As another fun-filled week on the Great White Way comes to a close, Broadway.com is revisiting our top headlines from the past seven days. What have we learned? For starters, we know a whole lot more about Darren Criss’ socks, Lilla Crawford’s baking tips and Kate Rockwell’s (purported) love handles! Check out what else we discovered this week below.
Darren Criss Dreams of Going to the Ball
Glee hunk Darren Criss took a trip to the Cinderella kingdom this week, and after catching the show, he couldn’t resist pulling a wicked stepsister move and trying on the famed glass slipper. Laura Osnes attempted to cram his feet into her teeny tiny Stuart Weitzmans, but Criss’ tootsies were too big. Nice try, Darren, but you're not a princess—and wearing a third grader’s socks doesn’t make your feet look any smaller.
What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks? ‘Tis Justin Guarini!
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, nothing screams Shakespeare like American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini. So it’s a huge relief he was cast as Paris in Broadway's forthcoming Romeo and Juliet. Sure, he got some Broadway cred from American Idiot and Women on the Verge, but we’re sure the real clincher was his haunting performance as "Justin" in the classic 2003 film From Justin to Kelly. That must have been it.
Broadway Could Be Getting Even More Sparkly
Liberace and his glittery hotpants could be coming to Broadway! Behind the Candelabra producer Jerry Weintraub is hoping to adapt his HBO original film into a musical, with Hugh Jackman topping his wish list. And it looks like Jackman is on everybody else's wish list, too—namely the barely dressed stars of Broadway Bares, who are really interested in seeing him on Broadway. Naked. (Not Liberace, Jackman. Just to be clear.)
Broadway Is Also About to Get Even More Murdery
In less glitzy news, two murder-filled extravaganzas are Broadway bound. A stage adaptation of John Grisham’s intense courtroom thriller A Time to Kill is opening this fall, and a musical version of Woody Allen’s gangster comedy Bullets Over Broadway follows in the spring (more about that later). This is awesome news—jailbirds Velma and Roxie will finally have some company! They’ve been so lonely since The Anarchist closed.
Sing On a Sitcom and You Could Star in a Musical
Aspiring musical theater stars, take note: If you’ve been waiting five hours in line at open calls a la Cathy in The Last Five Years to get your foot in the door, you’re doing it wrong. Just get cast on a hit sitcom, become a producer, star in an all-singing, all-dancing musical episode of the show, wait six years, and BAM! Woody Allen might just pick you to star in his first musical ever, Bullets Over Broadway. Hey, it worked for Zach Braff.
Lilla Crawford Is the Next Food Network Star
Now that Paula Deen has been cut from the Food Network, there’s plenty of room for a sassy spitfire to have her own cooking show! Annie headliner Lilla Crawford proved she can cook circles around Deen in the latest episode of Simply Red, making grilled cheese Uncrustables from "scratch" and designing a Barbie birthday cake for her sister. Plus, she’s playing her final performance in Annie on July 28, which doesn’t sound like a coincidence to us, y’all.
Broadway’s Buffest Stars Have Body Issues
What did we learn from our super-naked field trip to Broadway Bares this week? Well, for starters, Broadway stars are delusional. For instance, when we asked Kate Rockwell which part of her body she hated the most, the Rock of Ages star admitted, “It’s my love handles.” Hang on a second. Um, what love handles? Ummmmm, are you kidding?! Girl, you’ve gotta take an anatomy class, because that’s called a hipbone! #ohsherrie
Tupac Isn’t Too Tough for Broadway
Tupac Shakur probably didn’t sit in his bedroom blasting Barbra when he was a kid (like we all did), so it’s a big surprise that the Tupac musical we’ve been hearing so much about, Holler If You Hear Me, is actually happening. We’re excited about the show, and we especially can’t wait to see what's at the merch stand: tattoos, white bandanas and giant gold medallions? Thug Life on Broadway, yo!
Lindsay Mendez Will School Us at Shiz
New Elphie Lindsay Mendez will take us behind the scenes at Wicked in her new Broadway.com video blog Fly Girl, and we’re not gonna lie, we’re pretty psyched about it. Like, as psyched as Glinda at a MAC blush display. Something tells us that after eight episodes of this magical vlog, we’ll be changed for the better. Get it? Good.
The Great White Way Is So Gay
Ding-dong, DOMA is dead! It’s been a huge week for marriage equality, and after stage stars popped the Champagne and toasted the good news, we couldn’t help but notice how many gay-themed shows are currently playing on and off Broadway. From Rod and Ricky in Avenue Q to Anthony and Andrew in My Big Gay Italian Wedding, the New York stage is so gay it should lead Sunday's Pride Parade. Think we can all fit on a float?