Ace Young and Corbin Bleu - Top Ten Broadway Replacements

Ace and Corbin made the list of "Top Ten Broadway Replacements" from BroadwaySpace. This is a list from recent shows, and unfortunately "Hair" is no longer running.

From BroadwaySpace:

10. Corbin Bleu - as Usnavi in In The Heights

His face may be plastered all over teenage girls' walls and little kid lunch boxes, but Corbin Bleu was an unlikely replacement for a lead role in a Broadway show. Or at least, that's what everyone thought. Most people doubted Lin-Manuel Miranda's choice to let the High School Musical star take over the role he received a Tony nomination for. Many said that they didn't believe Bleu would have the chops and be able to hold his own on stage. They called it and blatant stunt cast and said it would fail. How wrong they were. Mister Miranda stuck up for his choice and let Corbin's performance speak for itself. Over the last few months, Corbin Bleu has won over not only Broadway fans in general, but some of the most die-hard In The Heights fans as well. Although he's a very handsome fellow, he seems to play the geeky, self-conscious Usnavi very well. We know from seeing him on t.v. and the big screen that the guy can dance, but you'd never know it when you see him pull on that cap and play the lead role in his show. As Lin said, he raps the heck out of the part and sings the musical lines better than we could have hoped.

6. Ace Young - as Berger in Hair

It's always rough to follow someone who was nominated for a Tony in the role just a short while before you have to take over, but Ace Young didn't seem to be bothered by the feat of stepping into Will Swenson's shoes. Physically he's easy on the eyes, and can we talk about those arms for a moment? One fan summed it up by saying, "He was the role, he looked the role, he sang the role." From the top of the show when he comes out as crazy as can be, scaring audience members in the front row, to the end when he's protesting to save his best friend's life, he is Berger. Everyone has concerns when they hear that someone from "American Idol" is going to be hitting the great white way, but we love it even more when they overcome the obstacles the show puts before them. We love when they're better than we all expect. Ace Young far exceeded expectation!

Read more at BroadwaySpace