Noah Galvin and Josh Radnor on starring in 'Hit Machine'

Noah Galvin and Josh Radnor make their London debuts playing estranged siblings in the new play Hit Machine.

Looking at the poster for Jonathan Caren’s play Hit Machine, it’s striking how much its leads actually resemble brothers. “Yes, we’ve been told that,” laughs Josh Radnor, whom British fans will know as Ted Mosby from hit Noughties sitcom How I Met Your Mother. “Isn’t it weird?” says his co-star, fellow American actor Noah Galvin, who shot to fame in the title role of Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen. In fact, they’ve discovered several connections: they live in the same Brooklyn neighbourhood, and Radnor filmed his 2012 movie Liberal Arts at Kenyon College, “where my brother went,” Galvin says. “So we’ve danced around each other for a long time.”

That might explain why they have such authentic sibling chemistry. “It’s really alive and electric,” says Radnor. “And we can be peevishly annoyed with each other, like brothers.” His character ‘Wes’ is a music mogul, specialising in hiphop, whose job “feels precarious because he hasn’t had a hit in a while,” explains Radnor. “He’s just bought this extravagant, slightly grotesque house with a jaw-dropping mortgage, so he’s under a lot of stress.” That’s when Wes’s younger brother Alex comes to visit. Galvin says he’s “a ne’er-do-well who can’t get his shit together, but he possesses real soul.”

The other dimension to their strained relationship, explains Galvin, is their traumatic childhood. “They grew up in the same house but had very, very different experiences. It almost feels like they were raised by different parents. ‘Alex’ is determined to unpack all of this emotional baggage with his older brother. So chaos ensues: juicy, delicious familial chaos.” Galvin adds: “I myself am currently in family therapy with my brother and sister, and it’s deeply, deeply loaded, so I’m really tapping into this from all angles!”

Radnor notes that because the brothers grew up in an unsafe home, they each developed a coping mechanism. “Wes decided to encase himself in success: it became his armour. That’s why it’s so precarious for him, not knowing if he’s going to maintain his professional status, and why he tries to persuade his brother into his way of thinking.” However, Radnor likes that Hit Machine isn’t dismissive of commercial music. “There’s a cultural beauty in a song that unites everyone,” he notes.

Radnor can appreciate both sides of that equation, with work ranging from Tony-nominated plays to writing and directing independent films. Galvin was a child actor who has since combined TV jobs with cult movies like Theater Camp and varied stage work. “In a perfect world, we’d strive for both: commercial and artistic,” he says. “I’ve done some weird Off-Broadway plays about dead babies in trash bags, and I’ve also been on an ABC sitcom.”

This current project, Hit Machine, has the added lure of original music by three-time Grammy winner Ben Harper. “How lucky are we?” exclaims Galvin. “It definitely expresses the feelings of the moment, but you’re also just hearing some great fucking songs.” Radnor, who has released albums with a band and as a solo artist, but who isn’t able to tour right now since he has a seven-month-old child, says Harper’s involvement is “an incredible bonus”, adding: “This is the best of both worlds for me.”

Another perk of the production is that they get to make their London debuts. “It’s one of the crown jewels of where you can do theatre,” enthuses Radnor. Galvin was actually going to be here this summer anyway: his husband, actor Ben Platt, is starring in musical Midnight at the Never Get at the Menier Chocolate Factory. “I was planning to be a house husband,” says Galvin. “Then I heard this play was coming to London, and I was like ‘My housing is already paid for! I’m cheap, hire me!’ All the stars aligned.” He and Platt have different show schedules, which means they can attend each other’s productions, but also means “we’ll only see each other on stage and while we’re asleep in bed,” laughs Galvin. “But we’re both living our dreams. This is as magical as it gets.”

Galvin and Platt must be unique, as spouses who have played the same Broadway role: Platt originated Evan Hansen, and Galvin took over in 2017. Initially he was deterred by how daunting and exhausting the role seemed, but soon relished the opportunity. “It restored my love for the craft in a deep way. Plus getting to share that joy/trauma with my hubbie is a lovely thing.” Meanwhile Radnor has been revisiting How I Met Your Mother via a rewatch podcast. “I’m delighted at how well most of it holds up,” he says. “I understand why it gets new fans every year, why parents are now showing it to their kids. So I’m very proud of it.”

Both actors are also thrilled to be supporting original work like Hit Machine. “Being part of the creative process is so fun and energising,” says Radnor. “The play feels like a living organism.” Galvin agrees, adding: “There’s nothing more exciting than getting to sink your teeth into a new show – as an audience member or an actor. I want to seize the opportunity with all my might.”

Book Hit Machine tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

This article first appeared in the July 2026 issue of London Theatre Magazine.

Photo credit: Noah Galvin and Josh Radnor for Hit Machine. (Courtesy of production). Inset: Radnor in How I Met Your Mother (courtesy of show) and Galvin in Dear Evan Hansen (photo by Matthew Murphy)