Odds & Ends: Finn Wittrock to Join Renee Zellweger in Judy Garland Biopic & More

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

Finn Wittrock to Join Renée Zellweger in Judy Garland Biopic
Broadway alum Finn Wittrock (The Glass Menagerie) has signed on to star as Judy Garland's fifth husband, Mickey Deans, in the highly anticipated Judy Garland biopic Judy, according to Deadline. As previously announced, Oscar winner Renée Zellweger will appear in the title role of the new film centered on the end of the Hollywood icon's life. Tony nominee Rupert Goold directs the biopic which will also star Jessie Buckley (Beast) as production assistant Rosalyn Wilder. A release date for Judy will be announced at a later time.

Charles Busch to Debut New Comedy Off-Broadway
Tony-nominated playwright and actor Charles Busch (The Tale of the Allergist's Wife) will star in his world premiere comic melodrama The Confession of Lily Dare at off-Broadway's Theater for the New City this spring. Directed by Busch’s longtime collaborator Carl Andress (The Tribute Artist), the play will run for a limited engagement of 24 performances from April 4-29. Played against the gaudy tapestry of turn-of-the-century California's notorious Barbary Coast, The Confession of Lily Dare tells the story of one woman's tumultuous passage from convent girl to glittering cabaret chanteuse to infamous madam of a string of brothels. Additional casting for The Confession of Lily Dare will be announced in the coming weeks.

Craig Lucas' New Play, Performed in English & Sign Language, Set for New Playwrights Horizons Season
I Was Most Alive with You, a New York premiere play by three-time Tony nominee Craig Lucas (An American in Paris), is among the works slated for the 2018-2019 season at off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons. Lucas and Tyne Rafaeli will co-direct the play, set to begin performances on August 31, 2018, with an opening to be announced. I Was Most Alive with You follows Ash, who has a blessed life, is thankful every day for the gifts of his family, his addiction and his son's deafness. But one fateful day, everything’s taken from him. I Was Most Alive with You will be performed simultaneously in English and American Sign Language by two casts, including two-time Tony nominee Lois Smith (Marjorie Prime), Theatre World Award winner Russell Harvard (Spring Awakening) and two-time Obie winner Lisa Emery (Six Degrees of Separation). The cast will also feature Marianna Bassham, Tad Cooley, Gameela Wright, Beth Applebaum, Seth Gore, Dickie Hearts, Amelia Hensley, Anthony Natale and Alexandria Wailes. The new Playwrights Horizons season will also include Larissa FastHorse's The Thanksgiving Play (beginning in October 2018), Heather Raffo's Noura (starting in November 2018), Tori Sampson's If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhf**ka (beginning in February 2019), Halley Feiffer's The Pain of My Belligerence (starting in April 2019) and the world premiere musical A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson (kicking off performances in May 2019). Further dates and casting for the 2018-2019 Playwrights Horizons season will be announced at a later date.

Check Out Footage from the World Premiere Musical Light Years
Video footage has been released for Light Years, a new musical featuring a book and score by Robbie Schaefer of the American folk band Eddie from Ohio. The previously announced show is currently making its world premiere at Virginia's Signature Theatre for a run through March 4. Light Years is an autobiographical story of the songwriter's journeys from his childhood in India to the joys and struggles of growing up, pursuing his passion and raising a family. Schaefer stars alongside Broadway alum Luke Smith (Significant Other), with Bobby Smith, Natascia Diaz, John Sygar and Kara-Tameika Watkins. Signature Theatre Artistic Director and Broadway veteran director Eric Schaeffer is at the helm. Check out the rocking footage below and don't miss the chance to experience Light Years in person.