Megan McGinnis

Megan McGinnis is an American actress born on December 5, 1979, in California, whose Broadway career has spanned from 1994 to 2025. A graduate of Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in English, McGinnis has built a career across Broadway, Off-Broadway, national tours, and regional theater.

McGinnis made her Broadway debut in 1998 in The Diary of Anne Frank, where she understudied the role of Miep Gies and performed as Margot Frank. That same year she also appeared in Parade, covering multiple ensemble roles including Essie, Iola Stover, Lizzie Phagan, and Monteen, among others. Prior to her Broadway work, she had performed on the national tour of The Sound of Music as Liesl and in The Dead on tour as Lily.

In 2002, McGinnis returned to Broadway in Thoroughly Modern Millie, playing Lucille and understudying Miss Dorothy Brown as a replacement cast member. Her next major Broadway credit came with Disney's Beauty and the Beast, in which she played Belle from April 15, 2003, to February 10, 2004, when she was succeeded by Christy Carlson Romano. McGinnis then originated the role of Beth March in Little Women, having developed the character from workshops through to the show's Broadway run in 2005.

Following Little Women, McGinnis joined the Broadway revival of Les Misérables, initially covering the role of Éponine under Celia Keenan-Bolger and Mandy Bruno while also performing as a female worker and ensemble member. Because Bruno was simultaneously involved in a television soap opera, McGinnis frequently stepped into the role of Éponine during that period. After Bruno's departure, McGinnis assumed the role of Éponine on a regular basis from June 23, 2007, through January 6, 2008.

Between 2009 and 2016, McGinnis developed the role of Jerusha Abbott in Daddy Long Legs, a musical adaptation of the 1912 novel of the same name. The production moved through various regional tryouts, including a West End engagement in 2012, before running Off-Broadway from 2015 to 2016. During the Off-Broadway run, McGinnis performed alongside her husband, Adam Halpin, who played Jervis Pendleton. The production made history as the first Broadway-adjacent show to be livestreamed while actively running. Her work in the role at the Rubicon Theatre Company earned her the Ovation Award for Lead Actress in a Musical in 2010.

McGinnis also appeared on Broadway in Side Show from 2014 to 2015, serving as standby for both Daisy Hilton and Violet Hilton. She joined the national tour of Come from Away in 2018, playing Bonnie and other roles, and subsequently toured nationally in Beetlejuice as Barbara Maitland in 2023. McGinnis has since appeared on Broadway in Beetlejuice, playing Barbara Maitland.