On ABC Family’s hit summer show Bunheads, two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster is making her TV debut as Michelle Simms, a ballet-trained Las Vegas showgirl who moves to Paradise, California, with her dance teacher mother-in-law Fanny. While Michelle is attempting to cram the items from her Vegas apartment into Fanny’s guest house, Fanny and her ballerinas are getting ready to host auditions for the Joffrey Ballet summer program at the Paradise Dance Studio. Will Boo, Sasha and the gang make the cut? We’ve lifted the highlights from this week’s episode below. Check back next week for more Barre Hopping!
Michelle on Her Sketchy Vegas Furniture: “I mean, the grandfather clock actually has a cutout in the back like Clemenza used it to stash a gun for Michael to kill the police chief with.”
Best Comeback:
Fanny: “Make it disappear, like David Copperfield. That’s a Vegas reference. You know how David Copperfield makes stuff disappear?”
Michelle: “Actually I don’t. David Copperfield is a very professional magician who honors the value of keeping the mystery of the magical arts alive.”
Nutrition Lesson From Boo’s Mom: “Kettle Corn! Popcorn’s a whole grain—the southern lady with the diabetes on the food channel said so.”
Fanny’s Moving Advice: “If you don’t unpack, all your stuff will smell like box.”
Michelle’s Shopping Secret: “When I was a kid, there was this store called Contempo Casuals and you could put a really cute outfit on layaway in June for say, three months, and as long as you didn’t get fat by September, you’d have a really cute outfit.”
Fanny’s Catering Instructions: “The salads, I need you to dress them lightly. Last year it was as if you waterboarded them.”
Michelle’s Morning Ritual: Drinking soda and eating chips in her underwear.
Joffrey Audition Menu: Cucumber tea sandwiches (with crusts) and salad.
Michelle’s Musings on Fanny’s Furniture: “This is a weird-ass chair.”
Sasha’s (Uncharacteristically Nice) Gift to Boo: A pair of brand new pointe shoes for the Joffrey audition
Michelle’s Geography Lesson: “It’s a weird name, like a joke name, almost a dirty name: Oxnard. Now get in the car, we’re driving to Ox-nard!”
Broadway Extra (Sung by Sutton): “Me and My Baby” from Chicago