Over the next 12 months, an eclectic group of top stars is expected to tread the boards on Broadway and, in a few cases, abroad. Some have substantial stage experience; others, well, don't. None are guaranteed rave reviews — ask Julia Roberts or Denzel Washington — or massive ticket sales. USA TODAY asks celebrity columnist and culture vulture Michael Musto to assess various celebs' chances.
Katie Holmes

Project: Mrs. Tom Cruise makes her Broadway debut co-starring in a revival of Arthur Miller's post-World War II drama All My Sons, set to open Oct. 16. The ensemble cast features John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest and Patrick Wilson.

•Prospects: "I never thought that Dawson's Creek and Arthur Miller would be a good match," Musto quips. But Holmes, 29, has proven herself to be a "game actress" in a variety of films, he adds, and it will be "interesting to see if she has the chops" that Nicole Kidman, Cruise's former wife, demonstrated a decade ago in London and Broadway productions of David Hare's The Blue Room.