WAKE UP with BroadwayWorld - Tuesday, April 1, 2014 - CASA VALENTINA, Vanessa Williams in AFTER MIDNIGHT 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.

THIS JUST IN -- Hugh Jackman will be stepping down as this year's Tonys host and leaving showbusiness forever -- à la Shia LaBeouf. He Tweeted this morning: "I AM NOT FAMOUS ANYMORE #stopcreating #goodbyetonys #wolverinequits #pooflikehoudini ... "

Just kidding. That would be the worst. And we don't want to make you suffer longer than necessary. HAPPY APRIL FOOLS' DAY! Time for breakfast.

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

• CASA VALENTINA, written by Harvey Fierstein and directed by Joe Mantello, begins previews tonight! The play makes Fierstein's third concurrent Broadway show, alongside NEWSIES and KINKY BOOTS.
• The Estelle Parsons and Stephen Spinella-led VELOCITY OF AUTUMN begins previews tonight at the Booth Theatre!
• Recording artist and actress Vanessa Williams joins AFTER MIDNIGHT as a special guest star through May 11.
• Kyle Dean Massey and Ciara Renée join the cast of PIPPIN tonight as 'Pippin' and 'Leading Player'! Original stars Matthew James Thomas and Patina Miller played their final performance on Sunday.
• The company of Nicky Silver's TOO MUCH SUN meets the press today, so check back for photos and video later on...

Cup of Joe: Perk up and revisit yesterday's big stories...

• Composer Duncan Sheik revealed that a SPRING AWAKENING movie is on the way!
• Later this month, Tony and Oscar-winner Robert Lopez, along with Oscar-winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez and CINDERELLA's Fran Drescher, are set to announce this year's Drama Desk nominees.
• The ALADDIN company is laying down tracks for an Original Broadway Cast Recording, set for release in May! Also on the albums front, the IF/THEN recording is available for pre-order.
• We got a first look at the cast of A RAISIN IN THE SUN onstage, as well as the West End's DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, starring Robert Lindsay and more (here)!
• Music Theatre International hinted at a junior stage version of Disney's FROZEN.
• The STARS IN THE ALLEY outdoor concert set a pre-Tonys date in the heart of the theatre district.
• BWW debuted SUBMISSIONS ONLY, Episode 3! Watch it here!

Broadway Weather Forecast: This beautiful weather might seem like an April Fools' Day prank, but trust me, it's not! Mostly sunny with a high of 56 on the Great White Way today.

Quote of the Day: Failure is important, even if it sucks...

"I submit all my plays to the National Theatre for rejection. To assure myself I am seeing clearly."
-- Howard Barker (via BrainyQuote)

What we're looking forward to: New albums. With so much news in the past few weeks about this season's Original Broadway Cast Recordings, we can't wait to shuffle a playlist full of songs from BEAUTIFUL, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, ROCKY, VIOLET, IF/THEN and ALADDIN, plus tunes from FUNNY GIRL's remastered, 50th anniversary set.