Broadway's Memorable Firsts: Actors and Producers Share Their Debut Stories

Imagine a room filled with Broadway's brightest stars, creators, and producers. Variety hosted their annual Business of Broadway Breakfast, and the talk was all about firsts. Cole Escola, who created "Oh Mary!", remembers seeing "Kiss Me, Kate" when he was 13. He wasn’t excited at first, but Marin Mazzie's grand entrance changed his mind. Jim Parsons, from "Our Town," had a tearful debut. He was nervous and cried after his first scene. Daniel Dae Kim, known for "Yellow Face," felt his heart pounding during his Broadway debut in "The King and I".

Zoey Deutch, making her Broadway debut in "Our Town", learned new words like SNOB (Saturday Night On Broadway). Ephraim Sykes had a similar experience. During his first rehearsal for "The Little Mermaid," he was confused by the term "button." Sammy Lopez, producer of "Job," was inspired by diversity in "In the Heights". Hunter Arnold, producer of "Maybe Happy Ending", has an interesting story about meeting Sandy Duncan when he was five.

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