Let’s not be coy: when it comes to New York stages (Broadway in particular), early spring 2014 has revealed itself as a celebrity goldmine — and not just with the big-buzz new shows popping up around town. Big names are equally on display in hit shows that have been tantalizing audiences for a while now.

A case in point is Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella — a gorgeous fairy tale in its first Broadway production that has had several TV incarnations, starting with its 1957 premiere with Julie Andrews — which has been lovingly recalibrated with a contemporary perspective by book writer Douglas Carter Beane. Charming audiences for a year now, the iconic rags-to-riches saga has recently welcomed several new cast members, including pop sensation Carly Rae Jepsen in the title role.

Jepsen — a multi-platinum singer/songwriter — stepped into the glass slippers previously worn by Tony nominee Laura Osnes on February 4th. And so far it appears the Grammy nominee (who hit Billboard’s top spot with the song “Call Me Maybe”) is a fairy tale natural, charming audiences of all generations from her “own little corner” of the Broadway Theatre. “Broadway has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl… I feel especially blessed to play this part and be reminded that you must never stop dreaming!”

And for fans of TV’s The Nanny, the show’s Wicked Stepmother, Madame, is played two-time Emmy nominee Fran Drescher. How fun is that?

Meanwhile on the Matilda front, get ready for a couple newsworthy additions to the company. Christopher Sieber, the musical-comedy chameleon who has given Broadway audiences serious bang for their comedy buck in such roles as the dashing Sir Dennis Galahad in Spamalot, the wonderfully wee Lord Farquaard in Shrek the Musical, and Georges to Harvey Fierstein’s Albin in the 2011 revival of La Cage Aux Folles, will make his debut on March 18th as Miss Agnes Trunchbull, headmistress from hell.

Sieber joins another newcomer to the cast, Matt Harrington, fresh from juggling multiple roles in the Broadway revivals of Twelfth Night and Richard III starring Mark Rylance. As of March 4th, Harrington will become Matilda’s egomaniacal father, Mr. Wormwood, replacing Tony winner Gabriel Ebert.

Billy Porter and The Angels (L-R: Kyle Post, Kevin Smith Kirkwood, Joey Taranto, and Paul Canaan)

One final heads-up in the “current hits” category: you can still catch Billy Porter, 2013’s Tony-winning leading man in Kinky Boots. By far the glam-est guy on Broadway — whether he’s getting audience hearts pumping alongside the ensemble in numbers like “Everybody Say Yeah,” kicking up his heels in thigh-high stiletto boots, or reaching an emotional crescendo with his solo “Hold Me in Your Heart” — Porter is not to be missed. As for Kinky Boots as a whole: get ready for a wild and uplifting thrill ride.

Idina Menzel in If/Then on Broadway

Regarding the myriad new shows coming to Broadway this spring, many are still in rehearsal so the opportunity-to-see-them window won’t open up until late in March and beyond. Still, there’s one hit percolating over at the Richard Rodgers Theatre that merits mention: If/Then, from the creators of the Pulitzer Prize-/Tony-winning Next to Normal. And while the show’s storyline — a woman returns to New York to start her life anew — stands out as being unique, especially for a musical, it also has a nice backstage-reunion twist. The leading lady is Tony winner Idina Menzel, who costars with Anthony Rapp — both of whom made their career breakthroughs in the 1996 Broadway production of Rent. They are joined by another not-to-be-missed actress, LaChanze, who took the theatre world by storm with her Tony-winning performance in The Color Purple.

Totally shifting gears, I am pleased to present my first Off-Broadway Editor’s Choice: The Tribute Artist, starring two of NYC’S most beloved, creative, and hilarious individuals: Charles Busch and Julie Halston. Busch, also an acclaimed playwright (The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife), penned this wonderfully madcap farce involving cross-dressing, dead bodies, and quite a bit of wine. New Yorkers and Busch-followers are already hopping on the ticket bandwagon, so it may sell out (it only runs through March 16th). I suggest scooping up your tickets ASAP at primarystages.org.

Celebrities in the Bullpen: VIPs Poised to Take on Broadway This Spring

Fact: Star-studded theatre seasons pop up every so often on the Great White Way. Revelation: Rarely do the boldface names pack the big-name wallop that is currently sweeping the city. 

Thanks to an impressive lineup of Academy Award victors (Estelle Parsons, Marisa Tomei, Denzel Washington) and primetime Emmy winners (Toni Collette, Bryan Cranston, Alan Cumming, Tyne Daly, Tony Shalhoub), theatregoers are looking at some major-league marquee clout this spring. 

And don’t even get me started on the high-profile Tony winners flexing their Broadway acting muscles this season — a vibrant amalgam of such theatre legends and breakout stars as John Cullum, Gabriel Ebert, LaChanze, Sutton Foster, Tracy Letts, Idina Menzel, Jim Norton, Anika Noni Rose, Stephen Spinella, and Karen Ziemba — plus the aforementioned Washington, Daly, and Cumming, who have scooped up Tony statuettes in recent decades.