Odds & Ends: Christopher Fitzgerald Will Return to Syfy Series Happy! & More

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

Christopher Fitzgerald Will Return to Syfy Series Happy!
This news makes us more than a little happy! Recent Waitress star and three-time Tony nominee Christopher Fitzgerald will soon head back to the small screen, reprising his turn as world-famous children's entertainer Sonny Shine on season two of the Syfy series Happy!, according to Deadline. Fitzgerald is now a series regular on the acclaimed show, which also stars Christopher Meloni and Bryce Lorenzo. In addition to his celebrated turn as Ogie in Waitress, Broadway regular Fitzgerald was Tony-nominated for Finian's Rainbow and Young Frankenstein. He also originated the role of Boq in Wicked. A season-two start date for Happy! is still to come.

Darren Criss, Shoshana Bean to Appear as Special Guests on Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel Book Tour
Special guests have been announced to take part in the upcoming book tour of Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel. Tony-winning composer-lyricist team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul will appear on all stop of the tour alongside a slew of moderators and guests, including Queer Eye's Tan France and Antoni Porowski (NY), James Corden and Shoshanna Bean (L.A.), NPR's Ari Shapiro (D.C.), Darren Criss (Ann Arbor) and Kendra Kassebaum (Seattle). An NYC launch event, set for 10/8, will feature Alex Boniello, Will Roland, Rachel Bay Jones, Barrett Wilbert Weed and Mykal Kilgore. For a full list of tour guests, click here.

Nancy Anderson to Play Mrs. Wilkinson in Signature's Billy Elliot
This is what we call perfect casting. Multi-talented Broadway alum Nancy Anderson (Sunset Boulevard) will return to the D.C. stage this winter as dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson in a new staging of Billy Elliot: The Musical at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA. Signature's Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner will direct and choreograph the previously announced production, slated to run from October 30, 2018 through January 6, 2019. The principal cast will also include newcomers Liam Redford and Owen Tabaka alternating in the title role, with Jacob Thomas Anderson as Michael Caffrey, Catherine Flye as Grandma, Chris Genebach as Jackie Elliot, Dan Manning as George, Grant Richards as Adult Billy, Sean Watkinson as Tony Elliot and Eileen Ward as Mum. Billy Elliot: The Musical features a book and lyrics by Lee Hall and an original score by Elton John.

P.S. Check out the tour cast of Dear Evan Hansen singing the national anthem before a Denver Broncos game.



P.P.S. Watch Ben Platt toast Nicolette Robinson with his perfect take on "She Used to Be Mine" from Waitress.

Stuck in LA and so gutted that I can’t see the spectacular @NicoletteKloe during her run in @sarabareilles’s @waitressmusical so decided to sing out my frustration ?❤️ pic.twitter.com/injE5S4Q1T

— Ben Platt (@BenSPLATT) October 2, 2018