All Jimmy Fallon Needs Is a Pair of Pom-Poms, Adam Pascal Learns Best Half-Naked and Other Lessons of the Week
The sun has set on another jam-packed week on the Rialto, and Broadway.com is ready to get schooled by the past seven days. From Broadway stars getting jazzed about a fictional Downton Abbey musical to one of our own on TV hit The Voice, this was a fun (and funny) week. Afraid you missed out? Read on for 10 lessons from the week!
Nick Jonas Will Croon Show Tunes in Your Home
Move over, screaming teenage girls, Nick Jonas is ours now. If you can’t get enough Broadway-Jonas action at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying or on his upcoming Smash guest appearance, fear not: The pop idol recorded his very own How to Succeed EP album this week, to be released in the spring. This way, Jonas can serenade us with his rendition of “I Believe in You” in the car, in the kitchen, in the shower… The possibilities are endless.
Listen Up, Woody! Nina Arianda Can Sing!
On this week’s episode of Show People, Venus in Fur star Nina Arianda revealed that not only is she a huge musical fan, but she can sing, too! And now that a musical adaptation of Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway is heading to the Great White Way, we’d love to see Arianda star as talentless mob girlfriend Olive Neal, originally played by Jennifer Tilly, in the comedy. Come on Woody, Arianda was awesome in your 2011 film Midnight in Paris—it’s a match made in Broadway heaven!
James Lapine Wants a "Hard-Knock" Annie
Hear that stage moms and pageant princesses? If you think your daughter, sister, cousin, neighbor, whatever is going to follow in the footsteps of Andrea McArdle or Sarah Jessica Parker as Broadway’s newest Annie, then she better leave the drama at home. Lapine told Broadway.com not only does 2012 Annie need to actually sing, the actress needs to serve some raw, orphan realness. No cheeky, slicked-out Annies this time around. Now the real question is who is playing Miss Hannigan?
The Secret of Christina Sajous’ Success? Mom!
In the first installment of new Broadway.com video blog Spin City, Spider-Man star Christina Sajous revealed a seriously adorable secret weapon: Her mom, Carol Jones. Not only is Christina’s mama her moon-boot-jumping exercise buddy, but Ms. Jones talks up her Broadway star daughter with poise, charm and oodles of pride. Christina’s mom deserves her own Spin City spin-off vlog!
Move Over Celebs, Fans Want to Hear Singing
Spring is blossoming with new shows, which made us curious about what you are most looking forward to seeing this season. Even though plays reign supreme and big celebs are starring in revivals, you chose three new musicals (Newsies, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Ghost) as your most highly anticipated shows. Sure, it's impressive to see an Oscar winner (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Emmy winner (Cynthia Nixon) or Grammy winner (Ricky Martin) on stage, but we all really love cuties in newsboy caps singing their hearts out!
Hamish Linklater Was a "Dreadful" Child Actor
Off-Broadway’s go-to neurotic guy Hamish Linklater was not always the natural and charismatic actor he is today. The Obie-winning Seminar star began his career at age eight as a “dreadful” (his word not ours) child actor in the Berkshires—receiving more notes from the director on the two lines he had than anyone else in the entire cast. Hell, when leaving the theater does anyone even remember Benedick’s boy from Much Ado?!
Jimmy Fallon Is Broadway’s Ultimate Super Fan
It was Broadway Week on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and the enthusiastic host shined the spotlight on the Great White Way by inviting Nick Jonas, Sutton Foster, Hugh Dancy, The Book of Mormon boys, David Alan Grier, William Shatner and the cast of Ghost to perform on his popular TV show. Move over, Rosie! Jimmy Fallon is Broadway’s biggest cheerleader these days. This begs the question: Jimmy, when are you making your Broadway debut? Razzle dazzle us!
Lin-Manuel Miranda Wants to Die in Bed with Laura Benanti
Dream casting an imaginary musical adaptation of Brit-hit Downton Abbey is all in a day's work at Broadway.com, but it was great to hear that our fantasy cast members are totally on board! Celia Keenan-Bolger, Rory O’Malley and more gave their roles a thumbs-up via Twitter, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who didn’t make the initial cut (sorry, Lin!), lobbied for the as-yet-uncast role of a Turkish diplomat, Kemal Pamuk. Maybe Miranda's a big Downton fan, or maybe he loves the fact that Pamuk dies in bed with Lady Mary Crawley, played in our version by Laura Benanti. As Miranda put it: "What a way to go!"
Too Broadway for Reality TV? Tony Vincent Ain’t Worried
Reality TV judges often eliminate singers for sounding “too Broadway” (at the risk of a Twitter scolding from Betty Buckley), but Broadway vet Tony Vincent isn’t concerned about his Rialto-heavy resume. “It’s not like I’ve done My Fair Lady,” the American Idiot and We Will Rock You alum told Broadway.com. He just made it through the blind auditions of The Voice by channeling Freddie Mercury. “I think it’s going to be a lot easier [for me to transition] than people would initially expect." We know you’ll make us proud, Tony, but if you played Henry Higgins we’d really be impressed.
Adam Pascal Wore Nipple Glitter in "Acting School"
When Memphis star Adam Pascal landed the role of Roger in Rent, the rock singer had no acting experience to speak of. Sure, he learned a lot from that beloved musical and his next gig in Disney's Aida, but Pascal says he really honed his craft playing the Emcee in Cabaret in 2003. “Doing that show was like years and years of acting school in 16 weeks,” Pascal said of the audience-schmoozing, half-naked, nipple-glitter-wearing character. So that's what Juilliard has been missing.