Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Samantha Williams and More Celebrate Broadway Salutes 2026

On January 20, the Broadway community gathered at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square for the 16th annual Broadway Salutes, a celebration honoring those who have dedicated decades of their lives to the theater industry. Specifically, the event recognizes individuals who have worked on Broadway for 25, 35 and 50-plus years. "Broadway Salutes is about recognizing the people who have devoted decades of their lives to this industry. Their work forms the foundation of Broadway’s success, and this celebration ensures their contributions are seen, honored, and remembered," said Lauren Reid, co-chair of the Broadway Salutes committee and president of the John Gore Organization.

Organized by the Broadway League and the Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds (COBUG), the 2026 event honored 450 Broadway veterans from across all facets of the theater profession: actors and agents, stagehands and stylists, ticket sellers, ushers and more. Robert E. Wankel has had his hand in many different components of the theater business as Chairman and CEO of The Shubert Organization. “Broadway is one of the best businesses in New York and being here for 50 years and being very much involved in every aspect of Broadway has been nothing but a dream,” he said.

This year’s ceremony was hosted by Samantha Williams and featured a special performance from Tony nominee Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, who sang the classic ballad “What I Did for Love” from A Chorus Line. For Kritzer, known for her iconic roles in Spamalot, Beetlejuice, Something Rotten and many more, an event like this emphasizes the breadth of opportunities in theatrical spaces. “There’s so many different areas in the theater world that you can go into. It started for me when I was in high school—I got to be on the crew, and then I got to be in a play and then I got to be in a musical. I was exposed to so many different things,” said Kritzer. “So if acting doesn’t feel like something you want to do and you want to be a stagehand or stage manager or a writer or a director, I say go for it. Sky's the limit. Keep dreaming big. I mean, why not? I did and I’m here."

Kritzer was introduced at the event by legendary performer and original A Chorus Line cast member Baayork Lee. Lee made her Broadway debut at age five in the 1951 staging of The King and I. Williams, who was last seen on Broadway in Pirates! The Penzance Musical, spoke to the impact of these kinds of veterans. “As a younger artist, it's awesome to see people who have spent so many years a part of this community. It’s so inspiring for me. It takes hundreds of people to get a show running and then thousands of people to keep Broadway alive, especially right now.”

This sentiment was echoed by program co-director Marc Bruni, the director behind Broadway’s Jazz Age hit The Great Gatsby: “I think this is one of the best events of the year. It's the only thing that the League and all of the Coalition of Unions and Guilds produce together. It celebrates everyone in the Broadway community who has been doing what they do for 25, 35 and 50 plus years, which is an incredible achievement in any profession and more so in Broadway, where every year is a gift.”

See more from this year's Broadway Salutes in the video below!