Here's a great double-dip of news for you theatre fans: out television actors Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) and John Glover (Smallville) are headed for the stage in the coming months.

Glover, who has been out for years, will be hitting Broadway to take over the role of Man in Chair (kind of the narrator) in the hit The Drowsy Chaperone. Although Glover is a theatre vet, this marks his first Broadway musical role. In a TV Guide interview, the affable actor had this to say about the recent high-profile comings-out of stars like Harris and T.R. Knight:

Good for them for daring to do that because it used to be you'd lose your job. People had to hide. I mean look at what Rock Hudson had to go through. He had to get married or else he wouldn't have had a career. I'm hoping, though, that we'll come to the time when it doesn't matter. We just say, "This is who I am," and that's that.

On the opposite coast, Broadway acting vet Harris will be making his stage directing debut with I Am Grock, a comedy by Amanda Rogers about a successful family therapist and author dealing with unexpected (and nutty) inlaws and an important media appearance.

Hats off to both gents in their ventures.

Remember how earlier today I said that, seeing as how infuriatingly pinchable (and openly gay) Cheyenne Jackson turned down the role of Sonny in the Broadway adaptation of Xanadu when it was first mounted, chances might not be the best of his taking over for recently-injured James Carpinello?

Well that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I do not play the Lottery.

For those of you not familiar with Jackson's work, he played gay rugby player Mark Bingham in United 93 and starred in Broadway's Elvis "jukebox musical" All Shook Up (which Xanadu takes a few shots at, coincidentally -- likely because the two shows share director Christopher Ashley). Congrats to Cheyenne on the new role and to the producers for committing to making Xanadu the gayest show in the history of the stage. Looks like I'll be going to see it -- again!

Does that headline sound like I'm unduly disturbed by this news? Well, THAT'S BECAUSE I AM. Yes, the long-awaited Broadway adaptation of the classic musical roller-disco flop Xanadu has had its premiere date pushed back indefinitely due to an injury (its lead actor, James Carpinello, hurt his foot during rehearsal). Considering that the two leads spend much of the show on rollerskates, this isn't entirely surprising.

I actually saw Xanadu last week in previews (with Carpinello and his cutoff short-shorts intact), and I have to say that it is easily the gayest thing I have ever seen on stage -- and yes, I am counting both parts of Angels in America. With a script by Douglas Carter Beane (The Little Dog Laughed, To Wong Foo...) and direction by Christopher Ashley (the film adaptation of Jeffrey), this camp explosion is entirely aware of how preposterous it is and doesn't pretend to be anything else. At one point, Jackie Hoffman (Garden State, A Dirty Shame) remarks that the show is "like children's theatre for 40-year-old gay men". And it is.

We'll have a full review of the play running in a few weeks from someone who has theatre criticism credentials beyond "OHMYGODISAWXANADU300TIMESANDILOVEIT", which is the extent of my knowledge base. But in the meantime, I wish Carpinello a speedy recovery so the show can find its footing (er ... wheeling?) and find the audience it deserves. (In the meantime, understudy Andre Ward will fill his skates.)

UPDATE UPDATE: Jackson has indeed taken the role. Yay!

UPDATE: Some Cheyenne Jackson enthusiasts (other than us, that is) are throwing his name around as a replacement, but as he passed on the role when the show was first launched, that doesn't seem terribly likely. Others report that Neil Patrick Harris has been approached by the producers (Harris did wow 'em in the Assassins revival -- but can he skate?). Remember what I said above about the whole "gayest show ever" thing? Double that.

After the jump, check out the fabulous final scene of the original movie (which of course starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly). I dare you not to dance.

• Bradley Cooper (who memorably played gay in Wet Hot American Summer and appeared on Alias) has joined the cast of Nip/Tuck in an unspecified role -- we just know he won't be anyone's love interest. Very interesting...
  
• The fabulous B-52s are wrapping (not rapping, mind you) their first new album in 15 years. I wonder if Kate and Cindy will fight Amy Winehouse for beehive rights? Or airspace?
  
• Hey -- remember that crazy-hot gay sex scene on Passions a few weeks back? Well, the wife of the "downlow" fella finally knows. From the sounds of it, she must have missed this post -- all the clues were there! Well, except the giant "sea pod"...
• Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) and Roger Bart (The Producers, Desperate Housewives) are confirmed for the Broadway musical version of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. I just spoke to Bart briefly at the Hostel Part 2 screening the other night (he stars in the film) -- you can't say the guy doesn't know how to diversify his portfolio!

*Caution: Spoilers Ahead!*

Weddings! Betrayals! Murders! Jail Breaks! Musical Numbers! Ugly Betty packed more into a single hour than most other shows do in their lame-o “supersize” episodes.

The fact that we were going to get a double dose of all things beautifully Ugly came early on, with the curious double vision image of two Bettys – America Ferrara and doppelganger Angelica Vale, who stars in the Mexican version of Betty La Fea. Here, she had a hilarious cameo as a cranky dental assistant who, upon hearing her coworkers had a “nitrous party,” grumbles, “that’s unethical … and costly.” In addition to wondering how I could get a job in an office like that, I was praying someone would put this character into her own series. I am so ready for Ugly Angelica! What about you?

But that was merely the opening for a brilliant finale co-written by series creator Silvio Horta.

If the Oscars are the “Gay Superbowl,” then the Tony Awards are the half-time show – a whole lot more fun, with more chance of seeing a winner thank his or her same-sex partner. The official race for this year’s Tonys – held on June 10 – kicked off this morning with the announcement of the nominees, read by Jane Krakowski (a previous winner for Nine), and Rent boy Taye Diggs. Looking over the list, it’s easy to see sources for pending drama come Tony night.

The big story is the impressive number of nominations garnered by Spring Awakening, which tops the list at 11, including Best Musical. Featuring a pop rock score by Duncan Sheik, the musical brings a welcome jolt of youthful energy to Broadway, much like Rent did more than a decade ago. However, as with any show featuring unknown actors and a creative team new to Broadway, the chances of success depend on how much Tony voters want to reward innovation and how much they feel compelled to stick with more traditional fare and/or celebrate tried-and-true theater stalwarts.

Spring Awakening will clearly be battling it out for Best Musical with Grey Gardens, which seconds the list of total nominations at 10. In adding two spoonfuls of sugar to the Americanized version, the Broadway Mary Poppins removed the darker elements that led it to triumph at London’s Oliviers. And Curtains is largely considered a trifle by theater team Kander and Ebb, who have done much, much better work before and already been amply honored for it.

So this will come down to a battle between Spring Awakening and Grey Gardens, which is a win-win battle for gay audiences. Grey Gardens is, after all, based on a cult favorite documentary championed by, and long beloved by, many gay men. And Spring Awakening not only depicts a same-sex coupling but also serves as a general warning about the dangers of attempting to curtail and contain teenage sexuality. The question is whether the Tony will go to the more traditional linear book musical of the two – which, oddly enough, given its source material, is Grey Gardens – or to a musical that is unconventional in form and unrelentingly bleak in tone.