Odds & Ends: Hamilton Conquers Billboard Charts, Tracy Letts Joins Daniel Radcliffe Film & More

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

Hamilton Conquers Billboard Charts
Everyone wants to be in the room where it happens! The Hamilton cast album bowed at No. 12 on the Billboard 200, the highest debut for a cast recording since 1963 (when mono and stereo tallies were combined). The record also landed at No. 9 on Top Album Sales, No. 3 on Rap Albums, No. 5 on Digital Albums…and No.1 on Cast Albums (naturally!). Congratulations to creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda and all involved with the show; the gargantuan hit is currently playing at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.

Tracy Letts & Toni Collette Join Daniel Radcliffe Film
Two-time Tony winner Tracy Letts and Toni Collette—who co-starred together on the Main Stem last year in The Realistic Joneses—will reunite in thriller Imperium. According to Deadline, Tony nominee Sam Trammell has also been tapped for the lineup. Five-time Broadway.com Choice Award winner Daniel Radcliffe headlines the movie as an FBI agent who infiltrates a white supremacist group. Directed by Daniel Ragussis, filming is scheduled to kick off this week in Hopewell, V.A.

Nathan Lane, Christian Borle & Aaron Tveit Team Up
Tony winners Nathan Lane and Christian Borle, your Broadway boyfriend Aaron Tveit, Bridget Everett, Annie Golden and more will pay tribute to composer and lyricists Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman at this year’s Primary Stages Gala. The event will take place on November 16 at 583 Park Avenue and feature numbers from the Tony and Grammy-winning duo’s repertoire including Hairspray, Catch Me If You Can and Smash. Can we come?

Dame Eileen Atkins Honored
Three-time Olivier winner Dame Eileen Atkins will receive the Gielgud Award for Excellence in the Dramatic Arts at this year’s U.K. Theatre Awards. The ceremony is scheduled to take place on October 18 at London’s historic Guildhall. Atkins was last seen on Broadway in 2005’s Doubt; she garnered Tony nods for her performances in The Retreat From Moscow, Indiscretions, Vivat! Vivat Regina! and The Killing of Sister George.

JHUD Can Belt Anything
We've long suspected it, but it's now been proven by the video below—everything sounds better when Jennifer Hudson sings it! Literally...everything, including messages about feminine hygiene products. The Oscar winner will begin previews in The Color Purple at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on November 10 and we cannot wait to welcome her to Broadway!