Happy Friday…and Happy Sutton Foster Day! We’re sure you have plenty of plans for this Broadway holiday, from partaking in the traditional licking of noses to selling your panties online. But before that, let’s revisit the wildest stories of the past seven days on the Great White Way. From a Psycho vlogger who literally just can’t to a naked Ben Platt, we’ve got you covered. Take a look below!
Groffsauce Can Get You Hitched
Look out, Bette. There’s a new Broadway matchmaker…and he loves dick socks and anal covers. The Robber Bridegroom’s Steven Pasquale revealed that it was none other than Jonathan Groff who set Pasquale up with Hamilton's Phillipa Soo. Groff's even officiating their wedding. So while our dreams of marrying Groff are still a stretch, at least he can marry us to someone else. You in, Tveit?
POTUS & Hermione Can Drop Beats
We bet Hamilton is at last feeling pretty damn presidential this week. After performing at the White House, Lin-Manuel Miranda took to the Rose Garden with POTUS himself to freestyle about Obamacare, the Supreme Court and more. Oh, and he also freestyled with Emma Watson. Are there any important people who haven’t hung out with Miranda at this point? That’s a lot of right-hand men and women.
Audra was Uranowitz THIS WHOLE TIME
Audra McDonald is obviously an incredibly versatile performer, whether she’s tapping in Shuffle Along… or singin’ the blues in Lady Day. But her latest performance is something special. While this looks and sounds like An American in Paris’ Brandon Uranowitz, it’s actually Audra in a pink bob. It’s easy to get them confused, considering they have the same vocal range and both played Billie Holiday for HBO.
Julia Murney's Got a New Title Role
Speaking of versatile performers, Julia Murney is at last taking on the titular character in Fiddler on the Roof. No, not the fiddler. The other one: the roof. Third shingle from the left, specifically. This is all according to the Murn herself when she visited Adam Kantor at the stage door. We haven’t seen a performance this transcendent since Julia Murney's Side Show opposite Wayne Brady.
Houdsyshell Was an Accidental Carmen
Ever felt miscast in a role? Jayne Houdyshell sure has. The star of The Humans played "Carmen" in the J. Lo film Maid in Manhattan, but before you retroactively boycott the 2002 masterpiece for whitewashing, consider this: it’s purely accidental: Houdyshell was assigned the wrong role. We can’t wait to see Houdyshell unintentionally headline On Your Feet! following her stint in at the Helen Hayes.
Ana Villafañe Rocks Her Body Right
Before Jayne Houdyshell inevitably takes over in On Your Feet!, its current star Ana Villafañe still has plenty of time to conga to the music of Gloria Estefan. Or NSYNC. Or the Backstreet Boys. That’s right: boy bands make her get on her feet and make it happen. Hey, Ana: we hear there’s a Backstreet Boys musical in the works. Not sure if there’s any conga involved, but doesn’t hurt to ask.
Fruma Sarah Would Def Sashay Away
We have no doubt Fruma Sarah would slay a Lip Sync for Your Life (er, Afterlife) challenge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, but she would definitely be clocked for her makeup skills. On #LiveatFive, Fiddler’s Jessica Vosk revealed that the approach to her beat is very unpolished; there’s no contouring or blending for the dead. No shade; that’s just how you serve Butcher’s First Wife realness.
Jennifer Damiano Can't...She's in Tech
If there are two things we know about tech week, it’s these: 1. It’s a terrible time to get proposed to, and 2. It’s not the ideal time to grab a camera and show us around your theater. Well, the latter is precisely what we had Jennifer Damiano do in her American Psycho vlog. The show apparently looks amazing, but of course, no one’s allowed to see it (not even us). Damn you, tech. Bad for proposals, bad for Broadway.com vlogs.
Gabrielle Ruiz Has Smelled the Best of 'Em
On top of being a fierce beltress and dancer who's so good at yoga, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Gabrielle Ruiz has a gifted sense of smell. According to her, former castmates Ricky Martin and Idina Menzel smell like Creamsicles and magic, respectively. Also, Lea Salonga gives off the aroma of muffins and paprika. Thanks, Ruiz, this is actually extremely helpful the Broadway fragrance line we’ve been developing.
Ben Platt Did Not Do Pajama Day Right
High school is the time to make bad decisions. Maybe you rocked a tragic hairstyle. Perhaps you wrote Fiyero/Boq fanfic (this writer is certainly not speaking from experience). For Dear Evan Hansen's Ben Platt, it was deciding to go commando on pajama day—for that was the day he got pantsed and everyone met his dear Evan Hansen. Wow. How aca-embarrassing.