My kids were watching TV in the background when a dragon started singing and stopped me in my tracks. “Is that…?” I started to ask myself. Then the realization hit. “Oh my gosh, it is!” It was Tony-winning actress Renée Elise Goldsberry. She was voicing a singing dragon in the animated TV movie Dragon Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing.
It turns out, a surprising number of Broadway’s top talent lend their voices to kids' shows and made-for-TV movies. So if you’d like to steer your kids to programs that are music to your ears, read on to discover shows that will bring Broadway royalty into your living room. I’ll focus on two shows packed with musical theater stars, and point you to other shows where you can find them.
Elena of Avalor
Disney+ doesn’t just bring Broadway talent by streaming Broadway shows. It also casts them in its animated shows. Set in the fictional kingdom of Avalor, it follows Elena, the crown princess, who protects her kingdom from magical threats. Elena of Avalor is a musical show, so it makes perfect sense that it turned to Broadway actors to voice some of its massive cast of characters.
Tony Shalhoub
Though many know him from TV shows like Monk and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Shalhoub boasts an impressive string of Broadway credits. He won a Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for playing band leader Tewfiq Zakaria in The Band’s Visit, as well as three other Tonys for roles in straight plays. Other Broadway musical credits include Golden Boy and Lend Me a Tenor.
He voices the evil wizard Zopilote in Elena of Avalor. You can also hear his voice in Mickey and the Roadster Racers, where he reprises his role as Luigi from Cars.
Eden Espinosa
Espinosa was recently nominated for a Tony for Best Actress in a Musical for playing the title role in Lempicka on Broadway. She also created the title character in Brooklyn.
Espinosa voices Orizaba in Elena of Avalor, a moth fairy who wants to make nighttime permanent. You can also hear her in Alice’s Wonderland Bakery as the Queen of Hearts and Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure as Cassandra.
Andrea Martin
Andrea Martin seems to be everywhere. This prolific actress has a long list of TV and film credits to her name. She also starred on Broadway in revivals of Pippin (Tony nomination), Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma! (Tony nomination), and Candide (Tony nomination), and originated roles in My Favorite Year (Tony award) and Young Frankenstein (Tony Nomination).
As befits Broadway royalty, Martin voices a queen, Queen Abigail, in Elena of Avalor. She’s just as prolific in doing kids’ show voiceovers as she is in everything else. You can also hear Martin in The Patrick Star Show, Mickey and the Roadster Racers, Sesame Street, and The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, among others.
Titus Burgess
Even though he’s received multiple Emmys, Burgess's background is on Broadway. He starred in a revival of Guys and Dolls on Broadway before taking the theater world by storm with his high notes as Sebastian in The Little Mermaid.
You’ll find him in Elena of Avalor as Charoca, a volcano monster. He also narrated a reboot of Teletubbies.
James Monroe Iglehart
Another actor who seems to be everywhere, Iglehar originated roles in A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical (Tony nomination), Spamalot (revival cast), & Juliet, Freestyle Love Supreme, Aladdin (Tony award), and Memphis.
Iglehart lends his impressive voice to the wizard Bronzino in Elena of Avalor. He's also in a remarkable range of kids’ shows, including Superkitties, Firebuds, Not Quite Narwhal, Alma’s Way, Santiago of the Seas, Bubble Guppies, Alice’s Wonderland Bakery, Ducktales, Vampirina, and Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure.
Anthony Ramos
Ramos’ Broadway claim to fame is portraying John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the original cast of Hamilton.
Ramos plays Tito in Elena of Avalor, a thief who, fittingly, hypnotizes victims with his voice. You can also find him in Trolls Holiday in Harmony as Trollex.
Taye Diggs
Though Diggs has since stepped in as a replacement in numerous Broadway shows, his big theater claim to fame was as Benjamin Coffin III in the original cast of Rent (which he reprised in the movie).
Diggs voices Sanza, a mischievous spirit jaguar in Elena of Avalor. He’s lent his voice to a few other kids’ shows, including The Superhero Squad Show; Doc MacStuffins; Ada Twist, Scientist; Robo Gobo; and as King Triton in Disney Jr.’s Ariel.
Sara Ramirez
Before their years-long stint on Grey’s Anatomy, Ramirez capped off a handful of Broadway roles by winning the Tony for originating The Lady of the Lake in the original cast of Spamalot.
Ramirez plays a crossover role in Elena of Avalor, bringing over their Sofia the First character, Queen Miranda. You can also hear them in Dora the Explorer and Vampirina.
Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure
Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure is an animated series set after the events of the movie Tangled. It’s also a good way to offer your kids other Tangled content since the live-action feature probably isn’t happening. It features the return of characters Rapunzel and Eugene, along with a cast of new friends. It also continues the movie’s legacy as a musical series.
Zachary Levi
Most would know Levi from his work in film and TV. But he also starred on Broadway in the original cast of First Date and the 2016 revival of She Loves Me, for which he received a Tony nomination.
Levi reprises his role from Tangled in this series. He also voices Eugene in Disney Comics in Motion and the TV movie Tangled: Before Ever After. You’ll also find him in Lego Jurassic World: The Indominus Escape.
Jeremy Jordan
Jordan has an impressive list of Broadway credits, originating leading roles in Newsies the Musical (Tony nomination), Floyd Collins (Tony nomination), The Great Gatsby, American Son, and Bonnie and Clyde.
Jordan voices Varian, a young alchemist, in Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure. Other kids’ shows credits include Superkitties and Megamind Rules!
Donna Murphy
On Broadway, Murphy has originated roles in The People in the Picture (Tony nomination), LoveMusik (Tony nomination), and Passion (Tony). She also starred in revivals of Wonderful Town and The King and I (Tony).
In Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, Murphy reprises her role as Gothel from Tangled. She also appears in The Bravest Knight.
Gavin Creel
Creel boasted numerous starring Broadway credits before dying suddenly of cancer last year. Broadway credits include Into the Woods, Hello, Dolly! (Tony), She Loves Me, Hair (Tony nomination), La Cage aux Folles, and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony nomination).
Creel voices Matthews, one of the villains in Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure. He also voices characters in the TV movies Eloise at Christimas and Eloise at the Plaza.
Christian Borle
Funnily enough, Borle replaced Gavin Creel as Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie. His original Broadway credits include Tammy Faye, Some Like It Hot (Tony nomination), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Falsettos (Tony nomination), Something Rotten! (Tony), Peter and the Starcatcher (Tony), Legally Blonde (Tony nomination), and Spamalot.
Borle plays Father at a magical tea party in Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure. You’ll also find him in Helpsters, Vampirina, and Sofia the First.
As a theater nerd, I was so excited that my kids were getting exposed to some of the best voices on Broadway in their favorite TV shows. Before this, I never would’ve associated kids’ TV with top signing talent. It certainly makes hearing the same episodes on repeat a little more palatable.