One of my favorite parts
about going to shows is getting to see all of these talented actors who are
poised to become the next “it” actors of the theater! It is such a treat to get
to see them perform and think that they are on their way to becoming next big thing-we’ve definitely
seen it before from Brian D’Arcy James, Kristin Chenoweth, Audra McDonald,
Andrew Rannells, Jon Groff, Lea Michele and now Jeremy Jordan. While considered
somewhat “unknown” today these extremely talented people are bright stars of
our tomorrow!
1.Barrett Wilbert-Weed
Where You’ve Seen Her:
Veronica in Heathers and Nadia in Bare:The Musical
From her breakout performance
in Bare to most recent triumph in Heathers, Barrett is a standout
performer with the acting chops and pipes to match-also I went to see Bare and Heathers with different friends who each said the same thing about
her “Her voice is incredible-she’s going to be the next big thing!”
2.Taylor Trensch
Where You’ve Seen Him:
Christopher alt. in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Nighttime, Boq in Wicked, Peter
in Bare:The Musical and more
Taylor is one of those
performers that is for one consistently putting out great work but is also
incredibly diverse. From his funny one-liners as Matilda’s brother in Matilda
to his moving and heart-wrenching performances as Peter and Christopher he has
proven that he can successfully take on roles from all different genres.
3.Courtney Reed
Where You’ve Seen Her:
Jasmine in Aladdin, Carla in In the Heights and Mamma Mia
I said it before in my post
about Aladdin, but Courtney is a star
in the making. Playing an iconic Disney character can do that, look at Sierra
Boggess but, Courtney has the presence and a voice that is comparable to Lea
Salonga which will only work in her favor. I’m going to start the campaign for
her as Pocahontas in a musical of the classic film(or Rapunzel in Tangled as she’s said before) and Kim in
Miss Saigon now!
4.Alysha Umphress
Where You’ve Seen Her:
Hildy in On The Town and American
Idiot
The breakout star of the
year, Alysha has shown her impeccable comedic timing and killer voice in her
star-making turn as the candidly funny cab driver Hildy in On The Town, delivering a performance that people will remember for
years. Oh, she’s also a fellow Barbra fanatic-need I say more!
5.Joshua Henry
Where You’ve Seen Him:
Flick in Violet, Bring it On, Jake
in Porgy and Bess and more
While he is no stranger to
the theater-he’s got quite the resume and his beautiful performance as Flick in Violet took all the notice, I left wanting to see more work of his. Flick was one of those roles that people will look back on and remember as well as brag to their friends how they loved him in a show before he was a big theater sensation!
6.Ciara Renee
Where You’ve Seen Her:
Leading Player in Pippin, the Witch in Big Fish and Esmeralda in the upcoming
Broadway Production in The Hunchback of
Notre Dame
I had the pleasure of seeing
Ciara when she was in Big Fish and
while I missed her in Pippin, I have
tickets to go see her in Hunchback at
Papermill. In Big Fish, Ciara gave
one of those performances that was so memorable, yet she had a smaller role. It
was clear that that was not the last that we would see of her. Not only is she
a dead ringer for Esmeralda but now, she too joins the ranks of the Disney
stage performers something that I’m sure will present her with many more
incredible opportunities!
7.David St. Louis
Where You’ve Seen Him:
Jake in Side Show and more
In a role that was previously
inhabited by Norm Lewis in the original production, David gave an outstanding
and touching performance that made everyone take notice. While it still saddens
me that the Side Show has closed, as
well as hoping for a Tony nod for him, I know that is not the last that we will
see of him.
8. Janel Parrish
Where You’ve Seen Her:
Mona in Pretty Little Liars, For the Record shows in LA and Young Cosette
in Les Miserables
You might know her from the
TV world as Mona on Pretty Little Liars or
most recently Dancing With the Stars but
Janel has been working in theater since she was a child. With past work
including the L.A. production of Spring
Awakening, she’s currently performing out in L.A. in the For The Record shows which celebrate the
films of accomplished directors with the likes of Tracie Thoms (Rent), Lindsay
Pearce(The Glee Project) and Corbin Reid(Rent Off-Broadway). Known for her
acting, Janel has got an incredible voice and personality that will make all
theater audiences take notice. If Miss
Saigon ever comes back to Broadway along with Courtney, Janel is on my
short list to play Kim!
9.Taylor Louderman
Where You’ve Seen Her:
Wendy in NBC’s Peter Pan Live! and Campbell in Bring It On:The Musical
From cheerleader to Wendy
Darling, Taylor has proven not only her wonderful voice but ability to hold her
own as the sole female in group of Lost Boys! As the other NBC Live! broadcast
has done, it has brought Taylor some well-deserved exposure that I am hoping
will lead to more incredible opportunities!
10. Matt Shingledecker
Where You’ve Seen Him:
Fiyero in Wicked, Roger in Rent Off-Broadway, Tony in West
Side Story and Spring Awakening
I first saw Matt in Rent and if anything it was clear that
he has a star-like quality about him. He has played some loved and well-known
roles that have been done by many other iconic theater actors, not an easy
thing to do. But he makes the roles his own in shows such as Rent and Spring Awakening, which have massive fan bases. I can’t wait to see
him in Wicked and if you haven’t I
strongly urge you to listen to his rendition of One Song Glory, you won’t
regret it!
XOXO
-Bwaygirl828
