Josh Groban Gets A-List Prank Calls, the Hamilton Cast Shuffles & More Lessons of the Week

Happy Friday/Anjelica Huston's birthday! Whether you're strutting down a gilded hallway or throwing a martini in some guy's face to celebrate, let's kick things off with the Lessons of the Week. We learned a bunch from the Great White Way over the past seven days, from the time an octogenarian joined Rent to Heidi Blickenstaff's go-to sob song (it involves Shetland ponies). Study up below!


Groban's College Friends Still Haunt Him
When you reunite with your college buddies (and one of them is Josh Gad), it's always fun to prank call an old friend (especially if it's Josh Groban). Leslie Odom Jr., Rory O'Malley and Gad called Groban, resulting in an impromptu (and loud) mashup of "You Raise Me Up" and "Forever Young." You'll laugh, you'll cry—you'll be thankful you weren't their R.A.


Jesse Wants an Equestrian Diet
Jesse Tyler Ferguson has taken on an array of characters, from a caped speller to a rambunctious sailor. But when it comes to which character he’d share a meal with, there’s no horsing around. The Fully Committed star said he’d love to dine with Black Beauty, whom he once played in a workshop. Now to find a restaurant that serves raw oats and apples...


Susan & Heidi Saw the Light
While getting sketched by Squigs, [title of show] besties Susan Blackwell and Heidi Blickenstaff revealed that they both listen to The Light in the Piazza (and cry) while doing chores. How's this dream casting: They can play mother and daughter in rep. And Jesse (Black Beauty himself) can play the Shetland pony!


You're a Mean One, Jordan Donica
Jordan Donica will make you swoon as Raoul in Phantom, but if you catch him at the right time, he's a real Grinch. The fresh face showed off his uncanny Jim Carey impression and teased that he can impersonate President Obama. This sounds like the start of a great one-man Les Miz. Imagine that confrontation.


Steve Martin's Shows Are Out of this World
Steve Martin made his Broadway writing debut earlier this year with Bright Star, but he's not letting its short run deter him. The comedian is at work on a new play titled Meteor Shower. Hold on. We're sensing a trend here. What's next: The Great Comet? Oh, right. How about Starlight Express? Has that been done?


Wynn Might Have a Poltergeist in Her TV
Beautiful's Jessica Keenan Wynn has plenty of spunk, but she does have a weakness: television. After being warned by a psychic to be weary of TV, she got a nosebleed the very next time she sat in front of the tube. If there's one thing we learned from Ghost, it's this: listen to psychics. Jessica, you in danger, girl.


Gavin Creel Has Eclectic Taste
Like Jessica, Gavin Creel enjoys a liquefied breakfast. Creel's go-to smoothie includes bananas, protein powder and spinach. But once he's at She Loves Me, he goes for the chips and munchies. It's like a Jekyll and Hyde situation (he even has the sinister facial hair!), but instead of murder, it's sodium.


Brandon Victor Dixon Didn't Wait for It...
..."It" being his next Broadway gig. Shuffle Along's Brandon Victor Dixon will take on the role of Aaron Burr in Hamilton later this summer! When one stage door closes, another one a block down opens. Unrelated: We'd love to hear Audra rap, "No one has more resilience or matches my practical tactical brilliance.” After the baby’s born, of course.


Adam Kantor Kept It in the Family at Rent
How many people can say they did a Broadway show with their grandma? When Fiddler favorite Adam Kantor was in Rent, his awesome grandmother Lucille joined him in the "Life Support" scene for one-night only. It was a magical moment for the two of them, and we only hope we too get to play an 80-something bohemian squatter in the East Village someday.


The Cats Are Purring & Brr-ing
Before 12 consecutive days of Cats rehearsals, Tyler Hanes and his fellow Jellicles tried out cyrotherapy, which promotes a healthy core and even blood flow. All it takes is hanging out in a chamber over 100 degrees below zero. What's the opposite of a cat in heat? A cat in tech. Get it? They're in tech. Have a good weekend.