Lessons of the Week: Lin-Manuel Miranda Is Practically Perfect, Barbra Streisand's Countrified Road Trip & More

Happy Friday! We’re sure you have some busy plans this weekend, with Bernadette Peters and Kelly Bishop’s birthdays and the Oscars, but before you order a bunch of balloons in the shapes of clowns and ballerinas, let’s have a Broadway refresher. A lot went down this week on the Great White Way, so take it all in with the Lessons of the Week.

Lin's Gonna Feed the Birds
“What’s your name man? Jack, the lamplighter” doesn’t have quite the same ring as Hamilton’s opening number, but this is still pretty exciting. Fresh off his Grammy win, Lin-Manuel Miranda is in talks to star opposite Emily Blunt in Disney’s new Mary Poppins film. He won’t be a chimney sweep and he (presumably) won’t dance with penguins, but still, it’s never too soon to start rehearsing that Cockney accent!

Angelica Schuyler Got a Grammy Surprise
When a cast recording wins the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, its principal soloists also win. However, Hamilton standout Renée Elise Goldsberry never got this memo. As our favorite lamplighter rapped his way through his acceptance speech, Goldsberry beamed, not realizing she too had just won. If you need an Awards primer, Renée, let us know! We don’t want you to run into this problem again in June.

Liza Miller Is a Huge #LiveatFive Fan
Are you watching #LiveatFive, our daily Periscope broadcast with special Broadway guests? Because Liza Miller (a.k.a. two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster) probably is. On this week’s Younger, the 40-something millennial mentioned Periscope as part of her proposed marketing strategy. Take that, Laura Benanti! Just kidding, Laura. We love you, too. Let’s get vanilla ice cream. And Periscope it.

Scott J. Campbell Wants to Be Sketchy
Scott J. Campbell takes on the role of the late Gerry Goffin eight times a week in Beautiful, and while he’s playing a real person, his dream roles are bit more two-dimensional. On Live at Five, Campbell revealed that he’d love to star in the upcoming musical adaptations of Spongebob Squarepants and Frozen. We’re pretty sure the latter hasn’t been cast, so Sven can still be yours, Scott!

Fears at Disaster! Are NOT Itsy-Bitsy 
As Broadway.com vlogger Jennifer Simard polled her Disaster! co-stars about their fears, we learned that both Adam Pascal and director Jack Plotnick have the same, highly specific fear: a spider crawling up the toilet while they’re on it. A spider suddenly biting you on the ass? Wait. Is THAT what Kiss of the Spider Woman is about? Wait. Oh my God. A Kiss of the Spider Woman revival with Plotnick and Pascal. You’re welcome.

The Nederlander Has Sturdy Columns
Plotnick, the aforementioned Disaster! director with a phobia of toilet spiders, makes his Broadway directorial debut with the jukebox musical at the Nederlander. However, it’s certainly not his first time causing a scene at that theater. Plotnick revealed that one of his first Broadway memories is seeing Rent in the standing-room-only section, where he bawled and held onto a column for dear life. Never let go, Jack!

It's Always Glass Menagerie Time
The last time a Glass Menagerie revival was on Broadway, Beyoncé dropped a surprise album, Sandra Bullock fell from space and Queen Latiah officiated a mass gay wedding. Yes, it was a lifetime two years ago. That’s not stopping Oscar winner Sally Field, who is rumored to headline a revival later this year. While it may be soon, we can’t say no to the thought of Sam Gold having Field tell us all about her 17 gentlemen callers in one afternoon.

Babs Should Eat Biscuits on the Big Screen
Helloooo, cheese grits! If you’ve ever wanted to follow Barbra Streisand around as she visits various Cracker Barrels across the United States, you’re not alone, and you have very specific desires. Tony nominee Thomas Sadoski revealed this week that he wants to make a documentary about the legend, in which she visits the aforementioned restaurant chain. 1. OK, Tom. Good thinking. 2. How does this affect the Gypsy remake?

Audra's Dog Lost It for Betty Lynn
We all go crazy for Betty Buckley, but no one loses their shit more than Audra McDonald’s dog, Georgia . Unfortunately, we mean that literally. Between discussing Shuffle Along and tackling some Yahoo Answers in song on The Tonight Show, McDonald revelaed how Buckley's visit backstage went wrong: two-month-old Georgia suddenly got diarrhea and started circling Buckley. You win, Georgia. We’ve never done that.

Adam Kantor Is a Jellicle of Jellicles
Adam Kantor may be in Fiddler at the Broadway Theatre, but later this summer, he can go around the corner to appear in Cats at the Neil Simon. In this week’s episode of Motel Citizen, the Broadway.com vlogger shared his, uh, interesting warmup techniques, inspired by Meisner’s repetition exercise. Watch as he meows continually with castmate Melanie Moore. Fiddler has never been so Jellicle!