New Delhi, May 29 -- At a recent event celebrating this year's Tony nominees, Joshua Henry, star of "Ragtime," reflected on his Met Gala performance of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." Henry says he was more nervous than he has ever been on a Broadway stage, largely because he was worried about tumbling down the staircase mid-song.

"Those steps," he said, laughing. "We didn't have much time to rehearse on them. I'm like, can you imagine? I want to dance, and it's just tap, tap, tap all the way down. I was just trying to keep my eyes up the whole time."

Fortunately for Henry, his footing onstage remains steady eight performances a week. That consistency has helped make him one of Broadway's standout performers this season, with acclaim con...