Don’t expect former “Dancing With the Stars” champ and “Glee” star Amber Riley to join her former castmates on Broadway anytime soon.
The multi-hyphenate revealed in a social media thread that she will only perform on the Great White Way when “the culture changes.”
Amber Riley Says Certain Changes Must Be Made Before She’d Consider a Broadway Role
Amber Riley, who played Mercedes Jones on the beloved FOX series “Glee” and won Season 17 of “Dancing With the Stars,” responded to a statement made on the social media site, Threads. The initial comment read, “I’m sorry, but NYC be running these theater actors ragged like they in the Marines. It can’t be sustainable nor healthy!”
Riley replied, “It’s not. That’s why when people hassle me about it, I say when the culture changes maybe I’ll do it.”
“But as of now, asking people to sing at the top of their range 8 shows a week without proper support or compensation, absolutely not. You can have all the training in the world, which I do, and you can STILL injure. It’s not sustainable or healthy. Any ENT doctor will tell you that,” she explained.
Riley added, “People get mad at me when I say it, but I am a trained singer, and even I had so much trouble getting through the year. And you’re just expected to do it. There’s no support. It’s just shut up and sing.”
She concluded her remarks by saying that “theatre performers are the hardest workers in the business, bar none. They should be compensated properly and protected. Broadway performers should be making BANK.”
Who is On Broadway That Starred With Amber Riley in ‘Glee?’
Currently, there are a trio of former “Glee” stars who are starring in separate Broadway musicals.
Matthew Morrison, who played Will Schuester on the FOX series, is currently starring in “Just in Time,” a musical chronicling the life of entertainer Bobby Darin. He took over for another “Glee” alum, Jonathan Groff, who starred in “Hamilton” and “Spring Awakening.”
Darren Criss, who played Blaine Anderson, stars in the musical “Maybe Happy Ending.” He originated the role beginning in 2024. Previously, he starred in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” and “Little Shop of Horrors.”
Lea Michele, who portrayed Rachel Berry, stars in “Chess.” Previously, she starred in a revival of “Funny Girl,” “Les Misérables,” “Ragtime,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” and “Spring Awakening.”
Amber Riley starred in the West End production of “Dreamgirls” as Effie White. She won a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in 2017.
