Lea Michele Was Knocked Up, Jerry O’Connell Will Do Anything For a Laugh & More Lessons of the Week
The lights are going down on another week on Broadway, which means it’s time for the week’s highlights to go up Broadway.com! Read on to find out what we learned during another eventful seven days on the Great White Way.
Jerry O’Connell Has No Shame
Seminar star Jerry O’Connell isn’t above acting ridiculous. He’s played characters like “Worst Wedding DJ ever” in popular online videos, and let's not forget his People magazine shoot wearing nothing but a red Speedo. When Broadway.com asked if he’d ever gotten a request that was just too much, O’Connell had an easy answer: no. “’Too much’ isn’t in my professional vocabulary,” he said. “I haven’t gotten to that line yet.” Jerry, you should meet Trey Parker and Matt Stone. They’ll get you there in no time.
Nothing Can Keep Daniel Radcliffe from Business
When the How to Succeed revival celebrated its 250th performance, it shared the honor with star Daniel Radcliffe, who hasn’t missed a single show since previews began. Radcliffe has been blowing audiences away with his heretofore hidden talent as a Broadway hoofer, and apparently nothing stands between him and the stage of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. We wouldn’t want to be your understudy, Dan, but as fans we say thank you!
Julie Taymor is Taking Spidey to Court
With a history of delays and injuries, Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark was a spider web of drama long before it opened on the Great White Way, and although the show is now a popular hit, the drama doesn’t stop. Director Julie Taymor, who left the show in March and was replaced by creative consultant Philip William McKinley, is suing the Broadway production for continuing to use her work without compensation. We’ll leave this one to Spidey; he can sort out this tangled web.
Bonnie & Clyde Ain’t So Tough After All
Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan are playing a famously ruthless couple in Bonnie & Clyde, but the pair admitted to some less than tough-guy traits in a photo shoot/interview in Time Out New York. While posing in some of New York’s hottest bars, both copped to being “goody two-shoes” and, at least during shows, borderline teetotalers. “Since [Bonnie & Clyde] is such a vocally demanding show, we don’t tend to drink very much,” Jordan said. That’s cool, Jeremy. We’re hoping you don’t really shoot people either. That’s why they call it acting.
The Rockettes Share Pre-Show Kisses With a Special Someone
Like any cast, the lovely, leggy Radio City Rockettes go through a pre-show routine before taking the stage at their Christmas Spectacular: do their makeup, stretch their muscles and…kiss a camel? “They like to give kisses before the show so it’s a little pre-show ritual that you go visit the camel and get a little kiss on the cheek,” Rockette Jennifer Calvin told Broadway.com as the show prepped to bring its many four-legged cast members into the theater during rehearsals. That’s one lucky camel!
Adam Riegler is Climbing the Broadway Ladder
At age 12, Adam Riegler has already appeared in two Broadway shows: Shrek and The Addams Family. As if that weren’t a big enough achievement, the youngster is now adding producer to his resume. Riegler is among the producers of the first-ever Broadway revival of Godspell and proudly walked that show’s recent opening night red carpet. With The Addams Family ending its run next month, we can’t wait to see what Riegler does next!
Relatively Speaking’s Lisa Emery and Katherine Borowitz Are Funny Offstage, Too
With plenty of time to kill backstage during the three one-act plays of Relatively Speaking, dressing roommates Lisa Emery and Katherine Borowitz have found ways to keep themselves entertained. We got a peek at a few during a recent backstage tour with Emery, and picking a fave was no problem. Borowitz, who wears a seriously padded faux tummy for her role in the show, does a mean pregnancy suit striptease. Is this the definition of belly laugh?
Mission: Impossible Made Tom Cruise Musical Material
From Top Gun to Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise has built a career on his action hero-ness. But was he ready to play rock star Stacee Jaxx in the screen adaptation Rock of Ages? According to Cruise, his action flicks worked in his favor. “All my stunt training…helped me with the choreography,” he told the Los Angeles Times. We have to wait until June 2012 to see the film, but if Stacee Jaxx surfs a speeding train we’ll die happy.
Godspell is Bringing a New Kind of Baptism to Broadway
The cast of Godspell brought a new tradition to Broadway: an opening night baptism! Armed with spray bottles of sage water, the veterans of the group baptized those making their debut in the name of (in no particular order): Bob Fosse, Frank Langella, Audra McDonald, hair weaves everywhere and, from Godspell vlog host Telly Leung, “all boys who holler high.” Godspell cast, we beseech thee: quit being so damn adorable.
Lea Michele Had Twins!
It made our day when we found out in Side by Side by Susan Blackwell that Jonathan Groff’s family had a goat named Lea Michele. In a story that just keeps getting better, the four-legged Lea just had twins! As for the burning question about what the Groffs (who also have a dog named Jesse St. James) will name these new arrivals, may we suggest Kurt and Blaine?