Odds & Ends: Andréa Burns to Star as Judy Holliday in New Play Smart Blonde & More

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

Andréa Burns to Star as Judy Holliday in New Play Smart Blonde
Andréa Burns, standout original cast member of In the Heights and On Your Feet!, will portray iconic actress Judy Holliday in the new off-Broadway play Smart Blonde, set to appear off-Broadway as part of the 2019 winter season at 59E59 Theaters. Written by Willy Holtzman and directed by Peter Flynn, Smart Blonde charts Holliday's experiences from Greenwich Village to Broadway and beyond with notable show business alums, including Leonard Bernstein and Marilyn Monroe. Additional casting will be announced at a later date. For a full look at 59E59's new season, click here.

The Jonathan Larson Project to Be Preserved on Cast Album
Ghostlight Records has announced an original cast recording of The Jonathan Larson Project, which premiered at Feinstein's/54 Below last month. Directed and conceived by Jennifer Ashley Tepper, and featuring music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Charlie Rosen, the show featured previously unheard music of the late composer Jonathan Larson, who wrote Rent and Tick, Tick...BOOM! The cast includes Nick Blaemire (Tick, Tick...BOOM!), Lauren Marcus (Be More Chill), Andy Mientus (Spring Awakening), Krysta Rodriguez (Spring Awakening) and George Salazar (Be More Chill). The album is due out in early 2019.

Harriet Harris to Host Acting Company Gala; Joanna A. Jones & More to Perform
Tony-winning actress Harriet Harris (Thoroughly Modern Millie) has signed on to emcee the fall gala of The Acting Company, set to take place at the Metropolitan Club on November 12. The gala will honor director and artistic leader Bill Rauch (All the Way) and the married civic leaders Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel and Ambassador Carl Spielvogel. Joining Harris onstage will be Joanna A. Jones (School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play) performing with Tatiana Wechsler (X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. The Nation) and Russ Kaplan's Broadway Jazz.

P.S. Watch Nancy Anderson & the cast of Billy Elliot, running through January 6, 2019 at D.C.'s Signature Theatre.