WAKE UP with BroadwayWorld - Monday, March 31, 2014 - Galas Galore! Kristin Chenoweth, HEATHERS and More!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? For your most important theatre meal of the day, we've rounded up the big news you missed yesterday, what's on the agenda today, and a few extras to start your day off right.

Yes, it's Monday. And I'm sure all of you identify with the words of Bruno Mars, whether you like "The Lazy Song" or not:

Today I don't feel like doing anything
I just wanna lay in my bed
Don't feel like picking up my phone
So leave a message at the tone
'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything...

...Except revitalizing you with theatre news!

The Bacon: See what's on the griddle today...

• Kristin Chenoweth will be feted tonight at the NCTF Gala, featuring a performance by GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE stars Jefferson Mays and Bryce Pinkham!
• It's a party-filled evening as MCC Theater celebrates its annual MISCAST gala with stars Jeremy Jordan, Billy Porter and more.
• What is your damage? HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL opens tonight at New World Stages!

Cup of Joe: Perk up and revisit Friday, Saturday and Sunday's big stories...

• IF/THEN, starring fellow RENT alums Idina Menzel and Anthony Rapp, opened last night on Broadway! Check out our Review Roundup here and stay tuned for opening night curtain call photos and interviews with the company...
• Saturday evening, Neil Patrick Harris began previews in HEDWIG; you can get a first look at him in costume here!
• Andrew Lloyd Webber's STEPHEN WARD finished its run in the West End on Saturday.
• We learned that Roundabout's VIOLET, starring Sutton Foster, will release an Original Broadway Cast Recording via PS Classics this June.
• PIPPIN's original leading players Patina Miller and Matthew James Thomas made their exit from the show following Sunday's performance.
• 'VANYA AND SONIA' scribe Christopher Durang will star as 'Vanya' in Bucks County Playhouse's summer production of his Tony-winning play.
• In other casting news, Sam Mackay and Christina Modestou will lead the London premiere of IN THE HEIGHTS, and OVER THE RAINBOW winner Danielle Hope, along with Jon Robyns, will star in the upcoming UK production of THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
• Disney's FROZEN, which boasts a cast full of Broadway talent, became the highest grossing animated film of all time with nearly $1.1 billion worldwide.
• Broadway and SMASH star Megan Hilty and her husband Brian Gallagher are expecting their first child! The couple received the news on Gallagher's birthday.

Broadway Weather Forecast: High of 54 with a few showers in the morning. Mostly clear by the afternoon.

Quote of the Day: Words from author Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) on playing pretend in the theatre...

"What I love about the theatre is that it's always metaphorical. It's like going back to being a kid again, and we're all pretending in a room. Sometimes, when the pretending really works, I find it much, much more moving than something on film."
-- Mark Haddon (via BrainyQuote)

What we're looking forward to: This season's plays. Musicals tend get a lot of hype, but singing and dancing aren't the end-all, be-all of valuable stagework. Plays entertain and challenge us in new ways each time the curtain goes up. Take a minute to appreciate Broadway's currently running and upcoming plays by reading our Sunday afternoon spotlight, and do yourself a favor and go see a play off-Broadway or in your hometown. They need great audiences, too!