10 Broadway Props That Stole The Show

Broadway is known for its dazzling performances, unforgettable characters, and, of course, incredible props that help bring the magic to life. While the actors’ talent is the star of the show, some props have a way of stealing the spotlight and becoming just as iconic as the performances themselves.

From inanimate objects that take on larger-than-life personalities to subtle details that add layers of meaning, these props have earned their place in Broadway history. Here are 10 Broadway props that didn’t just support the story—they became unforgettable stars in their own right!

Related: Ten Absolutely Baffling Premises for Broadway Musicals

10 The DeLorean

We all know Doc did, indeed, make a time machine out of a DeLorean. What you might not know is that you can see the DeLorean in person at Back to the Future: The Musical, where it appears during the show’s finale.

Set designer Tim Hatler made a 3D scan of an actual DeLorean and then scaled that down for the stage version. And though it’s cool to see a car onstage, what’s even cooler is that it actually flies.

Unlike in the movie, where we are shown the car zooming off in 1985 and zooming into 1955, the musical takes a moment to show off its spectacle by having the car fly right over the audience. It’s an incredible moment that leaves the otherwise mediocre show on a high note, though we don’t know how. After many hours of technical rehearsals, illusion designer Chris Fisher has sworn the entire stage crew to secrecy “because when you find out how the magic works, it’s actually quite disappointing.”^[1]

9 Hwaboon

Broadway’s 2024-2025 season saw an unexpected dark horse become the bell of the ball: South Korean one-act musical Maybe Happy Ending has become the must-see new musical of the year. The show follows two robots, Oliver and Claire, as they journey across the country to find Oliver’s old owner.

The show is full of heart and humor, but audiences’ favorite performances aren’t coming from Darren Criss (Oliver) or Helen J. Shen (Claire). It’s Hwaboon who steals the show. Hwaboon is Oliver’s plant that he treats as a pet, and it’s played by… well, a plant. An inanimate object.

From Hwaboon’s hilarious Playbill bio, which lists previous credits as Little Shop of Horrors and other plant-themed shows, to the stoic delivery of his non-existent lines, audiences love him. His Instagram account has over 5,000 followers and is becoming even more popular thanks to a 2024 article, “Attention Must Be Paid to Hwaboon,” detailing his rise to fame.^[2]

8 Milky White

Into the Woods weaves together some traditional fairytales, like Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood, and turns them on their head. While magic is involved in the show, it isn’t the show’s villain, the giant, that is most impressive. In fact, Milky White isn’t very impressive at all, just cute.

Milky White is the name of Jack’s (of Jack and the Beanstalk) cow that he must sell at market. She is often played by a stuffed animal or statue and moved around the stage by someone else in the crew. But her lack of lines doesn’t stop her from wowing the audience.

As Jack sells her, the cow begins to cry and, at other points, humorously toddles around the stage, unaware of anything else. Her loyalty to Jack and her big, brown cow eyes make her a crowd favorite. Making it that more unfortunate when she (spoiler alert) dies in Act 1.^[3]

7 The Sandworm

Beetlejuice: The Musical took Broadway by storm when it premiered in 2017. Because the Tim Burton film it’s based on takes place partially in the underworld, the show’s creatives knew it would be a challenge to recreate fans’ favorite parts of the movie. But they managed.

The most impressive feat of Beetlejuice is the sandworm. This giant monster-puppet slithers onstage in Act 1, ruining the house and threatening our main characters. It moves smoothly, like a real snake, and can even hold Beetlejuice himself on his back like a horse.

Its massive size and ease of operability, as well as the sheer surprise audiences feel upon seeing it, makes the sandworm the craziest part of an already insane show.^[4]

6 Audrey II

There’s a thin line between a character and a mere prop, and Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors definitely toes it. But since Audrey II is generally a prop (no matter how alive she claims to be), we’re going to count her on this list.

We see four versions of this plant throughout the show. First, tiny Audrey II (usually operated by a hand puppet) only grows when Seymour Krelborn feeds her a few drops of blood. No biggie, right?

A few scenes later, we see a bigger version of Audrey II, who needs more blood than Seymour can supply. It’s now that she opens up her mouth and speaks—well, sings—a rock song to Seymour, asking him to kill people for her to eat.

This giant talking plant, which also has to be able to eat people on stage, is certainly one of the most elaborate props we see on stage. It’s especially impressive to see how community theater and school productions manage to create their own versions.^[5]

5 The Guns

One of Stephen Sondheim’s most controversial musicals, Assassins is a revue-style musical that takes a look at some men and women who have tried to assassinate a president of the United States.

A lot is going on in this show, but one of the most stunning parts is the use of guns. During “The Gun Song,” four assassins sing praises of these instruments of violence, even going so far as to point them at the audience to get their attention. It’s a moment that makes spectators gasp. Even though they know in their hearts the guns are fake, there’s still something terrifying about having one pointed in your direction.

The mental instability of the assassins, combined with their frequent mishandling of guns (they go off “accidentally” on more than one occasion), makes audiences uneasy and uncomfortable. This fear helps make the violence portrayed in the show more real and is part of what’s made Assassins so difficult to stage.^[6]

4 The Broom

Wicked features one of the most lavish and beautiful sets Broadway has ever seen. With the time dragon adorning the proscenium and monkeys flying from the sky, it’s tough to choose just one prop that impresses.

But it’s also pretty easy. No scene in Wicked is more iconic than the Act I finale, “Defying Gravity.” It’s at this point that Elphaba Thropp comes to terms with her anger, grabs a broom, and soars over the stage. Though many may see it coming because of the famous image of the Wicked Witch of the West flying on a broomstick, it’s still incredible to watch Elphaba belt out that insane riff while flying on the broom.^[7]

3 The Chandelier

Perhaps the most famous Broadway musical of all time, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera closed in New York City in 2023 after 35 years on the Great White Way. Though the show is lauded for its extensive use of sets and lavish costumes, one moment defines the show for its Phans.

In the long-running NYC production, a beautiful chandelier hung in the Majestic Theater. At the end of Act I, as a symbol of the phantom’s power and reign of terror, the chandelier suddenly came crashing down, stopping a few feet before hitting the audience. This is a planned moment, of course, but to those in the audience who didn’t see it coming, the “chandelier moment” can be frightening and exhilarating.

Though not all productions do it the same way (with some having the chandelier fall on the stage and actually shatter), the fall of the chandelier is even more iconic than the famous mask.^[8]

2 Horse Puppet

When author Michael Morpurgo heard that a stage play version of his novel War Horse was in the works, he thought the world had gone mad. How could a stage play accurately portray the story of a boy’s love for his horse that has been sent to fight in World War I?

When the show premiered in London in 2007, it wasn’t clear how, but it was clear they had done it. War Horse featured puppets from the Handspring Puppet Company. The company had created multiple life-sized versions of the main horse, Joey, as a foal and adult, as well as his fellow horse soldiers. The realistic choreography and ability of the actors to actually ride the horses made this show world famous and won it a Tony Award.

While the show’s writing and plot are also good, there’s no doubt that the show wouldn’t have become nearly so famous and successful if it weren’t for the incredible puppets.^[9]

1 The Helicopter

Despite years of controversy regarding the plot and whitewashing of Miss Saigon, even the show’s most ardent haters can’t deny that the iconic helicopter scene is truly a feat of theatrical proportions.

Miss Saigon tells the story of Chris, an American GI, and Kim, a Vietnamese woman, who fall in love during the Vietnam War. The clear highlight of the show is when Chris and his fellow Americans are evacuated from Vietnam by helicopter. While it varies by production, the most recent 2016 revival featured a real helicopter landing onstage (with no motor, of course, but still). Though set designers Matt Kinley and Totie Driver claimed they tried not to let the helicopter distract from the story, they both admit, “That’s what everyone thinks of when they think of Saigon.”^[10]