Odds & Ends: Neil Patrick Harris' New Gig with Roundabout, Audra McDonald's Hamilton Jam Session & More

Here's a quick roundup of stories you may have missed today and over the weekend.

NPH & More Give Roundabout Its Closeup
Roundabout Theatre Company is heading to the small screen. The company will celebrate their 50th anniversary with a 22-minute TV special: A Roundabout Road to Broadway. Hosted by Tony winner Neil Patrick Harris, the segment will feature interviews with several Broadway faves and Roundabout alums, including She Loves Me’s Laura Benanti and Jane Krakowski, Kristin Chenoweth, Alec Baldwin, Jake Gyllenhaal, Audra McDonald, Helen Mirren and more. It’s set to premiere on NBC 4 New York on February 6. Take a sneak peek with Harris below.


Show School of Rock What You Got
Are you pint-sized? Can you rock out with the best of them? If so, listen up. Broadway’s School of Rock is looking for its next group of young cast members. On February 26, the Andrew Lloyd Webber tuner will hold an open call for kids aged nine-12 and under five feet at the Winter Garden Theatre. The show is looking specifically for girls who play bass and boys who play guitar, piano and drums. For a chance to win a trip to New York and a guaranteed audition, enter the show’s video contest. If not, show up on the 26th beginning at 9AM to stick it to the man!

First Daughter Suite Album Release Set
Michael John LaChiusa’s First Daughter Suite, which concluded its run off-Broadway at the Public Theater in November, will release a cast recording later this month. The Ghostlight Records album, featuring original cast members Rachel Bay Jones, Caissie Levy, Betsy Morgan, Mary Testa, Barbara Walsh and more, will be available digitally on February 26 and in stores on April 1. Need something to hold you over until then? You can stream the opening number here.

Audra McDonald Gets in on the #Ham4Ham Fun
How are you gonna say no to Mama Broadway?! Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald joined Hamilton maestro Lin-Manuel Miranda for the latest online #Ham4Ham show, and it’s one for the books. Before bringing her Tony-winning Lady Day performance to the West End, McDonald showed off her uncanny Billie Holiday while performing Hamilton’s “Say No to This.” Watch below, obsess over it, and catch her back on Broadway beginning March 15 in Shuffle Along, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed.