Yahoo Lifestyle 9 Celeb Couples Who Met Starring In Broadway Shows Together
Anyone who's been involved in theater is likely familiar with the concept of a showmance — aka, when two of the actors in a show start dating. While a lot of showmances fizzle out after the final curtain call, a few blossom into long-lasting relationships. Some of these couples last forever, while others end in a dramatic finale.
Here are 9 celeb couples who met while working on Broadway shows:
1.Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton first met at a 2018 charity gala for playwright Harold Pinter's birthday, where they did a reading of the central scene in Betrayal together. In 2019, they played Robert and Emma in a West End revival, and they reprised their roles when the show transferred to Broadway later that year.
After three years together, they got engaged in 2022.
2.Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs met while costarring in the original 1996 Broadway run of Rent. She originated the role of Maureen Johnson, and he originated the role of Benjamin Coffin III.
In 2003, they got married at the same Jamaican resort where he filmed How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
Two years later, they reprised their Rent roles in the movie adaptation.
However, in 2013, they announced their separation.
In 2014, Taye told Redbook, "I'd be lying if I said there weren't times when I thought, 'Oh, man, people are going to trip out [if we split].' Maybe they thought it was cute that we met in Rent. There weren't a lot of couples like us in the theater community — and I know there aren't a lot of performers as talented as she is… and then you have the whole mixed [race] thing. It was easy for people to root for us. Right now, we're still trying to figure out a lot of stuff because we're on different coasts, and our son is getting older."
In 2023, Idina told the podcast Dinner's on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "The thing that came into play more, I would say — he's talked about it too — is the interracial aspect of it. When you're in the theater, it's just not a thing. We all love each other, sleep with each other,r and [are] best friends with whoever whats to be, whatever sexual orientation. But when you leave that cocoon, that bubble, in his case, he's [in] PEOPLE's 50 most beautiful people...He was on the cover of Essence, Ebony, being interviewed by all these Black journalists. He had his own stuff to deal with in that.
...it seemed like there was disappointment in the community with him because he was married to a little white Jewish girl from some show that we don't even remember...It was less about being successful and more about that kind of stuff."
3.In 2015, Sara Bareilles and Joe Tippett met through Waitress's out-of-town trial at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before its move to Broadway. She wrote the score, and he played Earl. In 2021, he reprised his role on Broadway, and she starred as Jenna.
They got engaged on New Year's in 2023.
Joe told People, "It's like, all roads lead back to Waitress. It was really an incredible thing to be able to perform with her. Like, what a special thing to do, to get to be on Broadway with your partner."
4.Daveed Diggs and Emmy Raver-Lampman met during the original Broadway run of Hamilton in 2015. He originated the role of Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, and she was an ensemble member who understudied for Angelica Schuyler, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, and Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds.
They didn't get together during the show but remained close friends after both leaving the show at different points in 2016.
Their relationship was first reported in 2020.
5.In 2014, Jasmine Cephas Jones and Anthony Ramos met while rehearsing for Hamilton, in which they originated the roles of Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds and John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton, respectively.
They got engaged on Christmas Eve in 2018.
However, in 2021, they broke up amidst a viral TikTok video that seemingly alleged he was seen with another woman at a strip club. However, neither Anthony nor Jasmine has publicly addressed the details of their breakup or the TikTok video.
6.Audra McDonald and Will Swenson met in 2007 when they were both in the cast of the 110 in the Shade revival. She played Lizzie, the starring role, and he was the understudy for Bill Starbuck, a leading role.
In 2009, they reprised their roles for a benefit production at Utah's Hale Center.
In 2012, they got engaged on New Year's and married in October. They held their wedding at their house in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.
7.In 2018, Aaron Tveit and Ericka Hunter met while costarring in the original Broadway run of Moulin Rouge! He originated the role of Christian, and she was in the ensemble and understudied Arabia and La Chocolat.
8.Andy Karl and Orfeh met when he joined Saturday Night Fever as a replacement Joey in 2000. Orfeh originated the starring role of Annette.
They got married six months after he joined the cast.
In 2007, they costarred in Legally Blonde: The Musical, with Orfeh as Paulette and Andy as Kyle, the UPS delivery driver. Then, in 2018, they costarred in Pretty Woman: The Musical, with her as Kit De Luca and him as Edward (replacing Steve Kazee, who unexpectedly dropped out).
However, in 2024, they announced their separation.
In a joint Instagram statement, they said, "After 23 years of a wonderful loving relationship, both onstage and off, we have made the decision to separate. Keeping a marriage strong can be challenging, especially when working on opposite sides of the world, but we remain committed to building a strong future, whether together or apart. We ask for respect and privacy at this time."
9.And finally, in 2019, Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada met during rehearsals a week before Hadestown opened. He originated the role of Orpheus, and she originated the role of Eurydice.
They've reportedly been dating since 2019.
In 2023, Eva told Playbill, "Reeve is my best friend. He's also my soulmate, my partner. There's never ever going to be a reality in which I want to spend less time with him. To me, the hardest part about leaving the show is less time with Reeve — not really less time, it's just less stage time. But this is not the last show we're ever going to do together. We're going to hopefully do many, many, many shows together in different formats, and they're gonna be amazing."
They're set to reprise their roles on the West End in 2025.
Who's your favorite Broadway couple who've performed onstage together? Let us know in the comments!
