Darren Criss Takes a Licking, Condola Rashad Is Not Bill Cosby's Daughter & More Lessons of the Week

As the dreaded Friday the 13th rears its ugly head, we are looking back on the 10 most interesting tidbits we learned during the week of September 9. From Joe Manganiello’s kick-line fantasy to the absurd lengths the cast of First Date goes to be supportive, brush up on all the fun, fabulous and WTF moments below.

Joe Manganiello Has Explicit Criteria for the Magic Mike Musical
Magic Mike fans are eager to know if any of the film’s eye-candy stars would reprise their clothing-free roles on Broadway. Joe Manganiello told Show People host Paul Wontorek that he would reprise his role as Big Dick Richie if there were “a kick-line of singing and dancing penis pumps.” Don’t laugh! The stage adaptation of A Christmas Story had a kick-line of leg lamps, and they scored a Best Musical Tony nomination. #youneverknow

Gleeks Take Their Cues from Broadway.com
We at Broadway.com are no strangers to being ripped off, and we keep telling ourselves that imitation is the highest form of flattery. So, we were flattered (and slightly concerned) when we learned that a Glee fan took it upon himself to lick Darren Criss’ face Susan Blackwell-style. Listen up, Gleeks! Susan is a trained professional, so please don’t try to replicate this complicated maneuver.

The Phantom Has Readers Fooled
When you think of your favorite teacher in school, does a murdering, controlling stalker first come to mind? Didn’t think so. So you can understand why we here at Broadway.com were so baffled that readers chose the Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera as their favorite Broadway teacher in our back-to-school Weekend Poll. You guys, we were kidding! Wouldn't you rather study with Miss Honey...or that goat from Wicked? (Built-in homework excuse!)

Reeve Carney Rolled with a Rough Crew
Departing Spider-Man star Reeve Carney made a name for himself fighting crime, avoiding controversy and flying high as Broadway's original superhero, but the former Speedo model wasn’t always so squeaky clean. In the latest Side by Side by Susan Blackwell, Carney recalls growing up in the Flat Iron District, where he had friends “basically buying and selling drugs at eight-years-old.” Oh, Reeve, we knew you were trouble when you walked in.

Mary-Louise Parker Doesn’t Need Any More TV Fame
Tony and Emmy winner Mary-Louise Parker is best known for her screen performances in Angels in America, Boys on the Side, Fried Green Tomatoes and, of course, Weeds. But she is ready to say goodbye to Hollywood and spend the rest of her lifetime in the rehearsal room with her Snow Geese and Proof director, Daniel Sullivan. “I feel I can do nothing else for the rest of my career and perfectly happy,” she told us. Really MLP? Really…

Rum Tum Tugger Is Going to Kick Some Ass
Jersey Boys star Andy Karl will headline the Broadway musical Rocky. Sure, Karl is currently playing macho bad boy Tommy DeVito, but we're sure it was his time at the Jellicle Ball that really prepared the actor to go into the ring. See?  We're guessing Rocky creators Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, Alex Timbers and, of course, Sly Stallone caught the fourth national tour of Cats and just knew they had found Broadway's Rocky Balboa. #YoGrizabella

Harvey Fierstein Sticks to What He Knows
Life is a real drag for four-time Tony winner Harvey Fierstein. No, really! The Kinky Boots scribe won all four of his Tony Awards for something drag-related. And next season Broadway will see Fierstein’s latest play Casa Valentina about…you guessed it, men in women’s clothes. Harvey, have you met Broadway.com’s good friend Jinkx Monsoon? Because this could be a match made in Tony heaven.

Condola Rashad Was Not Actually a Cosby
Tony winner Phylicia Rashad is most famous for playing Bill Cosby's wife on The Cosby Show in the 1980s. Fans of the show even thought that Rashad’s real-life daughter Condola was the actress playing the youngest child in the TV family, Rudy. “People thought that Rudy was my mother's real daughter,” Condola said. The two-time Tony nominee has since made a name for herself independent from her mom and the Cosby legacy. On a completely unrelated note, weren't Rudy and her friend Bud totally the Romeo and Juliet of their time. #justsaying

De Niro Shut Down Corey Cott
Newsies attracts fans of every kind, including a two-time Oscar winner with his own catchphrase. Newsies star Corey Cott recently instagrammed a photo of himself backstage with Robert De Niro. Then, according to the caption, Cott asked the film icon if they could say his famous Taxi Driver line, “You talkin’ to me?” together in unison, to which the movie star replied, “No, no, no, no.” Aw, Corey, you asked for the wrong thing! You know De Niro only likes quoting one of his movies: Meet the Fockers. Duh.

The First Date Cast Is Game for Anything
Over the past six episodes of the web series Kiss & Tell, fans have learned how incredibly close and supportive the cast of First Date is. Their cast love was put to the test this week when they all gathered for the 24th birthday party of a cat belonging to Enrico Bazzacco, the doorman at the Longacre Theatre. The full company sang "Happy Birthday" using only the word meow (“her native language”), and not a single person there rolled their eyes. By the way, you might want to leave "love of cat birthday parties" off of your online dating profile. Just some advice for people going out on first dates.