Odds & Ends: Eva Noblezada Will Return to Green Room 42 & More

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

Eva Noblezada Will Return to Green Room 42
Eva Noblezada, the young talent whose Broadway debut in Miss Saigon earned her a 2017 Tony nomination, will return to the swanky concert venue Green Room 42 for three encore shows of her cabaret Girl No More. The performances will take place on February 26, March 5 and March 12 at 7:00pm. Girl No More takes the audience through an evening of pop ballads, jazz standards and musical-theater favorites, including songs made famous by Amy Winehouse and Frank Sinatra. In addition to her performance as Kim in Miss Saigon, Noblezada recently appeared in a workshop of the upcoming Broadway musical King Kong. 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Scribe Jack Thorne to Write Screenplay for Live-Action Pinocchio
Jack Thorne, the talented writer who makes his Broadway debut this spring with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, has signed on to adapt Pinocchio for its upcoming live-action film, according to Deadline. Based on Carlo Collodi's story about a wooden puppet who wants to become a real boy, Pinocchio will be directed by Paul King (Paddington). The Pinocchio movie follows a series of live-action remakes, including Beauty and the Beast and the upcoming Aladdin and The Lion King.

Ayad Akhtar's Junk Wins Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History
Pulitzer winner Ayad Akhtar has been named the winner of the 2018 Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History for his play Junk, which appeared at Broadway's Vivian Beaumont Theatre this past fall. Akhtar, who won the Pulitzer for his Broadway-debut play, Disgraced, will be awarded a prize of $100,000. The Kennedy Prize is given annually through Columbia University to a new play or musical of merit that "enlists theater’s power to explore the past of the United States, to participate meaningfully in the great issues of our day through the public conversation, grounded in historical understanding, that is essential to the functioning of a democracy." 

Shoshana Bean to Debut New Album with Special L.A. Concert
Wicked alum Shoshana Bean is slated to debut her latest album, Spectrum, with an album-release concert on February 24 at 8:00pm at the Ace Theater in Los Angeles. The big-voiced star releases her fourth studio album with Spectrum, a fresh take on the classic tradition of "big band" with arrangements by Grammy-nominated arranger Alan Ferber. The concert will feature Bean along with an 18-piece band performing standards, classics, modern favorites and tunes penned by Bean herself. In addition to her stirring turn in Wicked, Bean's stage credits include Hairspray, Leader of the Pack, Dreamgirls, Godspell and Funny Girl.