BROADWAY DREAM ROLES Brings Out Lillias White, Jordan Fisher, Ali Stroker and More

Broadway mainstays and rising stars lit up the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on April 20, 2026, for Broadway Dream Roles.

The lineup shared the songs from roles they’ve never gotten to play on a Broadway stage – until now, revealing the role that remained just out of reach, along with the story behind why.

Produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Broadway Dream Roles delivered an electrifying lineup of Broadway favorites: Jordan Fisher  (Little Shop of Horrors), Tony Award winner Santino Fontana (Tootsie, voice of Hans in the Frozen films), Sydney James Harcourt (CATS: The Jellicle Ball), 2025 Jimmy Award winner Chris Hayes, Hailey Hyde  (The Outsiders), Arielle Jacobs (Here Lies Love), four-time Tony nominee Judy Kuhn (The Baker’s Wife), Jeigh Madjus (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Christiani Pitts (Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)), Tony winner Ali Stroker (Oklahoma!), Donald Webber Jr. (Hamilton) and Tony winner Lillias White(Hadestown). 

Tony winner Francis Jue (Yellow Face) hosted the standing-room-only event with his endless warmth and wit – even sharing his own dream role, Madame Armfeldt in A Little Night Music.

“She has all the best lines,” Jue said. “She sings exactly one song, which absolutely kills. And she gets carried around by a hunky man for most of the show. I mean, what more could you want?”

The stories shared were:

 When Jordan Fisher was 13, he was invited to Jason Robert Brown’s home to sing from the then-in-development musical 13. Sitting in his studio, Brown asked if Fisher knew any of his work – spurring the teen to launch into the Man 2 track from Songs for a New World. That moment sparked a lifelong friendship between the two, and ignited Fisher’s dream of one day playing Man 2 on Broadway. At Broadway Dream Roles, he brought that dream to life with an emotionally rich performance of “She Cries.”

 Christiani Pitts has been manifesting her dream role of Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act since her college theater days, spending hours in her dorm watching bootleg videos and rehearsing “Fabulous Baby” until it was second nature. At Broadway Dream Roles, that long-held vision came to life as Pitts delivered an absolutely fabulous performance, filled with unadulterated joy and a sky-high belt.

Growing up in Brooklyn, Lillias White spent hours playing 45s and performing in the mirror, hairbrush in hand. Among those records in heavy rotation was Annie Get Your Gun, as she dreamed of one day playing Annie Oakley. Before launching into a heartfelt rendition of “I Got Lost in His Arms,” she hilariously quipped that while she didn’t have any arms to get lost in at the moment, perhaps she’d find someone that night.

Santino Fontana’s grandfather introduced him to music and movies – and one of his favorite songs, Sammy Davis Jr.’s “Who Can I Turn To.” Later in life, Fontana discovered that the song is from The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd, a rarely produced show with a cast album from the ’60s he couldn’t stop listening to. It’s transformed into a passion project for Fontana, as he is currently diving into reworking the piece for modern audiences. In honor of his grandpa, he shared a jazzy performance of “Who Can I Turn To.”

When Ali Stroker became a mother a few years ago, it changed everything. Her highs, her lows, her anxieties, her joys, all intensified. It also completely changed the way she connected to Mother in Ragtime, a role she first experienced through the emotions of her own mom. Equipped with her perspective as a daughter and now mother, she shared the show’s breathtaking anthem “Back to Before.”

When Donald Webber Jr. was growing up in Los Angeles, he braved endless traffic to Amoeba Music, the only store he knew that sold show tunes. There, he picked up the cast recording of Five Guys Named Moe, drawn to the image of five joyous Black men on the album cover. It was a moment that changed his life. At Broadway Dream Roles, he honored that inner theater kid by stepping into all five roles, bringing each to life with charisma and soul in a spirited medley.

Broadway stalwart and four-time Tony nominee Judy Kuhn has built a rich life in the theater – but not without sacrifice. She has long dreamed of playing Desiree in A Little Night Music, a character who, like Kuhn, grapples with the realities of balancing life as both a performer and a mother. Drawing on those parallels and her own lived experience, Kuhn delivered a stirring performance of the iconic “Send in the Clowns.”

As a burgeoning theater kid, Sydney James Harcourt became obsessed with all things Bob Fosse, an affinity deepened through Ann Reinking’s summer program. Years later, he nearly stepped into the role of Sid in The Pajama Game, where he fell for the deep cut “A New Town is a Blue Town.” The role ultimately slipped away – a loss that lingered Harcourt finally claimed the moment at Broadway Dream Roles, delivering a smooth, crooning take on the jazzy number.

As a performer whose sexuality, racial identity and vocal style have never fit neatly into a box, Jeigh Madjusspent less time dreaming of a specific role and more time wondering if there was space for him on Broadway at all. That changed with Jesus Christ Superstar – particularly the role of Judas and the song “Heaven on Their Minds” – which showed him that dream might be possible, after all. At Broadway Dream Roles, Madjus stepped into that possibility, delivering a tour de force vocal performance.

Arielle Jacobs shared a memorable encounter with the legendary Stephen Sondheim, recalling how she thanked him for inspiring her to become an artist. “Don’t blame me,” he quipped with a smile. Drawing a parallel between her own marriage and Sunday in the Park with George characters Dot and George – she grounded in the present, he always reaching toward the future – Jacobs welcomed her husband, performer J.J. Caruncho, to the stage for a stunning duet of “Move On.”

Rising star Hailey Hyde, currently understudying Cherry in The Outsiders, shared how seeing the touring production of Waitress in her home state of Utah sparked an instant connection to Jenna and her signature ballad, “She Used to Be Mine.” That dream came to life onstage as Hyde delivered a deeply felt, emotionally rich rendition of the beloved song.

2025 Jimmy Awards winner Chris Hayes reflected on his draw to morally complex characters like Burr in The Wild Party – roles that live in the gray and unravel from within. He channeled that intrigue into a haunting, vocally commanding performance of “What Is It About Her.”

Nichelle Lewis, celebrated for her poignant portrayal of Sarah in the acclaimed revival of Ragtime, closed the show with a powerhouse performance of Broadway Cares’ mobilizing anthem, “Help is On the Way,” written by David Friedman.

Tickets to this evening were made available as a perk for Broadway Cares’ major donors, Visionary Circle and Angels Circle members, and the NextGen Network and Colleen Dewhurst Legacy Society members, who received tickets as a special benefit of their annual support. For information about furthering your impact with Broadway Cares, contact Brian Marshall, senior development officer, at [email protected].

The evening was directed by Kristin Newhouse, joined by Will Van Dyke as music supervisor and orchestrator. The evening featured sound design by Craig Cassidy and lighting design by Katy Atwell. Hair and makeup was by Joshua Barry and Tiffany Hall. 

Photo Credit: Curtis Brown/Michael Hull