Picture this: You are driving around Los Angeles when you hit a red light at the intersection of Beverly Blvd. and Genesee Ave. Everything seems normal, until you look up and see James Corden dressed in a yellow floor-length gown, ballroom dancing with Dan Stevens on the crosswalk while singing “Tale as Old as Time” from the film Beauty and the Beast.
For years, witnessing these shenanigans outside of CBS Studios in West Hollywood was a real possibility. “Crosswalk the Musical” was a recurring segment on The Late Late Show with James Corden, where the host and his theater company performed songs from different shows on a crosswalk during the red lights. He would often invite celebrities, such as Josh Gad, Kristen Bell, and Zac Efron, to join him.
But when The Late Late Show with James Corden comes to an end on April 27, fans will sadly have to say goodbye to “Crosswalk the Musicals.” To prepare for the conclusion of this beloved segment, watch the seven best “Crosswalk the Musicals” below.
Beauty and the Beast
Gad, Dan Stevens and Luke Evans, the stars of Beauty and the Beast, joined Corden at the intersection of Beverly Blvd. and Genesee Ave. in Los Angeles to put on a performance of select musical numbers from their movie, including “Belle,” “Gaston,” “Be Our Guest,” and “Tale as Old as Time.” You won’t be able to look away when Corden, in Belle’s iconic yellow gown, leans in for a kiss with Stevens, dressed as the Beast.
Broadway Hits
Corden performed a medley of musical theater songs with The Greatest Showman stars Hugh Jackman, Zendaya, and Efron on the corner of 53rd Street and Broadway in New York City. These familiar tunes come from the musicals “Guys and Dolls,” “On the Town,” “The Greatest Showman,” and “Fame.” You’ll find it hard to hold in your laughter when Corden continues to call Jackman “Huge,” instead of his real name, “Hugh.”
Frozen
The cast of Frozen 2 — Bell, Idina Menzel, Gad, and Jonathon Groff — joined Corden for a crosswalk performance of songs from their hit film, including “Do You Want To Build a Snowman,” “For the First Time in Forever,” “Some Things Never Change,” and “Let it Go.” But when Corden decided to cast himself as Elsa, he had to have a sing off with Menzel to see who the true ice queen was.
Aladdin
Corden invited Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud, the stars of the film Aladdin, to partake in a live reenactment of the Disney classic in between the green lights on the crosswalk outside of CBS studios in L.A. But when Will Smith showed up, Corden had to give up the role of the Genie to him, and play Abu, the monkey. They performed the songs “Friend Like Me,” “Prince Ali,” and “A Whole New World.”
Grease
Corden and his theater company took to the crosswalk to perform Grease for the cars stopped at the red light. The casting process for this production was intense, with Corden determining who played Rizzo by asking the women how many sexual partners they’ve had and picking the one with the highest number. They sang “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” and “We Go Together.”
Mary Poppins
Corden took his theater company out of Los Angeles and to a crosswalk in London to put on a live production of Mary Poppins. After casting himself as Mary Poppins, Corden announced that Sir Ben Kingsley would be playing the role of Burt. They sang “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Step in Time,” and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.”
The Sound of Music
After the network insisted that Corden invite some CBS stars to join his production of The Sound of Music, he was joined by Allison Janney, Anna Faris, Kunal Nayyar, and Iain Armitage on the crosswalk. But when Corden and Janney both wanted the role of Maria, they had to figure out a way to make it work. Their live performance included the songs, “The Sound of Music,” “My Favorite Things,” “The Lonely Goatherd,” and “Do-Re-Mi.”
The Late Late Show with James Corden, Final Episode, Thursday, April 27, 12:37a/11:37c, CBS
