Highest paid current West End star or role?

I think Idina was the highest paid actress in the 2006 season for Wicked, with 30k £ per week plus accommodation.

I wouldn't be surprised if Katharine McPhee is getting paid a fair amount for Waitress. Probably explains why she is only there for three months!

Katherine did spring to mind but as she isn't that well known in the UK I decided not to mention her. As Ryan says she isn't exactly short of money as she will likely soon become the 5th Mrs David Foster.

I can imagine Bonnie and Brian are on pretty fair wages for 9 to 5. I'd also guess Shane Ritchie will be on a good amount for ETAJ.

How much did Orlando Bloom and Ian McKellan get?
i would bet on Tom Hiddleston for the current one with the most income

Gillian Anderson for All About Eve currently?

But the stars of the Palladium panto will be a on a high salary - Julian, Dawn/Elaine - only for 5 weeks though, although they work hard for it with up to 12 shows a week!

A new record will no doubt be set by whatever lucky triple-threat actor is chosen in 2028 to start in the jukebox musical ... Ryan: A Life Lived Well.

I’m quite interested to know what your standard jobbing actor/ensemble member or musician on a tour is earning. I know it’s terribly nosey of me, but I often watch people on stage and think “I wonder how much he/she is getting for this”. I just think touring must be very gruelling and wonder what the compensation is like.

I think the American stars like Bryan Cranston and Nathan Lane were paid lower rates when they at the National but likely got other perks in lieu of it but most of the time, commercial theatre can pay more compared to their subsidised counterpart.

I'm pretty sure that accommodation or "Digs are paid for by the producers when shows are on tour.

Talking of salaries I bet the highest paid would have been for Bette Midler if she had come over to do Hello Dolly.

I know in America the actors can either take the housing provided by the production or they can take the money that was going to be used for their housing and find their own place.  Some touring actors have said they usually take the money and use it for an Airbnb.

Performer friends I’ve spoken with about this have said they’ve had an allowance for digs but it’s never/rarely enough to cover the cost of the digs. I’m sure there are situations where that’s not the case and it is just paid for regardless (for instance, I believe The War of the Worlds Arena Tour cast were put up in hotels) but it’s certainly not always the case, at least from what I’ve been told.

Also a lot of tours seem to be cancelled short notice these days when performers could have already paid out money for digs. I hope they are paid back for this and not left out of pocket.

The equity minimum pay grades are quite complex in that they vary depending on whether it is WE (commercial or subsidised) and touring and the size of venue (seating capacity). Added on to this are other payments, dance captain, understudy payments, lines/small roles etc. It will be the role of the artists agent to negotiate their individual fees but it is safe to say that producers will only pay the minimum required as simply demand for jobs simply outstrips supply.

So if Actor A is cast in the ensemble but their agent wants more money for them than the minimum offered by the producer, the role will go to Actor B and so on!

Minimum rates can only be negotiated upwards if the actor has a unique ability which in the producers eyes no-one else can deliver. Top of the bill "names" and stars agents can negotiate high sums as these performers are unique and the producer needs the "name" to sell the show. This is where there is often HUGE discrepancy between actors pay onstage between the ensemble (who can do most of the work) and the star who does far less!

Pantomime is the biggest example of this when the "star" can be on say £10k (or considerably more) per week and an ensemble member of the cast being paid £700.

I always think it is a nice gesture when I hear that the star of the pantomime takes the entire cast, crew and band out for a meal one evening as a token of appreciation of how hard they all work.

Actors on tour usually arrange their own "digs". They are given a touring allowance on top their salary. Having known actors on tour they invariably say that this does not cover the entire cost.