Broadway 3-peats: Casey Likes

Here is the second 3-peater in our new series, Broadway 3-peats, which recognizes theater folk who have made a big impression on us three times in a row. This young man has taken the New York theater scene by storm ever since he made a big splash at the 2019 Jimmy Awards, where he was a finalist. That brought him to the attention of casting agents for Almost Famous. He got the lead, and the rest is history!

Our newest Broadway 3-peat star is....Casey Likes!

Broadway 3-peats:

Casey Likes

Role #1: William Miller in Almost Famous (2022)

I went into this show knowing nothing about it; I had no preconceived notions about it. The minute Casey took the stage I was swept away to 1973 and his story of self-discovery set against a backdrop of roadies, groupies and rock and roll. With his ease, naturalness and charisma, I just knew I was seeing a Broadway star in the making. Apparently, I wasn't the only one - he was awarded the prestigious Theatre World Award for this outstanding debut. In my review of the show, I wrote, "the real star of the night was young Casey Likes in his Broadway debut as the child prodigy coming of age. Yet another exciting product of the Jimmy Awards, his talents are obvious and plentiful. Singing, dancing and shedding tears (sometimes all at the same time) this young man is a wonder. I'm sure this will be just the first of many leading roles for him."

Role #2: Marty McFly  in Back to the Future (2023)

Not too long after he wowed me in Almost Famous, he did it again in a role I was much more familiar with - Marty McFly in Back to the Future. He had a lot to live up to after his debut and in an iconic role made famous by Michael J. Fox. Boy, did he! And that was no small feat, considering that he could have easily gotten lost among all of the special effects and lavish scenery. To his credit, Likes only relied on the Fox interpretation of the role at the beginning of the show. Soon, the role was all his. In my review of this show, I wrote of him, "Finally, there's Casey Likes, one of the best new Broadway talents in years, who made me feel sympathetic exhaustion from watching his lighting in a bottle star turn as Marty McFly. He has a great young voice, charisma for days, and a star quality that dares you not to watch him exclusively. For my money, he's now two for two in successfully heading big Broadway musicals."

Role #3: Jason "J.D." Dean in Heathers (2025)

His most recent foray into the New York stage found him off-Broadway at New World Stages, in another movie-turned-musical, in a role very different from the outgoing hero of the story. Here he is a broken, devious, psycho ready to unleash his evil ways on an unsuspecting though deserving high school full of mean girls and cruel idiots. It wasn't that hard to sympathize with him to a point. It was very cool to see Casey's darker side with a touch of humanity thrown in for good measure, and to see his natural charisma used for such bad things. In my review, I said of him, "And speaking of young actors with a big future, Casey Likes is now three for three in truly amazing leading musical roles; he is now permanently on my favorites list. His dark take on the black-clad villain J.D. gave me literal chills in his final scenes, as I was torn between feeling like his end was deserved and feeling sorry for his broken life. Throughout his layered nuanced take on the role he was completely captivating. Much like with his take on Marty McFly in Back to the Future, he starts out here channeling his film counterpart, Christian Slater, to draw us in with what we know, but morphing into a J.D. that is all his own."

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see what he brings to the stage next!