Josh Young has been hailed as “a force of nature” (Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel), “mesmerizing” (Charles Isherwood, The New York Times), and “a golden voice” (Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times). Lawrence B. Johnson of The Detroit News writes that “when Young is onstage, the musical standard rises.”
Prior to his Tony-nominated Broadway debut as Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar, Josh had the distinction of playing Marius in Cameron Mackintosh’s Les Misérables, performing the role in more productions than any other actor. His performance in Superstar also earned him the Theatre World Award for Best Debut Performance, marking the beginning of a career defined by both vocal distinction and dramatic depth.
Josh went on to originate the role of John Newton in the Broadway world premiere of Amazing Grace, and later received the BroadwayWorld Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Che in the North American tour of the Olivier Award–winning revival of Evita, directed by Michael Grandage. This honor followed his earlier BroadwayWorld Toronto Award for the same role in Gary Griffin’s production at Canada’s renowned Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
A two-season company member of the Stratford Festival — a rare distinction for an American actor — Josh was brought back to the U.S. in Des McAnuff’s reimagined Jesus Christ Superstar. He has since toured Europe and Asia as Tony in the 50th Anniversary production of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, and most recently appeared abroad as Jerusalem (Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach) in the biographical rock musical Soul Doctor.
Regionally, Josh’s performance as Tateh in Ragtime earned him the IRNE Award for Best Actor in a Musical. His extensive regional career includes work at many of North America’s leading theatres, including La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, The Muny, Baltimore Center Stage, Ogunquit Playhouse, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS), Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC), and North Carolina Theatre. He has also been involved in the development of new work with Roundabout Theatre Company, The Transport Group, and the New York Musical Theatre Festival.
As a concert artist, Josh has headlined with major symphony orchestras around the world, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Carolina Philharmonic, Midland Symphony, Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, and Sarasota Orchestra, among many others. Equally at home in intimate venues, he has written and performed five original solo cabaret shows that have sold out spaces from New York City to Ho Chi Minh City. He is also a frequent headliner on Crystal Cruises’ “Crystal on Broadway,” where his self-written concerts are a featured highlight.
Josh can be heard on numerous recordings, including the original Broadway cast album of Amazing Grace, as well as his two solo albums, Still Dreaming of Paradise and Josh Young. Songs from these albums have been used by world champion figure skaters Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford. Both albums are available on iTunes and Amazon Music.
He is the co-founder of Cutting-Edge Composers, a concert series and weekly web platform created in partnership with BroadwayWorld.com to shine a spotlight on emerging musical theatre writers.
Josh currently serves as Endowed Coordinator of Musical Theatre at Missouri State University, after previously leading the musical theatre program at Oakland University, where he received the 2022 Faculty Recognition Award for Excellence in Teaching. Deeply committed to mentorship and artistic development, he continues to bridge professional practice and education while cultivating the next generation of musical theatre artists.