Can you feel the love tonight? 8 real-life couples who met on Broadway

There must be something in the air backstage at Broadway theatres, as the Great White Way has inspired almost as many romances as Strictly Come Dancing. It's a common occurrence for feelings to fly when actors co-star in Broadway productions; so common, in fact, that this phenomenon has been given a name: showmance.

Of course, showmances aren't limited to the Broadway stage. From Katie Price and Peter Andre meeting on I'm a Celebrity, to Tom Holland and Zendaya recreating their Spider-Man romance in real life, love is often found through the big and small screens. But what is it about being under the spotlight of a Broadway stage in particular that leads to so many relationships?

Well, acting is famously an incredibly emotionally vulnerable process. While preparing for any sort of Broadway show, be it a hard-hitting drama or a musical comedy, actors must reach deep inside themselves to access a well of emotions. As a result, actors spend their days baring their soul to each other.

Actors working together on a production become more than simply colleagues. After all, baring the deepest, rawest parts of yourself to someone day after day builds an innate closeness and sense of trust between two people. Plus, working together on something as labour-intensive as a Broadway show requires you to spend a lot of time together – the perfect space for feelings to develop.

With a whole range of emotions running high and the lines between acting and real life beginning to blur, it's no wonder that so many couples emerge from the stage. We're taking a deep dive into some of the most famous examples – and exploring just how their feelings began to develop.

Broadway power couples who met on the stage

1. Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster

Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster are THE Broadway couple that has had the musical theatre world buzzing for the past year – not least of all because the pair were both married to other people shortly before confirming their relationship. Who doesn't love a bit of drama?

Taking this into account, it's understandable that Foster and Jackman haven't said much publicly about the early development of the relationship. The couple had met early in their Broadway careers, but it was during the 2021 revival of The Music Man that the pair began to grow closer, eventually stepping out as an official couple in January 2025.

In a 2022 interview with Vogue, Foster said the following about working with Jackman: "He has an impeccable reputation of being the hardest working man, incredibly kind, and generous – and all of that is true. He disarms everyone, and he doesn’t make anything about him. And he’s now become one of my best friends."

Whether it was the marching band uniforms or rousing brass marches that heated things up between them, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster have cemented themselves as Broadway's latest power couple.

2. Daveed Diggs and Emmy Raver-Lampman

This iconic couple met on the original Broadway production of Hamilton where Diggs was playing Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson and Raver-Lampman was a member of the ensemble. The pair remained close friends after their time together in Hamilton, with Raver-Lampman leaving in April 2016 and Diggs in July 2016.

It's unclear when this friendship first blossomed into a relationship as Diggs and Raver-Lampman are famously very private people. The first reporting on their relationship came in July 2020, followed by a beautiful Architectural Digest tour of their home in 2021 (a true comfort watch for any interior design fans!).

Now the pair have welcomed a Broadway baby and are expecting their second. Raver-Lampman gave an insight into how parenting has changed their relationship in a tongue-in-cheek Instagram caption. "Dear baby, you have forever changed us. our hearts are filled with a kind of love we never thought possible," she wrote. "We love you more than you will truly ever know. thank you for choosing us. now please…go the f**k to sleep. love, mom and dad. ♥️"

3. Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada

Power couple Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada have gone through hell and back together – literally. While the pair first met on the 2018 National Theatre production of Hadestown, they've gone on to be known as a true Broadway powerhouse duo.

The pair starred together in Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club in 2025, before returning to the theme of doomed romance in The Great Gatsby on Broadway earlier this year.

From what we've learned from interviews, it appeared to be love at first sight between the two. Speaking in a CBR in Studio interview, Carney recalled: "My first impression of Eva was wow she's beautiful and wow she's talented because I met her at our chemistry read. And also intimidating at the time – I didn't think that Eva liked me because apparently she was intimidated by me.

"My second impression was she is the nicest person in the world, and we became best friends over the course of six months before getting together."

Noblezada echoed this, saying: "We were both playing it cool and we were both intimidated. I walked in and you were so cool. You were chewing gum and you looked so good and you smelled so good and I was like who the f**k is this guy?"

4. Andrew Rannells and Tuc Watkins

When Andrew Rannells and Tuc Watkins shared their first kiss, there were around 700 people watching. The pair first met playing couple Larry and Hank in the 2018 Broadway revival of The Boys in the Band and have shared many a smooch since then.

Speaking about their love story on The Drew Barrymore Show, Rannells said: "It's called a showmance. It's when you fall in love during a show. We met and I felt like such a lazy actor that I fell in love with my co-star. I was like, 'This is so cliché.'

"He's very attractive. What was I supposed to do? Not date him? It was strange. Like the first time we kissed, it was for work... but it was weird. It was like, 'Oh we're getting paid to do this.'"

The couple reprised their roles in The Boys in the Band Netflix film adaptation and have also played lovers in dark comedy series Black Monday. After all, the couple that plays together, stays together.

5. Patrick Page and Paige Davis

Whoever would have foreseen sparks flying between a candelabra and a feather duster? However, that's exactly what happened when Patrick Page met Paige Davis during the 1994 Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast.

Page and Paige married in 2001 and have been together ever since. Speaking to TheaterMania, Page described their first date, which took place on the Beauty and the Beast tour, as follows: "When we got [to Minneapolis], we needed new coats – I had never encountered this kind of cold before. So, we say okay, we'll go to the Eddie Bauer together and we'll buy coats and we've always thought of that as our first date." A tale as old as time, eh?

Both actors are still regular features in Broadway, with the velvety-voiced Page making waves as Hades in Hadestown, and Davis tackling Roxie Hart in the 2018 Broadway revival of Chicago.

6. Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson

Few people know that '90s darlings Liam Neeson and the late Natasha Richardson first met on the Broadway revival of the play Anna Christie.

The story goes that Richardson helped bring the play to New York and specifically sought out Neeson to star as her love interest. Despite several complicated factors (Richardson was married to producer Robert Fox, Neeson was only several months on from proposing to Brooke Shields), the pair fell in love and made their red carpet debut a few months after the play's end (and Richardson's timely divorce).

The couple married in 1994 and remained together until Natasha Richardson's tragic death in 2009. Neeson retains fond memories of the late actress, reflecting on their Broadway meet-cute in a 2025 New York Times interview: "It was great doing it every night with her and falling in love."

7. Audra McDonald and Will Swenson

In 2007, the Queen of Broadway found her king. Audra McDonald met Will Swenson on the set of the 110 in the Shade Broadway revival. The pair made their red carpet debut in 2009 and tied the knot in 2012.

Looking to McDonald and Swenson, we not only see a bona-fide Broadway romance, but also the secrets to a strong Broadway marriage. In a recent interview with People, McDonald revealed that they "really try to go no more than three weeks apart with work" and stressed the importance of communication to a long-lasting marriage.

She also revealed: "You have to be friends first. If you don't have the friendship base, then I don't [think] that marriages can survive."

8. Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs

Although this couple are no longer together, any list of Broadway power couples wouldn't be complete without mentioning Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs. The duo met on the original Broadway production of Rent, with Menzel playing Maureen and Diggs playing Benny – roles they both reprised in the 2005 film adaptation.

The couple tied the knot in 2003 and welcomed their son Walker Nathaniel six years later, before eventually separating in 2013. However, Mendel and Diggs are very much still in each other's life, providing a shining example of healthy co-parenting.

Speaking to People about his post-marriage relationship with Menzel, Diggs said: "We were friends to start out with, but especially when you have a kid in the mix, there's no time for any negativity. He's our main objective, he's what's most important for us, so we're still there as a family."

For more recommendations check out the Theatre section or listen to our new podcast In the Interval. Plus, our Jesus Christ Superstar review and Beetlejuice review. We also have events like the best kids theatre shows and best West End shows.