JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
'Died A Thousand Gay Deaths': Jonathan Groff Reveals How Meryl Streep Sent Barbra Streisand His Backstage Video
Jonathan Groff appearing on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon tells how Barbra Streisand is very special to him as he receives the surprise of a lifetime.
The Merrily We Roll Along singer, 39-year-old Jonathan Groff, while appearing on The Tonight Show told host Jimmy Fallon about an incredible moment that occurred in his dressing room, all thanks to Meryl Streep during a special appearance on the show starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday. What's more interesting is Jonathan has a soft spot for Barbra Streisand as well.
Groff is a huge fan of Barbra Streisand
Setting the stage, Groff described how, on April 5, 1961, the 81-year-old star of Funny Girl made her television debut on The Tonight Show. At the time, the show was being filmed at the Hudson Theatre, which also hosts the present production of his Broadway play. He started by saying, "If you can't tell, I'm obsessed with Barbra Streisand." "I, therefore, created this sign in my changing room." Fallon, 49, interrupted before he could complete by displaying a picture of the neon sign and enquiring whether people would like to get drinks in Groff's dressing room. The actor read the sign in the picture and said, "BARbra."
"I turned my dressing room into a bar in honor of Barbra Streisand," Groff said. "That's how she spells her name." After listing other performers who had been to his residence, he said, "Glenn Close sent a bottle of champagne back." Even if Streisand hadn't had a chance to visit yet—as Fallon pointed out—Groff had nonetheless had a really unusual encounter with the EGOT winner.
"Meryl Streep arrived and graced us with her presence at the performance," he recalled. Meryl entered the changing room, and then BARbra and I immediately realized she was there. "It's unbelievable that this is happening," the actor stated. He informed Fallon that the 74-year-old former cast member of Devil Wears Prada pulled out her phone and asked him to settle down on a couch that was placed beneath the neon sign. The actor from Hamilton revealed that he gave in to what he thought was merely a picture.
He mimicked how Streep panned her camera phone across the room, saying, "And then she was like, 'Okay, all right Barbra, so this is Jonathan Groff, and he's in Merrily We Roll Along, and this is the sign that he's made, and here we are in his dressing room.'" Groff collapsed to the ground, saying, "And I was like—. Barbra Streisand is aware of your identity!" Fallon roared to his feet. "I died a thousand gay deaths," Groff admitted as he sat back down. "That's amazing," Fallon answered.
What is Merrily We Roll Young all about?
Merrily We Roll Along, a revival, started at the Hudson Theatre on October 10, 2023, and runs through July 7. Merrily We Roll Along is a musical directed by Maria Friedman, winner of the Olivier Award, and has lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth.
Lindsay Mendez as Mary Flynn, Daniel Radcliffe as Charley Kringas, and Groff as Franklin Shepard are starring in the revival. Together with Reg Rogers as Joe Josephson, Katie Rose Clarke as Beth Shepard, and Krystal Joy Brown as Gussie Carnegie, the three are reprising their roles from the production's 2022 Off-Broadway run at New York Theatre Workshop. Frank Jr. is a shared part by Brady Wagner, Rocco Van Auken, and Max Rackenberg.
Latest Articles
