Darren Criss Parties with Broadway.com, Zooey Deschanel Will Be the New Girl on Broadway & More Lessons of the Week

There is never a dull week in the theater world, and this week was no exception. We are particularly Gleeful for the amazing news about the host of our very own Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards! Between that upcoming celebration, two big screen stars announcing their Broadway debuts and Tony nominees galore sharing their secrets with us, we sure have learned a lot in seven days. Click on below to read our lessons of the week.

Broadway.com Throws the Best Party Around
It’s official: the Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards are going to be one hell of a party. Glee dreamboat Darren Criss is hosting, fab actors like Adam Pascal and Tammy Blanchard are presenting, and it’s all going to be wrapped up in a gorgeous package at the Allen Room overlooking Central Park. Take notes, Tony Ball. This is going to be the party to beat!

Coal Miner’s Daughter Will be Adorkable
Backwoods Kentucky will get a dose of sunshine when New Girl star Zooey Deschanel makes her Broadway debut as Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter. While landing a Broadway show is awesome news for actor/musician Deschanel, we think the big winner here is Once star Steve Kazee, who’s waging a Twitter campaign to get her as his Tony date. Lucky for you, Steve! Every new girl in town needs a good tour guide.

Nora Ephron Got Tom Hanks to Broadway
Sure, Tom Hanks is a two-time Oscar winner, but like most actors he started on stage (in regional theater). So why has he waited so long to come to Broadway? Maybe he just needed an offer from his Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail writer/director, Nora Ephron. Hanks will soon make his Main Stem debut in her play Lucky Guy. Next question: When can we expect a Meg Ryan casting announcement?

Donna Murphy Is Finally Just Scary Enough
When Donna Murphy first auditioned for the role of the Witch in the original 1987 production of Into the Woods, “the feedback was that I was a little too scary,” she told Broadway.com. Murphy went in for the part multiple times, but it ultimately went to Bernadette Peters. Twenty-five years and two Tony Awards later, Murphy will be playing the Witch in the Shakespeare in the Park revival. The only scary part will be how great she is, right folks?! We'll be here all week, tip your waitress!

David Alan Grier's First Broadway Experience Was Traumatic 
When Porgy and Bess star David Alan Grier was first starting out, he and a friend went to see The Wiz on Broadway. These aspiring actors then showed up with headshots and resumes at the stage door. Not only did the stage manager laugh, he then went and got cast members to come do the same. Clearly, three-time Tony nominee Grier had the last laugh.

Celia Keenan-Bolger Worries About Tollbooth Workers
In Adam Chanler-Berat’s recent interview with his Peter and the Starcatcher co-star Celia Keenan-Bolger, he went into full Inside the Actor’s Studio style. When Chanler-Berat asked her which profession she would not like to have, her answer was immediate: tollbooth worker. "Soooo boring!" she said. "And cold and monotonous, and people kind of being assholes." You know what might help them out, Celia? A little "star stuff."

Once a Jersey Boy, Always a Jersey Boy
The Garden State’s door is always open for the original leading man of Jersey Boys! Fans of the Four Seasons musical were delighted to learn this week that the show’s Tony-winning star John Lloyd Young is returning to the role of Frankie Valli for a limited engagement this summer. Be honest, John. You just missed the shiny suits.

Tracie Bennett Needs Some Better Stage Memories
End of the Rainbow star Tracie Bennett has been through the theater trenches, and has the war stories to prove it. But when Broadway.com inquired about her favorite stage memories, she had some interesting choices: “I’ve come up from the ranks,” she said. “I’ve been on with measles; I’ve been on with septic foot from shoes that are old; I’ve been a chorus girl.” Really, Tracie? Those are your favorites? Here’s hoping your 2012 Tony nomination trumps septic foot.

Christian Borle Could Moonlight as a Beauty Guru
Need beauty tips? Ask Christian Borle. Broadway.com asked the Peter and the Starcatcher Tony nominee how he will be getting red-carpet ready for the big night, and it turns out he has quite the routine. He’ll “start with a light loofah,” then move on to a prep that involves Champagne, a very light foundation, a flatiron and multiple undershirts. You give the guy one hit TV show, and look what happens.

Jeremy Shamos Smolders for Andrew Garfield
Tony nominees always talk about how much they respect their fellow nominees, but for Clybourne Park's Jeremy Shamos the feelings run much deeper. Four out of the five favorite backstage items he recently shared with Broadway.com are “notes” from those fellow nominees, and things got downright steamy when he reached Death of a Salesman's Andrew Garfield. “We just have this special moment,” said Shamos, gazing at Garfield's lipstick-kissed headshot. Watch your back, Jeremy. His gf Emma Stone probably picked up an ass-kicking trick or two on the Spider-Man set.