The Lion King's Ben Jeffrey Gives Don Johnson an Onstage Shout-Out

Given the amount of time Broadway actors spend at work, it’s no surprise that they enjoy a good joke—often at a co-worker’s expense! In celebration of April Fool’s Day, Broadway.com asked some of our favorite stars to share their funniest work-related pranks. In some cases, the stars initiated the practical joke; in others, the joke was on them. Read on for true tales of behind-the-scenes tomfoolery.

BEN JEFFREY (Pumbaa in The Lion King)

“Fred Berman (Timon) and I heard that Don Johnson was in the audience one night last August. We couldn't resist mentioning his name. When Nala (Chaunteé Schuler) stumbles upon us fast asleep in Act II, instead of the normal unintelligible mumbles, I said (in Pumbaa’s sleepy voice), 'Nash Bridges I LOVE your car,' which Fred quickly followed with, 'Just one more episode of Miami Vice, Ma.' Chaunteé was of course, a rock of professionalism, but a small section of the audience (Johnson and family included) was howling with laughter. 'Crockett' was still smiling and chuckling about it when he came backstage for a tour after the show.”