Odds & Ends: Kristin Chenoweth Lands New Hosting Gig, Kyle Scatliffe to Lead 1776 Concerts & More

Kristin Chenoweth Lands New Hosting Gig
Kristin Chenoweth will step up to the mic again for a new set of hosting duties! The Tony and Emmy winner is set to emcee the 2017 Television Critics Association Awards, according to Variety. The Wicked original who won her Emmy for Pushing Daisies co-hosted the 2015 Tonys with Alan Cumming.

Celebrate Independence Day with Kyle Scatliffe, Carrie St. Louis & 1776
Casting is set for the upcoming concert presentations of Peter Stone and Sherman Edwards' Tony-winning musical 1776, set to play Feinstein's 54 Below for four performances on July 3 and 4 at 7:00pm and 9:30pm. Kyle Scatliffe will lead the company as John Adams, with Carrie St. Louis as Abigail Adams, Julian Decker as Ben Franklin, Ryan Vona as Richard Henry Lee, Tally Sessions as Thomas Jefferson, Michael McCorry Rose as John Dickinson, Kim McClay as Martha Jefferson, Wade McCollum as Edward Rutledge and Alex Prakken as The Courier.

Memphis Team at Work on Princess Diana Musical
A new musical based around Princess Diana will receive a reading as part of the Vassar Powerhouse season this summer in Poughkeepsie, NY. The show is created by the Tony-winning team behind Memphis: book writer Joe DiPietro, composer and lyricist David Bryan and director Christopher Ashley. No word yet on casting or dates for the reading.

Off-Broadway's Pearl Theatre Company Closes After 33 Years
Pearl Theatre Company, an off-Broadway mainstay for more than three decades, announced today that it has ceased operations. In a message on the Pearl's website, the company stated that the closing is due to increased financial pressures. The Pearl was founded in 1984 by Joanne Camp, Shepard Sobel and a small group of actors. The company has served as the advocate for the development of significant plays across history. The troupe's final season included productions of Public Enemy and Vanity Fair.

Watch Ernest Shackleton Loves Me Tonight on BroadwayHD
The hip new off-Broadway musical Ernest Shackleton Loves Me will appear on the small screen tonight, June 7, at 8:00pm. The show follows a sleep-deprived single mom and video-game music composer who are contacted across time by the famous polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. If you can't make it to the Tony Kiser Theatre to see the show live, this is your chance to watch it from your TV. Get a sneak peek at a moving number from the show below.



P.S. Cynthia Erivo brings down the house singing from Turandot at the Washington National Opera gala.