Odds & Ends: John Lloyd Young Will Play Return Engagement at Cafe Carlyle & More

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

John Lloyd Young Will Return to Cafe Carlyle
John Lloyd Young, original star of Broadway's Jersey Boys, has landed an encore engagement at swanky NYC cabaret venue Café Carlyle as part of its 2019 season. Young, who earned a Tony Award for his dynamic turn as Frankie Valli in the hit musical—later reprising his performance in the film adaptation—will appear for a run from February 19 through March 2. Also on the lineup for the Carlyle's new season are Isaac Mizrahi (February 5-16) and Suzanne Vega (March 5-16). Look back at Young performing with the original cast of Jersey Boys below.



To Kill a Mockingbird in Contention as "America's Favorite Novel"
Harper Lee's well-loved novel To Kill a Mockingbird is coming to Broadway in a new stage adaptation beginning performances on November 1. Meanwhile, PBS is currently polling readers across the country about what they consider to be "America's Favorite Novel" as part of their program The Great American Read. The winner will be announced on a TV special led by series host Meredith Viera, set for broadcast on PBS on October 23. Is To Kill a Mockingbird your favorite book of all time? Vote here through October 18 and make plans soon to see the highly anticipated new stage adaptation at Broadway's Shubert Theatre.

Bernhardt/Hamlet Scribe Theresa Rebeck to Appear at Drama Book Shop
Pulitzer-finalist playwright Theresa Rebeck is slated to make an appearance at NYC's Drama Book Shop on October 2. The iconic scribe, currently represented on Broadway by the new play Bernhardt/Hamlet, will take part in a discussion about her career and projects, followed by a signing. In addition to her current main-stem project, Rebeck was short-listed for the Pulitzer for Omnium Gatherum; she also created and served as showrunner on TV's Smash. Get to know Rebeck and Bernhardt/Hamlet's Tony-winning star Janet McTeer below.



Richard Nelson's Adaptation of Uncle Vanya Extended Off-Broadway
Due to popular demand, the celebrated new take on Uncle Vanya running at the Frederick Loewe Theater at Hunter College has received an extension through October 28. The previously announced inaugural production of the Hunter Theater Project, a new look at Chekhov's masterpiece, is adapted and directed by Tony winner Richard Nelson (The Gabriels, James Joyce's The Dead). The new staging, which began previews on September 7 and opened on September 16, features a cast led by Celeste Arias, Jon DeVries, Kate Kearney-Patch, Alice Cannon, Jesse Pennington, Jay O. Sanders and Yvonne Woods.

Cuba Gooding Jr. on Why Broadway Audiences Are "A Little More Energetic" Than the West End
Cuba Gooding Jr. is having a musical moment. On the heels of appearing as Billy Flynn in the West End staging of Kander & Ebb's Chicago, the Oscar-winning film star is returning to Broadway in the main-stem production of that Tony-winning revival. Gooding stopped by Live with Kelly & Ryan on October 1 to share his excitement about singing out onstage for American audiences. He talked about performing on Broadway in comparison to London's West End, noting that New York crowds are "a little more energetic" than Londoners. Watch Gooding below and check him out in person at the Ambassador Theatre beginning on October 6.



P.S. Yesterday's star-packed Broadway Flea Market raised $906,825 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.