Odds & Ends: One Direction Will Hit the West End Stage (Sort Of), The Top Five Most-Produced Plays for 2014-15 & More

Here's a quick roundup of stories you may have missed today.

West End Goes in One Direction
For all you directioners out there, we’ve got the Best Song News Ever! One Direction are heading to the West End…Sort of. Only One Direction: The One Direction Story, which bills itself as a concert celebrating the music of the biggest boyband in history (what about Take That?) is set to play the Lyric Theatre October 26 through October 28. The tribute act will put on a fully interactive show that features songs from all four of One Direction's smash hit albums. Probably best if you know all the words to “What Makes You Beautiful” if you're thinking about taking a trip to this one...

The Most-Produced Plays for 2014-15 Are...
Interesting little nugget of information here. Courtesy of American Theatre, the top five most-produced plays of 2014-15 were as follows: 1. Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced, 2. Peter and the Starcatcher, adapted by Rick Elice from Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, 3. John Patrick Shanley’s Outside Mullingar, 4. To Kill a Mockingbird, adapted by Christopher Sergel from Harper Lee, 5. Jonathan Tolins’ Buyer & Cellar. You can check out the full list here.

Casting Set for Bertie Carvel's Ape
From Miss Trunchbull to Hairy Ape?! Adam Burton, Buffy Davis, Callum Dixon, Steffan Rhodri, Rosie Sheehy and Nicholas Karimi will join the previously reported Matilda Tony nominee Bertie Carvel in The Hairy Ape. Directed by Richard Jones, the Eugene O’Neill classic is scheduled to begin previews on October 17 and officially open on October 29 at London's Old Vic Theatre.

Shows to Keep an Eye On?
A couple of industry-only readings are on our radar. Farah Alvin (It Shoulda Been You) and Jarrod Spector (Beautiful) will headline new musical Date of a Lifetime on September 17. Featuring a book and lyrics by Carl Kissin and music by Rob Baumgartner, Jr., Tony winner Jerry Zaks has been tapped as creative consultant. Meanwhile, Tony winner Adriane Lenox (Doubt), along with Jill Paice (An American in Paris) and more, will star in a re-conceptualization of The Testament of Mary on October 1. Conceived and directed by Michael Rader, this new adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s work will feature five different women sharing the title role of Mary, each representing how different cultures around the world view Mary.

NPH's Best Time Ever's Solid Start
Tony winner Neil Patrick Harris' new NBC series, Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, premiered on September 15 to a respectable 6.8 million total viewers. According to Deadline, the show had a decent 1.9 rating among the all-important (to advertisers) adults 18-49 demographic. Check out below last night's finale; eagle-eyed U.K. viewers will be able to spot British national treasures Ant and Dec (Best Time Ever is based on their show Saturday Night Takeaway), along with Harris' sidekick, Olivier nominee and the potentially Broadway-bound Nicole Scherzinger.