13 Broadway Breakout Stars of 2017

This list could have been twice as long, but we stuck to a baker's dozen outstanding new talents that highlight a welcome increase in the racial inclusivity of Broadway casting, along with the incandescent spark that comes with encountering an unfamiliar stage presence for the first time. There also were noteworthy debuts from celebrated names this year, but as marvelous as he was in Arthur Miller's The Price, calling Danny DeVito a breakout at age 73, with a distinguished film and TV career behind him, seems a stretch. Likewise a stage newcomer with the superstardom of Amy Schumer, though she aces her Broadway bow alongside gifted fellow first-timer Keegan-Michael Key in Meteor Shower. A couple of our picks, like Six Degrees of Separation's Corey Hawkins, had already drawn attention in film roles. But the majority are just now making their marks, like the ebullient Beanie Feldstein, little sis of Jonah Hill, who delighted audiences this year in Hello, Dolly! on stage and Lady Bird on screen. And some of our breakouts can be commended for putting their own distinctive stamp on star-making roles that helped launch careers, including those of LaChanze, Lea Salonga, Courtney B. Vance and B.D. Wong.