Young alum no Cry-Baby over role in Broadway musical

One of my favorite movies growing up was The Muppets Take Manhattan, in which Kermit the Frog and his friends head for New York and the bright lights of Broadway after graduating college.

Baylor alum Christopher J. Hanke‘s life story might not include frogs or bears or pigs, but it does follow the general plotline, as he was starring on Broadway just a few years out of college. Hanke debuted in 2005 as the lead in In My Life, then took over the role of Mark in Rent. Today, he plays the villain in the Tony Award-nominated musical Cry-Baby, based on the 1990 movie that starred Johnny Depp. (The Dallas Morning News ran a nice feature on the Metroplex native here.)

Those who saw Hanke perform while at Baylor would not be surprised that he’s starring in musicals. As a student, he was a member of the Baylor Religious Hour Choir and Men’s Chorus and served as Sing Chairman.

Sic ’em on the Great White Way, Christopher!