Odds & Ends: Andy Mientus to Rock Out in Denver Production of Tommy & More

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

Andy Mientus to Rock Out in Denver Production of Tommy
Broadway alum Andy Mientus (Spring Awakening) has been announced as the star of a new Colorado mounting the 1993 musical Tommy, featuring the Tony-winning music of iconic rock band The Who. Mientus will take on the title role in the production directed by Tony nominee Sam Buntrock (Sunday in the Park with George) and choreographed by Katie Spelman (Amélie). Tommy will run at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts' Stage Theatre from April 20 through May 27. Joining Mientus onstage will be Tony nominee Charl Brown (Motown) as Captain Walker, Carson Elrod (Peter and the Starcatcher) as Uncle Ernie, Betsy Morgan (Sweeney Todd) as Mrs. Walker and Lulu Fall (The Great Comet) as Acid Queen. The cast will also include David Hess, Sara Kapner, Gareth Keegan, Charlie Korman, Corbin Payne, Terence Reddick, Tristan Champion Regini, Timothy John Smith, Olivia Sullivent, Erin Willis, Owen Zitek, Samuel Bird, Radley Wright, Joe Beauregard and Katie Drinkard.

Laura Benanti to Co-Host 33rd Annual Lucille Lortel Awards
Tony winner, off-Broadway alum and Melania Trump impersonator Laura Benanti has signed on as co-host of the 2018 Lucille Lortel Awards, toasting the best off-Broadway theater debuting in the 2017-2018 season. Joining Benanti as co-emcee will be Jason Jones, co-creator of the TBS comedy series The Detour (in which Benanti appears). The Lortel Awards are slated to take place at NYU's Skirball Center on May 6 at 7:00pm. Nominations will be announced on April 4.

Idina Menzel to Receive Drama League Award for Distinguished Achievement
Tony-winning Wicked original Idina Menzel (who will return to the stage this spring in Skintight) is among the special honorees receiving a hat-tip at the 84th Annual Drama League Awards. The starry ceremony will take place at the Marriott Marquis Times Square on May 18 at 11:30am. Menzel will be presented with Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award alongside Tony-winning director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw (Mean Girls), who'll receive the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing. The National Endowment for the Arts will also be honored by the Drama League with the Unique Contribution to the Theater Award. Nominees for the Drama League's esteemed Distinguished Performance Award will be announced on April 18.

New Book Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution Set for April Release
Gear up for the Broadway revival of Carousel with a new tome about the legendary songwriters Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Henry Holt and Company has announced Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution, a new book by Todd S. Purdum offering an inside look at the personalities of R&H, their relationship with each other, their creative process and their groundbreaking innovations. In addition to Carousel, Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals include South Pacific, Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, Cinderella and The King and I, the tuner from which the book gets its title. Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution is slated for an April 3 release.

Tony Nominee Denée Benton to Lead CBS Pilot 25
Denée Benton, the super talent who blew audiences away with her Tony-nommed Broadway debut in The Great Comet, has been cast in 25, a comedy-series pilot from CBS, according to Deadline. Emily Osment (Young & Hungry) and Matt Shively (The Real O'Neals) will co-star. 25 follows twentysomething Kyle (Shively), who travels to Austin to convince his friend Kate (Osment) that they are meant to be. Benton will play Kate's roommate, Morgan. Look back at our Fresh Face video with Benton below and cross your fingers that 25 is picked up as a full series.

P.S. Get ready for NBC's starry Easter Sunday presentation of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert with this new promo.