Odds & Ends: Sting to Star in Toronto Premiere of The Last Ship & More

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

Sting to Star in Toronto Premiere of The Last Ship
Legendary music maker Sting, who earned a 2015 Tony nomination for his score of The Last Ship, is set to star in the Toronto premiere production of that musical next year, according to Canadian publication The Star. Sting will play the role of Jackie White, which he first portrayed in a replacement gig of the Broadway run. The original musical featuring a book by Tony winners John Logan and Brian Yorkey centers on the demise of the shipbuilding industry. Lorne Campbell will direct the Toronto staging, set to run from February 9 through March 24, 2019 at the Princess of Wales Theatre.

Claybourne Elder & Steffanie Leigh Set for Passion at D.C.'s Signature
A pair of talented Broadway alums will sing the Tony-winning music of Stephen Sondheim in a new production of Passion at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA later this summer. Claybourne Elder (Sunday in the Park with George) and former Broadway.com vlogger Steffanie Leigh (War Paint) have signed on to play Giorgio and Clara, respectively, joining the previously announced Natascia Diaz (Encores! Grand Hotel) as Fosca. Directed by Signature's Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner, Passion will run from August 24 through September 23. The cast will also include Will Gartshore, Rayanne Gonzales, Gregory Maheu, Ian McEuen, Christopher Mueller, Katie Mariko Murray, Lawrence Redmond, Bobby Smith and John Leslie Wolfe.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Musical in Development
A stage musical adaptation of the hit 2005 movie series The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is currently in the works, Deadline announced today. Blue Spruce Productions has acquired rights for a stage adaptation of the beloved property, with an announcement of writers and additional creatives and cast to come. The films, based on Ann Brashares' best-selling novels, follows four best friends each traveling somewhere different and keeping in touch. Look back at the trailer for the franchise's first film below.



Constantine Maroulis to Reprise Broadway Turn in North Shore's Jekyll & Hyde
Tony nominee Constantine Maroulis has been announced to take on the title role in North Shore Music Theatre's upcoming production of the musical thriller Jekyll & Hyde. Returning to the role he played in a 2013 Broadway revival, Maroulis will appear alongside fellow American Idol alum Diana DeGarmo as Lucy Harris. Broadway's original Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, Robert Cuccioli, will direct the production, slated to run from September 25 through October 7 at the Beverly, MA theater. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Launch & Listening Party Set for New Musical The New Peggy
A one-night launch party and silent disco has been announced featuring music from The New Peggy, a tuner featuring book and lyrics by Drew Larimore and music and lyrics by J. Oconer Navarro. The event, part of the Micro-Musical Theatre Show series, will be held at The Terrace at Yotel New York on August 1 at 5:00pm. The New Peggy centers on Peggy, an ordinary secretary who has been stuck at her desk for 25 years, pining after her ordinary boss. Peggy sees that he is running off with another woman and decides to take matters into her own hands. The cast featured in the clips at the launch includes Ann Harada, Devin Ilaw, Daniel Marcus, Deb Radloff and Rachel Hardin.

P.S. Lin-Manuel Miranda is releasing a book of his good-morning and good-night tweets!