Odds & Ends: Raul Esparza Exits Law & Order: Special Victims Unit & More

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

Raúl Esparza Exits Law & Order: SVU
Four-time Tony nominee Raúl Esparza, the beloved star who has spent the past six seasons as Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba on small-screen procedural Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, made his final appearance on the long-running series on February 7. Esparza shared the news just following his last turn. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Esparza shared that it was his decision to leave the show. Next up for the power-voiced star? A star-packed concert revival of Chess, which we have a feeling is Broadway-bound.

Goodbye Barba. Thank you. You changed my life. My squad. And you, you always, my Liv, my friend Mariska. I will always treasure my time with all of you. #SVU #BarbaOnTrial

— Raúl E. Esparza (@RaulEEsparza) February 8, 2018

The Paley Center to Offer Behind-the-Scenes Look at Jesus Christ Superstar: Live in Concert
New York's Paley Center for Media has announced an inside look at NBC's upcoming Easter Sunday presentation of Jesus Christ Superstar: Live in Concert. Cast members John Legend and Waitress star Sara Bareilles will appear with Tony-nominated director David Leveaux at the special event slated for February 26 at 7:30pm. As previously announced, Jesus Christ Superstar: Live in Concert, set for April 1, is the next incarnation of NBC's series of live musicals. The concert presentation of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's iconic rock opera will feature Legend as Jesus, with Bareilles as Mary Magdalene and Alice Cooper as King Herod. For more information on the Paley Center event, click here.

Al Pacino & Judith Light May Return to Broadway in Tennessee Williams Bio-Drama God Looked Away
Two-time Tony winners Al Pacino and Judith Light could be headed back to Broadway. Page Six reports that the duo will appear in a main-stem mounting of Dotson Rader's Tennessee Williams bio-play God Looked Away, with Pacino portraying playwright-novelist Williams. Robert Allan Ackerman directed the 2017 premiere of the drama based on Rader's 1985 book about a turbulent period in the life and career of Williams. No word yet on dates or a theater for God Looked Away, but with this starry duo above the title, let's hope we see the new work on the Rialto soon.

Lana Del Rey Says She's Working on a Musical for Broadway
Lana Del Rey is at work on a musical, the Grammy- and Golden Globe-nominated singer-songwriter tells L'Officiel. "I was asked to write a musical, which I’ve started," said Del Rey. "It was for Broadway. I may finish in two or three years." The stage musical project would mark a first for the hit writer of "Big Eyes," "Summertime Sadness" and "Young and Beautiful." No other info is currently known on the project, but we think Del Rey's unique tunes would sound great on Broadway, so let's speed this up, K?

[title of show] Creators Hunter Bell & Jeff Bowen to Debut New Musical in Starry Lab
It's an original musical! Tony nominee Hunter Bell and his [title of show] collaborator Jeff Bowen are presenting a first look at their new tuner Other World, set to receive a private lab presentation on February 15 and 16 at Baryshnikov Arts Center in NYC. Featuring a book by Bell and a score by Bowen and Ann McNamee, the lab will be directed by Tony nominee Gabriel Barre (Amazing Grace) and choreographed by Tānemahuta Gray (What We Do in the Shadows). In Other World, an avid online gamer, Sri, and a confirmed non-gamer, Lorraine, are magically and unexpectedly transported into Sri’s favorite video game. The lab's cast will include Rin Allen, Ryan Andes, Jordan Barrow, Charnette Batey, Sommer Carbuccia, Sofiya Cheyenne, Jess Fry, Carlos E. Gonzalez, Ryan J. Haddad, Benjamin Howes, Jo Lampert, Miriam A. Laube, Justin Gregory Lopez, Michael Maliakel, Bonnie Jean Milligan, Evy Ortiz, Seth Rettberg, Sherisse Springer, Blake Stadnik, Carla Stickler, Jena VanElslander, Melanie Vaughan and Jason Williams.