14 Huge Stars Are Going to Broadway This Year

If you want to see Hugh Jackman in person, you typically have to be a) at the Oscars b) on a red carpet or c) in the audience of one of his Broadway plays. For most of us, the third option is the most realistic, but still not exactly easy — there's the price of tickets, the short run of shows, the desire of every other Wolverine-loving person to get front seats, too. Yet if you missed Jackman on Broadway the first few times he appeared, now's your chance; it's just been announced that Jackman will be starring in The River , a mystery-based drama set to begin performances in 2015.

With Jackman in the lead, the already acclaimed River will surely do well at the Broadway box office. The actor's a stage veteran, having won a Tony for 2003's The Boy From Oz and having anchored a sold-out, critically praised one-man-show back in 2011, among other ventures. The River will undoubtedly be another success for Jackman, proving, once again, that the entertainer is a man of many talents.

Unfortunately, the 2015 start date means that fans will have to wait quite awhile to see Jackman on-stage. In the meantime, though, there's many other big-name stars set to appear on Broadway this year. Start saving up:

1. Daniel Radcliffe

Like Jackman, Radcliffe is no stranger to Broadway. In 2011, he starred in an acclaimed revival of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and three years before, he stripped down for Equus, a play about a disturbed teen sexually attracted to horses. Radcliffe's trend of taking on unexpected roles continues with his latest Broadway stint, The Cripple of Inishmaan , a black comedy about a young man who tries to become a movie star. The play opens April 20.

2. James Franco and Chris O'Dowd

James Franco now has one more thing to add to his resume: Broadway star. Along with Bridesmaids ' Chris O'Dowd, Franco is starring in Of Mice and Men , the upcoming revival of John Steinbeck's classic work. The Spring Breakers star will play George to O'Dowd's Lenny, and Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester co-stars as Curley's wife. The play opens April 16.

3. Michelle Williams

For once, it's this Michelle Williams we're talking about when the subject of singing comes up. Along with Alan Cumming, Williams, making her Broadway debut, will star in the revival of Cabaret , the Berlin-set musical about the relationship between a cabaret performer and an American writer. As if the presence of Williams isn't exciting enough, Cabaret will be co-directed by Sam Mendes (Skyfall). The musical opens April 24.

4. Bryan Cranston

Well, this is something we can't imagine Heisenberg doing. Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston is set to appear as former president Lyndon B. Johnson in All The Way, a play about LBJ's controversial life. Cranston starred in the Cambridge production this summer, earning rave reviews for his performance. The play opens March 6.

5. Denzel Washington

Along with Diahann Carroll and Anika Noni Rose, Washington will star in A Raisin in the Sun, the acclaimed drama about a Chicago family facing discrimination. The actor previously starred in the 2010 production of Fences, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor. The play opens April 3.

6. Zach Braff

In Bullets Over Broadway , Braff plays a neurotic playwright (Woody Allen adapted the musical from his 1994 film) who gets in over his head when trying to bring his play to Broadway. Braff, for all his annoying qualities, should be a great Allen stand-in. The musical opens April 10.

7. Debra Messing

The Will & Grace star is currently appearing in Outside Mullingar , a romantic comedy about two introverted neighbors pining for each other. Mullingar is Messing's Broadway debut, but we're sure the actress' Smash training helped give her confidence. The play opened January 23.

8. Neil Patrick Harris

Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the cult rock musical, makes a memorable Braodway debut with Neil Patrick Harris in the lead role. For those unfamiliar, Harris plays Hedwig, a German transgender lead singer of a rock band. You'll want to see this. The musical opens April 22.

9. Michael C. Hall, Toni Collette, Tracy Letts and Marisa Tomei

The star-studded The Realistic Joneses , about two suburban couples whose paths cross, is one of the year's most highly anticipated. All four actors have theatrical backgrounds; Collette was a Tony nominee in 2000 for The Wild Party, Hall has appeared in several musicals and off-Broadway dramas, Tomei has a handful of plays under her belt, and Letts is the Tony-winning playwright of August: Osage County. The play will open April 6.

10. Ewan McGregor

McGregor is set to star in The Real Thing , a drama about a playwright whose affair, and subsequent marriage crises, imitates his art. The actor, a theater veteran, most recently starred in a production of Othello. The play opens October 3.