Darth Vader Invades a Broadway Ritual, Patti LuPone Is Feeling Groovy and More Lessons of the Week

Goodbye, summer! Hello crazy, hectic fall season! Another seven days have passed on Broadway, and that means we have 10 lessons to impart from the week that was. From naked GQ honorees to funny lady Julie White in a hoop skirt, there was a lot to think about this week. Read on to find out what we’ve gleaned from this busy week on the Great White Way.

Darth Vader Invades The Best Man’s Vocal Warm-Up
We always imagined James Earl Jones and the cast of The Best Man spending their time backstage chatting about political conventions and sipping mint juleps. We were wrong. In Broadway.com’s backstage tour of the hit political drama, host Donna Hanover revealed that the cast spends most of their pre-show warm-ups doing impressions of James Earl Jones. “James is very cool with us going, ‘Luke, I am your father,’” she said, adding that they also imitate Mufasa from The Lion King. We hope Uncle Jesse doesn’t feel too left out. Have mercy!

Kristin Chenoweth Has a Good Wife Guardian Angel
Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth has been in our thoughts after an injury on the set of The Good Wife forced her to drop out of the series. This week, we were thrilled to hear that Chenoweth is well enough to go back to work, and it’s all thanks her Good Wife co-star Josh Charles. “He’s my angel,” Chenoweth gushed on Live! With Kelly and Michael, revealing that the actor stayed by her side in the hospital. “He was holding my hand.” Handsome, talented and a hand-holder? Kristin, he’s a keeper.

Patti LuPone Is a '60s Radical
Two-time Tony winner Patti LuPone is gearing up to star in The Anarchist, a new David Mamet play with a plot that was a mystery...until this week. According to Elle magazine, LuPone’s character seems to be based on Judith Clark, a former Weather Underground member who participated in an armored truck robbery that left three people dead. Although Clark only drove the getaway car, she was charged with three counts of felony murder. We can only hope there are flashback scenes of Patti in bell bottoms. Right on, sister! (Or something.)

For Corey Cott, Newsies Trumps Glee
Corey Cott made his Broadway debut this week, seizing the day as Jack Kelly in the hit musical Newsies. While most graduating college seniors would be thrilled to snag a leading role on Broadway, Cott had to turn down a plum role in Glee in order to become a newsboy. “I felt safer and much more excited about taking [Newsies],” Cott told Broadway.com. Good call, Corey—Sue Sylvester scares us, too.

Wanna Be GQ Man of the Year? Get Naked!
Broadway said goodbye to the hit British comedy One Man, Two Guvnors this week, but we won’t have to worry about out-of-work Tony winner James Corden. The actor, who had a penchant for getting naked on Broadway.com during his stay in the States, has now become one of British GQ’s Men of the Year. He’s in good company; Broadway alum, Mad Men star and fellow nudie enthusiast John Slattery also made the list. Hey GQ, we’d like to introduce you to next year’s Men of the Year, Cheyenne Jackson and Henry Winkler!

Marin Mazzie Rocked Out to Barry Manilow in Her Bedroom
Three-time Tony nominee Marin Mazzie is debuting her new solo show at 54 Below, featuring songs she listened to in her bedroom as a kid. Mazzie’s childhood influences include Carly Simon, Dionne Warwick, Barbra Streisand and…Barry Manilow?! Now we love "Mandy" as much as the next gal, but who knew Mazzie was a Fanilow?! How much would we love a Manilow/Mazzie duet? "Copacabana," here we come!

Broadway Stars Can’t Add
It’s back-to-school time, so Broadway.com asked the stars of our favorite shows to share memories of their own school experiences. When asked which classes they dreaded, stars Jeremy Woodard said “Algebra,” Jason Gotay said “Chemistry,” Joshua Henry said “Math,” Andrew Durand said “MATH!!!,” Celia Keenan-Bolger said “Physics,” Kelli O’Hara said “Trigonometry” and Anne L. Nathan summed it up with “All things math.” Geez, these guys must really trust their accountants!

Julie White’s Next Broadway Show Shouldn’t Be The King and I
Broadway alum Julie White is everywhere! She’s playing a widowed lesbian on the NBC comedy Go On, a “mother to hot boys” in the movie Hello I Must Be Going and a wealthy admiral’s wife in Steven Spielberg’s newest film Lincoln. This week, White admitted she had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction in her 19th century Lincoln hoop skirt. “When I tried to get up, I was suction-cupped to the floor,” she said. “They had to pull my ass off the floor!” Note to casting directors: Julie White is not Julie Andrews. Don’t make her sing “Getting to Know You” in a hoop skirt. You’ve been warned.

Anne L. Nathan Gives the Best Advice Ever
We got tons of wise advice from Broadway stars as they shared their touching, funny and sometimes horrific childhood stories. But Once star Anne L. Nathan’s back-to-school tip was the most useful by far. “Don’t go to a party, get drunk and pass out the night before you leave for college and make your dad pick you up at 4:00AM,” she said. “If I even hear the word ‘quarters’ I have a flashback.” Too bad, Anne—if you don't do drinking games, you won’t be able to participate in the 34th annual Broadway Beer Pong Tournament. Oh well, Angela Lansbury always wins anyway.

Olympian Danell Leyva Is One Step Closer to That EGOT
Olympic gymnast Danell Leyva has been making it crystal clear that Broadway is on his bucket list. He’s been dropping hints that he’d like to join the EGOT club as well as shooting imaginary webs at Spider-Man and hanging out backstage with Reeve Carney. The producers of Spider-Man have even become “open to the idea” of letting the athlete make his Broadway debut. Open to the idea? He’s hot, he can do a triple backflip—what more can you ask for? Let’s just give Leyva an honorary Tony Award, so he can get to work on his Grammy-winning album of Barry Manilow covers!