Hunter Parrish Wants Idina to Be His Mama, Nick Jonas Bows to Grammy Winner Adele and More Lessons of the Week
Say goodbye to another week on Broadway and hello to another set of Broadway lessons! A lot has happened in the last seven days, from Hunter Parrish’s very own dream casting session to Smash star Megan Hilty revealing her one and only dance move. Read on to find out what we learned from this eventful week on the Great White Way.
Hunter Parrish Wants Idina Menzel to Be His Musical Mama
Godspell star Hunter Parrish plays the son of drug-dealing Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) on TV’s Weeds, and if the Showtime hit ever gets the Broadway musical treatment, he’s ready to play casting director as well. “We’d have to ask Mary-Louise if she wants to sing, and she’ll scream and say no!” he told Broadway.com. Luckily, he’s got another great idea. “We could get Idina Menzel to play Mary-Louise and be crazy and sing her face off.” Parrish said. No complaints here!
Megan Hilty Makes Up a New Dance Move
Her Smash character Ivy Lynn knows “what she brings to the party” and Megan Hilty is equally honest about her talents. Not on that list? Dancing. Well, except for a little move she calls “showgirl arms” that she displayed up at a particularly disastrous dance audition. Hilty forgot her entire combination and stood in the middle of the room waving her arms, because it was the only move she remembered. After hearing the story, Smash choreographer Josh Bergasse made Hilty add “showgirl arms” to some of her Smash numbers. Move over, jazz hands!
Raven-Symoné Is So Not Girly
Raven-Symoné got dolled up in full disco glam as Deloris Van Cartier for her recent Sister Act photo shoot, but the actress' own style is way more laid back. “This is how I am normally; I’m not that much of a girl,” the actress told Broadway.com when we asked about the cover of her album Here’s to New Dreams, featuring a five-year-old Symoné wearing rolled up jeans, combat boots and ridiculously oversized shirt. “I’m such a tomboy. I loved my baggy jeans since I was five!” Well, this tomboy better get used Deloris' thigh high purple suede boots. Fabulous baby, indeed!
Steve Martin Will Give Shakespeare a New Twang
Steve Martin is already an actor, comedian, playwright, author, banjo player and probably other awesome things we’re forgetting right now, so of course he’s not making his Shakespeare in the Park debut doing something he’s done before. Instead, Martin is adding a new notch to his artistic belt and composing bluegrass music for a production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It that director Daniel Sullivan is setting in the pre-Civil War American south. Steve Martin: making everyone else look bad since 1945.
Kathleen Chalfant Is the Go-To Orgasm Gal
When director Bill Condon was looking to cast an actress for a particularly graphic scene in his film Kinsey, one name kept popping up: Kathleen Chalfant. “Not one, not two, but three friends of mine said, ‘Oh, Kathy will do that!’” recalled Chalfant, who played a woman with a “shotgun orgasm” in the film. Not to be nosy, Kathleen, but we’d love to see the “special skills” section on your resume.
"Sassy Faces" Tops Sutton Foster's Skill Set
After a marvelous year—and a Tony win!—playing Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, Sutton Foster is heading to Hollywood to film her new show Bunheads. Before her final bow, Foster took stock of her job for Broadway.com and included a list of skills that future Renos will need. Along with obvious items like “tap dancing” (duh), Foster included “sassy faces” on her list of Reno must-haves. Singing, acting dancing and sassy faces: that make you a quadruple-threat, Sutton!
Broadway Is Breaking Out the Bed Sheets and Grain Alcohol
Broadway and frat boys are not the most obvious combo, but the two will have to learn to get along when a musical version of Animal House hits the stage. Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies will compose the score for the show, which as you know is about a fraternity of oversexed, beer-soaked college troublemakers in the 1960s. Eight Animal House shows a week? Say it with us, "Toga! Toga! Toga!"
Des McAnuff Turned His Rock Star Dreams into Broadway Reality
Jesus Christ Superstar helmer Des McAnuff has built an incredible career directing rock musicals, or, shows that “feature my music,” he told Broadway.com. “I’m a guitar player and was in bands when I was young,” he said, “So when I encountered Hair and a show called Your Own Thing, it occurred to me that the kind of music I listened to and played could also appear on stage.” So is this whole “Tony-winning Broadway career” thing just a stepping stone to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, Des?
Idina Menzel Hooked Up in Her Rent Dressing Room
It's no secret that Tony winner Idina Menzel fell hard for her now-husband Taye Diggs when they were both starring in the original cast of Rent. But who knew they got it on backstage at the Nederlander Theatre way back when? OK, we could have guessed (they are hardly on stage during the first act), but it's still fun to hear Menzel talk about watching in the dressing room mirrors and... We'll stop there. A Newsies boy could be listening.
Nick Jonas Has No Hard Feelings for Adele
It seems Nick Jonas has it all: pop superstardom, TV popularity (with his recent Smash role), longtime Broadway cred and he's captain of both the How to Succeed bowling team and the show's softball team. So what's losing a Grammy to Brit diva Adele? No big thang. Jonas shrugs off his loss and graciously notes that he "loves her music" and "if anyone should win, she should." You are so nice, Nick! (Oh, that noble feeling! Feels like bells are pealing!) What a shining member of the brotherhood of man!