Rosie’s Our Broadway Baby, Hunter Parrish Confesses His Drug of Choice and More Lessons of the Week

It’s that time again! Time to say farewell to another exciting week on Broadway. In the last seven days, we cried tears of joy with the Newsies gang, dreamed of The Hunger Games on the Great White Way, and even experienced a Broadway miracle! Read below to revisit our highlights from the past week.

Get Ready for the "Real" Window Washers of Broadway
What happens when a bow-tie-wearing corporate climber stops being polite and starts getting real? He stars in his own reality show, of course. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying headliner Nick Jonas and his famous brothers (you know, the JoBros) have signed on for a development deal with E! to document their lives, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the “real” world of How to Succeed. We’re going to assume this world includes a lot of screaming girls.

Caissie Levy’s Dressing Room Is Full of Clay
As Broadway.com has seen firsthand, most stars’ dressing rooms are often filled with flowers, gifts and bottles of Champagne (or at least cases of coconut water). As the headliner of Ghost, you’d think Caissie Levy’s backstage quarters would be just as swanky. Nope! On this week’s episode of Show People, Levy told Paul Wontorek her dressing room is “dusty and gross,” due to the bags of clay she preps each night for her onstage pottery wheel sexy time. Talk about devotion to one's craft! Someone get this woman a DustBuster.

Jeremy Jordan Hungers for District 12: The Musical
While America counted down the days until The Hunger Games hit the big screen, we spent some time dreaming up a Broadway cast for a musical version of the popular Suzanne Collins novel. We couldn’t resist casting Newsies star Jeremy Jordan as rough-and-tough District 12 resident Gale Hawthorne, and by the looks of his Twitter account, Jordan is totally into it. “Ahhh yes please!!” the Broadway headliner tweeted in response. Have your people call our people, Jeremy. Do we have any people? We’ll get some people.

Stephanie J. Block Was Too Green to Play Elphie
Anything Goes star Stephanie J. Block has been around the Broadway, uh, block a few times: She starred in 9 to 5, The Pirate Queen, The Boy From Oz and, of course, Wicked. Although Block played Elphaba in early readings of Wicked, the actress said producers didn't want to "risk" having a Broadway newbie carry the $16 million musical on the Great White Way. (We don’t have to tell you who the role went to!) After appearing in The Boy From Oz, Block finally got greenified at the Gershwin Theatre, where she met the wizard, defied gravity and all that jazz.

Move Over, Jesus—Jeremy Kushnier Is Our Savior!
Critics can make or break a Broadway show, so let’s face it—press nights are scary. This week, Jesus Christ Superstar star Josh Young fell ill, forcing him to miss three of the production's critical press nights. Enter Young’s understudy, Jeremy Kushnier, who stepped into the pivotal role of Judas with grace, poise and a killer set of pipes. Phew! Crisis averted. Not only did Kushnier earn rave reviews, he allowed Young to recover before his big opening night. Broadway miracles do happen!

Newsies Are Crybabies
They may look rough and tumble in those torn-up knickers, but Newsies star Kara Lindsay revealed that her newsboy co-stars are a bunch of softies. As Lindsay recently told Broadway.com, her castmates are so thrilled to be performing at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre, they often “break into tears onstage.” Awww! Now come on, boys, pull it together! How will Mr. Pulitzer take your demands seriously if you’ve got snot running down your faces?

Dame Edna to Hang Up Her Bedazzled Glasses
Oh, possums. We had some sad news this week when Dame Edna Everage announced her showbiz retirement. With her “wisteria hued” hair and fabulous fashion, the entertainment world will feel a little darker without the Tony winner's glittering presence. Although the Dame is laying down her gladiolas, her spirit will live on in a new book by the man behind the diva, Barry Humphries. We’ll miss you, Edna!

Hunter Parrish Is an Addict
He gets no kick from Diet Coke. A cup of coffee doesn’t thrill him at all. But according to Godspell star Hunter Parrish in his Broadway.com Ask a Star feature, “Red Bull is my drug of choice.” Hey, at least the super-caffeinated soda isn’t as, well, illegal as the actor’s drug of choice on TV’s Weeds. So that’s how Jesus gets his wings.

Broadway Could Be Easy Street for Rosie
Rosie O’Donnell is retiring her talk show on Oprah’s OWN network, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Broadway fans are bummed. But there’s a silver lining—this week, O’Donnell reportedly took a meeting about playing Miss Hannigan in the upcoming revival of Annie. Rosie, you’re welcome on Broadway anytime, whether you’re screeching at orphans, singing “Tradition”…or might we suggest, taking Manhattan in Spider-Man?

Smash Isn't Just For Theater Geeks
When NBC debuted the Broadway-centric series Smash, theater fans everywhere tuned in to see Megan Hilty and Katharine McPhee fight for the coveted role of Marilyn Monroe. But the new series by Theresa Rebeck must have appealed to a few non-Broadway types too, because NBC has renewed Smash for a second season of scheming, dreaming and scene-stealing. “The drama, the laughter, the tears just like pearls!” Who knew a show about Marilyn, baseball and presidents could be so catchy?