While Sarah Hyland is most widely known for her role as Haley Dunphy on ABC’s Modern Family, her work as a child actor extended beyond television and established her lifelong career on both stage and screen. From Off-Broadway to starring alongside Tony Award winners, Hyland’s name has been no stranger to Broadway.
Let’s take a look back at Hyland’s career in musical theater.
@broadwaydirect Years before Modern Family, Sarah Hyland was a theater kid, making her Broadway debut in Grey Gardens in 2006. Over the last year and a half, Hyland has been leaving her mark on the New York stage once again with turns in Little Shop of Horrors and The Great Gatsby. Now, she is starring as Connie Francis opposite Jonathan Groff in Just In Time on Broadway. Broadway Direct caught up with the star in a brand new interview. Head to our link in bio for the full chat. #SarahHyland #ModernFamily #Singing ♬ original sound – Broadway Direct
2002: Annie, Paper Mill Playhouse (Regional Theatre)
Hyland began her stage presence at one of the most renowned regional theatres in the country, Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. Home to many pre-Broadway runs, the Paper Mill has played host to many household names, such as Liza Minnelli, Carol Channing, Kristin Chenoweth, and Anne Hathaway. Hyland first appeared on this stage in a 2002 production of Annie in the titular role. Funnily enough, The Great Gatsby, a Broadway production that Hyland would end up starring in, would go on to make its own world premiere here 21 years later.
2006: Grey Gardens, Walter Kerr Theatre
Hyland made her Broadway debut at age 16 in Grey Gardens at the Walter Kerr Theatre. The original Broadway musical was based on the 1975 documentary of the same name. It explored the lives of Edith “Big Edie” Bouvier Beale and her daughter, Edith “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale, the eccentric aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Hyland originated the role of Jackie, staying with the production for 300-plus performances until it closed in July 2007.
@broadwaydirect Sarah Hyland and Andrew Barth Feldman stopped by @Little Shop of Horrors’s Times Square celebration! #LittleShop #LittleShopOfHorrors #AndrewBarthFeldman #SarahHyland #CapCut ♬ original sound – Broadway Direct
2024: Little Shop of Horrors, Westside Theatre (Off-Broadway)
This award-winning revival of Little Shop of Horrors has been an Off-Broadway smash hit. In 2024, Hyland joined the cast as Audrey alongside Andrew Barth Feldman as Seymour. The pair joined a long line of past Off-Broadway Little Shop stars that includes Corbin Bleu, Jinkx Monsoon, Jonathan Groff, Sklyar Astin, and Darren Criss. Hyland stayed with the production for about four months before departing to prepare for her next Broadway venture, The Great Gatsby.
2025: The Great Gatsby, Broadway Theatre
For her long-awaited return to the Broadway stage, Hyland took over the role of Daisy Buchanan in the new musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s American literary classic, The Great Gatsby. She succeeded Eva Noblezada, the originator of the role, in February 2025. In her time in the role, she starred alongside Ryan McCartan as Gatsby. Hyland concluded her run in June 2025.
2025: Just in Time, Circle in the Square Theatre
Hyland currently stars as Connie Francis in Just in Time alongside Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff and Sadie Dickerson, who made her Broadway debut in the role of Sandra Dee in September, just three weeks before Hyland joined the cast. Just in Time focuses on the life and relationships of Bobby Darin, the legendary singer whose short but remarkable life took him from teen idol to global sensation.
