Odds & Ends: Matthew Broderick Will Do a ‘Heck of a Job’ in American Crime Story, Ian McKellen Tackles King Lear & More

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

Matthew Broderick Heading to the Small Screen
Another Broadway alum has been tapped for FX’s ultra-addicting American Crime Story! Deadline reports that two-time Tony winner Matthew Broderick has joined the cast of Katrina: American Crime Story, the second installment of the Emmy-winning limited series from Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson. This season will tell the story of America’s response to the devastating 2005 hurricane. Broderick will play Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Michael D. Brown, who was in charge of the federal response to Katrina and was famously (and prematurely) congratulated on his performance by President George W. Bush. The season is scheduled to air in 2018 and will be quickly followed by Versace, starring Darren Criss.

Ian McKellen Tapped for Chichester  
Book that U.K. trip stat! The Chichester Festival Theatre has announced its 2017 season. Sir Ian McKellen will play the titular role in King Lear, directed by Jonathan Munby; the production will run at the intimate Minerva Theatre. Also added to the lineup is Tony and Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden, who will make her U.K. stage debut in a revival of Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth. Richard Wilson will lead the cast of Alan Bennett’s Forty Years On. Michael Longhurst is set to helm Sharon D. Clarke in Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori’s Caroline, Or Change. Omid Djalili and Tracy-Ann Oberman will star in Fiddler On The Roof. Other productions to look out for are a revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s The Norman Conquests, Edna O’Brien's stage adaptation The Country Girls, James Graham’s Quiz, Deborah Bruce's The House They Grew Up In and Githa Sowerby’s The Stepmother. The new season is the first under new Artistic Director Daniel Evans. Dates and full casting will be announced later.

Obsession, Starring Jude Law, to be Broadcast
London’s National Theatre has announced that the stage adaptation of Luchino Visconti’s 1943 film thriller Obsession (itself an adaptation of the 1930s crime novel The Postman Always Rings Twice) is coming to the big screen. Fans can catch two-time Tony nominee Jude Law on May 11 at venues to be announced. Tony and Olivier winner Ivo Van Hove directs the production, which is scheduled to officially open on April 25 and play a limited engagement through May 20 at the Barbican Theatre.

Sara Bareilles to Honor Hollywood Legends at the Oscars
She’s Broadway bound in her own musical Waitress, and now Sara Bareilles has been tapped to perform during the “In Memoriam” segment at the Academy Awards on February 26. Telecast co-producer Michael De Luca cited the Tony-nominated singer/songwriter’s “unique artistry” in announcing her participation in the video segment honoring legendary performers including Broadway vets Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher, Alan Rickman, Mary Tyler Moore and Patty Duke. No word yet on what Bareilles will sing on the Oscars—or what she will wear (presumably not pie baker Jenna’s apron!).

P.S. Extra! Extra! There will be an encore screening of the Newsies movie in the U.S. on March 4 in select theaters. Check your local listings, get the popcorn ready and carry the banner with your fellow fans!

We just added an encore screening in the U.S. on Saturday, March 4!

— Disney's NEWSIES (@Newsies) February 23, 2017