years later, in An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin.

Even with a 32 year gap, the record is not achieved. When Annie Golden and David Patrick Kelly shared the stage in the 2022 Into the Woods revival, it was 45 years after the two beloved Broadway actors appeared in the 1977 revival of Hair. 

Their record is tied by James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson’s record. The two appeared in both The Cool World in 1960 and A Hand is on the Gate in 1966, decades before their must-see production of two hander, The Gin Game in 2015.

Some of our most revered Broadway legends today decades ago found themselves sharing the stage in multiple shows, first as ensemblists and then as featured and leading players. Donna McKechnie and Baayork Lee danced “Turkey Lurkey Time” together in Promises, Promises in 1968 before originating the roles of Cassie and Connie in 1975’s A Chorus Line. Kelly Bishop, Thommie Walsh, and Wayne Cilento were in the infamous Rachael Lily Rosenbloom… and don’t you ever forget it! shortly before all originating A Chorus Line roles as well. Anita Morris and Tommy Tune both appeared in Seesaw in 1973, nearly a decade before he directed her scene-stealing turn in Nine. Adrian Bailey and Brenda Braxton appeared together in Legs Diamond (1988) and in the ensemble of Jelly’s Last Jam (1992), before originating two of the roles in the original Smokey Joe’s Café in 1995.

Broadway sweetheart Sutton Foster has found herself sharing a stage with several of her co-stars more than once. She and Christopher Sieber both brought down the house in Shrek in 2008 but were first paired during Thoroughly Modern Millie when Sieber came in as a replacement Trevor Graydon while Foster was still playing the eponymous role that won her the Tony. Foster co-starred with Shuler Hensley first in 2007, when he played The Monster and she played Inga in Young Frankenstein, and again when they took on Marcellus and Marion in the 2022 Music Man revival.

Faith Prince and Peter Gallagher both led the acclaimed 1992 Guys and Dolls revival, as Adelaide and Sky, respectively—but the two didn’t share many scenes given the separate plot lines of those characters. As Belinda Blair and Lloyd Dallas in the also-acclaimed Noises Off revival 9 years later, they shared more on-stage time—and slammed far more doors.

In 2014, If/Then brought back together many cast and creative team members who had previously worked together. This included lead actors Idina Menzel and Anthony Rapp, sharing the stage again nearly two decades after originating the roles of Maureen and Mark in Rent. The show was also a reunion for LaChanze and Jerry Dixon, who had previously played star-crossed lovers in the original Broadway production of Once On This Island, 24 years earlier.

In 1960, Chita Rivera and Dick Van Dyke originated the roles of Rosie and Albert in the timeless classic Bye Bye Birdie. While the two didn’t officially star in another Broadway show together, 46 years later, they did share the stage at the Schoenfeld when Van Dyke stepped in for a four-performance special guest star appearance in Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life. Their reunion for “Rosie” more than four decades later was pure Broadway magic.

Two Broadway cast members reuniting to perform a hit they became known for is one thing—but what about five? A decade after Ain’t Misbehavin’ took Broadway by storm and won the 1978 Tony Award for Best Musical, the show returned to Broadway in a new production—with its entire original cast! Nell Carter, André De Shields, Armelia McQueen, Ken Page, and Charlaine Woodard all made the joint jump yet again.

Bye Bye Birdie wasn’t the first time that Rivera reunited with a past co-star, resulting in some serious stage fireworks. When Gwen Verdon was out of the original production of Chicago due to a brief illness, her replacement was none other than Liza Minnelli! Minnelli played Roxie to Rivera’s Velma only briefly in the summer of 1975, but it was certainly memorable for theatergoers—who got to see the duo pair up yet again in the 1984 cult flop The Rink.

Who are your favorite actors who have reunited in order to do more than one Broadway show together? 

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