Another week on Broadway, another batch of lessons learned from all the news on the Great White Way. Who’s got our brains working overtime this week? Laura Osnes, Patina Miller, Sarah Jessica Parker and more! Read on for all the little gems of insight we gathered over the last seven days.
Aaron Tveit Just Wants to Please You
Broadway golden boy Aaron Tveit knows exactly what you want, and when he performs a string of sold-out shows at 54 Below this May, he’s gonna give it to you, girl. Tveit told us that he’ll definitely sing songs that made him a hit with fans like “I’m Alive” from Next to Normal and “Goodbye” from Catch Me If You Can. As long as you’re taking requests, Aaron, we’d like to add "Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me" from The Rocky Horror Show and everything from The Full Monty. Don't ask us why.
Romeo and Juliet Are 2013’s Hottest Power Couple
Move over, Beyonce and Jay-Z—the hottest couple of the fourteenth century is going to win 2013! We’re talking, of course, about Romeo and Juliet, who will be back to conquer the New York stage in TWO separate productions hitting Broadway and off-Broadway this year. Watch out, world: these two teens are putting the “star” back in “star-crossed”!
Patina Miller’s Hula Hooping Has Paid Off
Pippin star Patina Miller didn’t have to start from square one when she was learning how to perform the show’s circus stunts. “I got into hula hooping at age six. I hula hooped all day, every day,” she told us. That’s what we call a quadruple threat, and other Broadway stars would do well to match Miller. We can't wait to see Patti LuPone on a pogo stick and Bernadette Peters twirling a flaming baton! Step it up, ladies!
Your Screensaver Might Inspire a Broadway Show
Douglas Carter Beane found inspiration for his new play, The Nance, in the most unlikely of places. Beane’s screensaver of the Irving Place Theatre motivated him to go forward with writing his show about the world of gay burlesque. Does that mean that any screensaver would be great source material for a Broadway show? Get ready for Windows ‘97 Presents 3D Pipes: The Musical!
Adam Kantor Is Going to Have Fun at His College Reunion
When Adam Kantor was in college, he was passed over for the role that he's now rocking off-Broadway in Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. Um, did we just hear an alarm start ringing? We've got a singular impression that whomever cut Kantor missed out on a class-A performer who was handpicked by JRB himself for the first-ever NYC revival. Hey, Mystery College Director: we’re going to spend “The Next Ten Minutes” laughing at you.
Fans Love French Convicts and Angsty Teen Witches
Voters in Broadway.com’s quest to name the Best Musical of All Time has been narrowed down to two shows, and they couldn’t be more different. On one side is Les Miserables, with its French prostitutes and inept law enforcement, and on the other is Wicked, replete with airborne chimps and mismatched roommates. One of these great shows will win, and somewhere out there, a bunch of Cats are pissed.
Jay and Jimmy Make a Great Tony and Maria
Forget the dance at the gym—the big rumble these days is between late-night hosts Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon, who put their feuding rumors to rest with a catchy duet sung to the tune of West Side Story’s “Tonight.” It just goes to show that almost all problems can be solved with the right musical theater song. (Sit tight, North Korea, your cast album of Matilda is in the mail!)
Alan Cumming Might Be Possessed
Macbeth star Alan Cumming may be letting all of the spookiness of his one-man creepfest get to his head. In his vlog, Cumming showed off the bruises on his arm and identified them as messages from “the person who’s trying to get out of my body.” We’re slightly skeptical, but at the very least, we know this: whatever demon chose Cumming as a host body has wonderful taste in possession.
Sarah Jessica Parker Is Now a Casting Director
Who’s responsible for Jessie Mueller’s new Nice Work gig? Sarah Jessica Parker! Matthew Broderick told Show People host Paul Wontorek that it was Parker who suggested Mueller for the role after catching her sparkling performance in Edwin Drood. Since it’s such a perfect match, we’re excited to see what show Parker casts next. P.S. SJP, we would have loved your help with this, this, this, this and this! And this. And that. And these two. Call us!
Cinderella Stars Have Day Jobs
Medieval peasants are in a pretty unfortunate tax bracket, so it’s no surprise that the lovable cast of Cinderella have day jobs to pay the bills. As we learned in this week’s Princess Diary vlog, Laura Osnes daylights as a contractor, Greg Hildreth dons red tights to pimp out Chicago, and salty pal Herman gets his cupcake on at Crumbs. The stars, they’re just like us! (Even the fish!)