Phillipa Soo Dreamed It for You, June, Lupita Nyong'o Is (Probably) a Sardi's Regular & More Lessons of the Week

It's the Friday before the Tonys, and you know what that means: It's time to put together your Bright Star drinks menu and Waitress-inspired desserts for your Tony party on Sunday! (Oh, just us?) Before the big night, let's take a look at the wackiest, wildest stories to hit the Great White Way over the past seven days. Check out the Lessons of the Week below, and if you're in need of a soundtrack while doing so, Babs has got you covered.


Everything's Coming Up Pippa
We had a dream, a dream about Phillipa Soo starring in the next Gypsy revival. While side by side with Susan Blackwell, the Hamilton Tony nominee showed off her Bernadette Peters impression, and even prank-called Jonathan Groff as the doganizer. We know the original cast won't stay in Hamilton forever, but at least this star has a Plan B (just as soon as she finds a red, curly wig).


Wanna See Double Lupita? Go to Sardi's.
If all As are Bs, and all Cs are Bs, then...sorry, we're just studying for the LSATs/trying to figure out this Lupita Nyong'o logic puzzle. After the Eclipsed star was honored with a Sardi's portrait, the restaurant owner claimed all portrait subjects must be members of the Broadway community and regular patrons. Hm, we've never seen Lupita ordering chicken scaloppine on 44th Street, and we're willing to bet you haven't either. 


Corden Might Start Screening Babs' Calls
The Tony Awards managed to get Barbra Streisand to present (and maybe even more—we'll have to wait and see) at the Tonys, but they can't seem to get rid of her now. Host James Corden called Babs "relentless" as she tries to convince him to duet with her on "Islands in the Stream." Come on, Babs. "Islands in the Stream"? That is what you are. No one in between!


Cady Huffman's Solving Hamilton Hunger
While visiting Leslie Odom Jr. and Christopher Jackson, Cady Huffman had some words of encouragement as the two gear up for the Tonys. She knows what that's like: Huffman won a Tony herself for record-holder The Producers. Huffman offered to expense a Seamless order for the entire cast because they need to eat. Hey, when you've got a Seamless account, flaunt a Seamless account.


Daphne's Trading Mimi for Benny
Whether she knew it or not, Daphne Rubin-Vega has been preparing for her new role for over 20 years. In Daphne's Dive, the accomplished actress plays Inez, who takes after Rent's Benny and "rents things out" with her husband. We'd pay to see Daphne play any character in Rent: she'd kill it as a wannabe filmmaker with a propensity to dance on tables and tango while lamenting exes.


Skeggs Is the Culkin of Broadway
Emily Skeggs is back to changing her major to Joan in Fun Home, but her dream role doesn't involve sexual awakening so much as hitting people with crowbars. On #LiveAtFive, Skeggs revealed that she wants to star in a Home Alone musical. Hey, Fun Home has a lot of kids, props with booby trap potential, a stern mother figure and a star no stranger to playing creeps. We think we can make this work in rep.


Don't Kidnap Nathan Lane...It's Complicated
Wanna kidnap Nathan Lane? You better think twice, or at least have multiple cinematography/directing Oscar nominations. This week, Martin Short held Lane hostage on his variety show with Maya Rudolph, and Lane couldn't get through recording the ransom video without expressing more than a few artistic differences. Thank God Marty released him; we need him on Sunday (and later this fall).


Adrienne Warren Can Turn Back Time
Shuffle Along may take place in 1921 (and all that followed,) but this is taking things pretty far. While giving us a tour of her dressing room, Tony nominee Adrienne Warren showed off an old-fashioned hourglass, perfect for when you've kidnapped a girl from Kansas or just need to know how long you've got before places are called. Yo Adrienne, you can use your phone backstage at a theater. Guess Patti didn't clarify.


Renée Elise Goldsberry Is a TV Phoenix
Sometimes it's tough to say goodbye to a role, but when Hamilton standout Renée Elise Goldsberry says farewell, it's final. So many of her characters wind up dead from some intergalactic incident, brutally murdered or comatose for a whole season. We have no idea why so many writers keep killing her off, but we're so lucky she's alive right now in the greatest city in the world. Werk!


Krakowski's Coming in on Harmony
During Corden's Broadway-themed Carpool Karaoke, She Loves Me's Jane Krakowski sang along with Audra McDonald, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. She even harmonized on the spot while belting out Eponine. Good to know she's more than ready for that remake of Cher's one-woman West Side Story we've all been waiting for.