Special Reports

5 Broadway Stars to Look for Alongside Michael Keaton in Birdman

You’ll feel like an insider when you spot these stage favorites on the big screen.

The new Broadway-themed film Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) hits theaters today, and joining a cast that includes Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, and Naomi Watts is a host of very recognizable New York theater folks. Make sure to look for these five as you watch the movie at your local cinema and remember when you last saw them in the flesh.

Michael Keaton and Edward Norton head to Broadway in the new film Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).
Michael Keaton and Edward Norton head to Broadway in the new film Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).
(© Alison Rosa/Fox Searchlight)

1. Jeremy Shamos

The Clybourne Park Tony nominee appears briefly as Ralph, an actor in the fictional Broadway show What We Talk About When We Talk About Love who doesn't get along with its star, Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), and suffers the dire consequence.


2. Jackie Hoffman

You'd recognize the voice of this On the Town star anywhere. Especially when she's shouting from the rooftops.


3. Lindsay Duncan

The Tony winner and cast member of the upcoming A Delicate Balance revival plays Tabitha, the poison-tongued lead theater critic for The New York Times who vows to bring the show down.


4. Stephen Adly Guirgis

Best known for his plays Between Riverside and Crazy, The Motherf**ker With the Hat, and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Guirgis gets to stretch his acting muscles with a brief cameo as Good Neighbor.


5. Susan Blackwell

The [title of show] favorite has a blink-or-you'll-miss-it appearance as an opening-night theatergoer. We know she has experience in this department.