Odds & Ends: Idina Menzel Exudes Power, Alan Cumming Serves Reefer & More

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

Idina Menzel is a Woman of Power
But you didn’t need us to tell you that. According to Variety, If/Then star Idina Menzel will be honored at the magazine’s Power of Women luncheon on April 25 in New York. Additional honorees include fellow Broadway alums Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Sarandon and Claire Danes, as well as Nancy Dubuc and Iman. The women will be recognized for their various humanitarian efforts (Menzel for her “A Broader Way” arts initiative.)

From Cabaret to Cannabis?
Hey, what’s that smell? Cabaret star Alan Cumming will lead a one-night-only benefit concert of the musical based on cult classic Reefer Madness. The event will take place on April 19 at New World Stages with original Reefer star Christian Campbell and Thomas Dekker joining Cumming (additional cast members to be announced soon). Proceeds will go to Baby Quest Foundation.

Obie Awards: Special Guest Presenters Unit
Law and Order: SVU's Tamara Tunie and The Newsroom's Hamish Linklater, both vets of the New York stage, will host the 2014 Obie Awards on May 19 at Webster Hall. Tickets will go on sale on April 9. The awards honor the best of off-Broadway and off-off Broadway theater. Among the presenters this year are Harvey Fierstein, Lena Hall, Andy Karl, Cristin Milioti and Kelli O'Hara.

Stallone Finds Rocky Inspiration in West Side Story
Well, it makes sense with all those rumbles. Sylvester Stallone revealed to The Today Show that Tony and Maria influenced him to “give room for song” for the musical adaptation of Rocky. The original Italian Stallion says, “I always thought with Rocky and Adrian it’s very similar…and there’s so much silence in the movie.” What better way to fill that silence than with some knockout Ahrens and Flaherty tunes? Glad we’re on the same page, Stallone.