Yesterday, the Associated Press named its eight Breakthrough Entertainers of the Year, the fifth annual list from the American news agency. This year’s honorees include “Todo de Ti” rapper Rauw Alejandro, Outside the Wire actor Damson Idris, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor Simu Liu, “Best Friend” rapper Saweetie, Squid Game actor Anupam Tripathi, and White Lotus actress Sydney Sweeney, plus musical actresses Adrienne Warren and Rachel Zegler, the first theater performers named since Beanie Feldstein made the AP’s inaugural list in 2017.
Adrienne Warren made her Broadway debut in the 2012 musical Bring It On and received a 2016 Tony nomination for her performance in Shuffle Along. Her breakthrough came when she was cast in the title role of the 2018 West End production of Tina, for which she received an Olivier nomination. She reprised that role in the 2019 Broadway premiere and received a Tony Award. Below is Warren at the 2019 Oliviers.
High school student Rachel Zegler performed Maria in West Side Story at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in 2017, so when director Steven Spielberg posted an open casting call in 2018 for a new film adaptation of the muscial, the 16-year-old Zegler sent in videos of herself singing the show’s “Tonight” and “I Feel Pretty” — and beat out 35,000 hopefuls to win the film role. Below is Zegler and Ansel Elgort in a clip of “Tonight.”