Odds & Ends : Jonathan Groff Joins Sondheim on Sondheim at Hollywood Bowl, '90s Grunge Musical in the Works & More

Jonathan Groff Joins Sondheim on Sondheim at Hollywood Bowl
Jonathan Groff, Sarah Uriarte Berry and Philip Boykin have completed casting for the Hollywood Bowl's upcoming performance of the 2010 Broadway revue Sondheim on Sondheim. The previously announced July 23 event featuring the Los Angeles Philharmonic will also star Matthew Morrison, Carmen Cusack, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ruthie Ann Miles, Lewis Cleale, Claybourne Elder, Solea Pfeiffer and original Sondheim on Sondheim showstopper Vanessa Williams.

John Oliver Will Lend His Voice to Zazu in Disney’s Live-Action The Lion King
He may not be King of the Jungle, but he certainly is King of Late Night! Another star has joined the eagerly anticipated live-action re-make of Disney’s The Lion King. Following the news that Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen look likely to join forces as Timon and Pumba, The Wrap has revealed that five-time Emmy-winning host John Oliver will voice bespectacled British bird Zazu in the film adaptation. The film, currently in pre-production in Los Angeles, is also set to star Donald Glover as Simba and James Earl Jones reprising his work from the original film as Mufasa. Beyoncé has been rumored to voice the role of Nala. We just can’t wait to be king see this one on the big screen!

Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes Sets Casting
The upcoming national tour and New York City Center presentation of Matthew Bourne's Olivier-winning take on the classic film The Red Shoes has completed casting. Joining the previously announced original London star Ashley Shaw will be New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns. Also set to appear in the production will be Cordelia Braithwaite, Sam Archer, Jack Jones, Dominic North, Marcelo Gomes, Michela Meazza, Anjali Mehra, Nicole Kabera, Liam Mower, Danny Reubens, Will Bozier, Glenn Graham, Leon Moran, Steph Billers, Jackson Fisch, Joshua Harriette, Daisy May Kemp, Phil King, Dominic Lamb, Katrina Lyndon, Kate Lyons, Andrew Monaghan, Joe Walkling, Katie Webb and Seren Williams. The Red Shoes will appear at New York City Center from October 26-November 5. Preceding the City Center run, the work will plié through Los Angeles at the Ahmanson Theatre (September 15-October 1), Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center (October 10-15) and Charlotte at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center (October 15-22).

Go on a Date with Shoshana Bean & Help Make Her New Album a Reality
Broadway beltress Shoshana Bean is at work on her fourth studio recording, a "modern-day, soulful, rockin', fresh new take on a classic big band album," and the veteran of Wicked is offering some snazzy rewards for fans who can help raise funds for its production through a PledgeMusic campaign. You could go on a date with the former Elphaba, make a YouTube video together or receive a personalized voicemail message! So pony up and help this mega talent make her album the best it can be.

'90s Grunge Musical, Featuring the Music of Alice in Chains, in the Works
Seattle Repertory Theatre is taking us back to the '90s with a newly commissioned work featuring grunge music, according to Variety. Playwright Matt Schatz is writing a book for the show that is expected to feature pre-existing tunes by the likes of Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. Wendy C. Goldberg, artistic director of the O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference, developed the idea and is co-creating the musical. The still-in-the-works project doesn't yet have a timeline, but we're crossing our fingers that it rocks out on Broadway soon.

Amerike—The Golden Land, from Producers of Indecent, Opens Off-Broadway
The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, producers of Paula Vogel's stirring Indecent to Broadway, open a reimagined version of Moishe Rosenfeld and Zalmen Mlotek’s Amerike—The Golden Land tonight at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Described as a musical journey of the immigration experience, the show features a cast including Broadway veterans Glenn Seven Allen and Alexandra Frohlinger along with David Perlman, Dani Marcus, Stephanie Lynne Mason and international klezmer star Daniel Kahn. Bryna Wasserman directs the production that is set to run through August 6.