Singer John Legend is producing an off-Broadway show in New York City, premiering Feb. 24. The Grammy winning artist’s upcoming show, directed by Drew Barr of the Chapelle Show, is called 3 Mics and it’ll be starring comedian Neal Brennan. The show will feature three microphones on the stage that Brennan will alternate from, talking one-liners, stand-up, and heartfelt moments.
Legend isn’t the first celebrity to be taking the theatre world on though. There’s plenty of other stars that have dabbled in live theatre before, whether it’s on or off Broadway.
Here are some other notable celebrities that have made the theatre their domain for some time.
Daniel Radcliffe
The Harry Potter star branched out to acting in the wonderful world of theatre starting in 2008. His first gig was playing Alan Strang in the London and New York productions of Equus, then in 2011 he moved onto Broadway musical revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying . But that’s not all! Daniel Radcliffe was also in The Cripple of Inishmaan, on and off Broadway. He still acts in movies of course, but he’s got quite the theatre track record too!
Vanessa Hudgens
Like Radcliffe, Vanessa Hudgens also acted in a broadway production. She played a young French woman in Gigi, which actually received negative reviews in general. Although it wasn’t technically a theatre show, Hudges also performed live on television recently as Rizzo in Grease: LIVE. Although her father passed away right before the musical went to air, Hudgens took the old theatre mantra, “the show must go on,” and stayed true to its meaning.
Nick Jonas
Nick Jonas kicked off his career as an entertainer in the theatre world as a child. The superstar may not have done broadway, but it was his first stab at acting, before he became the professional singer/actor he is now. Some of the plays he acted in were A Christmas Carol (at eight-years-old), Annie Get Your Gun, Beauty and the Beast, Les Miserables, The Sound of Music, and more. Can we also take a moment to appreciate how adorable he was as a child theatre actor in the photo above?
Michael Cera
Canadian actor Michael Cera may be known for playing the awkward shy guy in movies, but he’s expanded his resume to include being an actor in a Broadway revival production (one that’s originally from 1996). Cera played in This Is Our Youth in 2014 with Kieran Culkin (A.K.A the brother of Macaulay Culkin, the little boy from Home Alone). The production ran until Jan. 4, 2015.
Neil Patrick Harris
NPH is no stranger to the theatre. He acted in 2001’s concert performance of Sweeney Todd, and that’s just for starters. He’s also been in Cabaret, and Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins just to name a few, and even directed a 2010 production of Rent. Harris also won a Tony Award for his starring Broadway role in Hedwig and the Angry Intch for Best Leading Actor In A Musical. Neil Patrick Harris also has hosted the Tony Award show a whopping four times!
James Franco
James Franco made his Broadway debut in 2014 in a production of the classic Of Mice and Men. The play’s based on the John Steinbeck novel of the same name. Although he was in a bit of a scandal revolving around texting an underage girl around the time he was about to make his debut, Franco pushed on, and took the stage as George Milton.
*Bows to the fans during final curtain call*
