Odds & Ends: Kristolyn Lloyd, Marin Ireland, Kyle Beltran Cast in World Premiere Play Blue Ridge & More

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

Kristolyn Lloyd, Marin Ireland, Kyle Beltran Cast in World Premiere Play Blue Ridge
Casting has been announced for Blue Ridge, a new play by Abby Rosebrock (Different Animals) making its world premiere with off-Broadway's Atlantic Theatre Company this winter. Directed by Taibi Magar (Is God Is), the production will begin previews on December 12, 2018 ahead of a January 7, 2019 opening night. The cast will include Kristolyn Lloyd (Dear Evan Hansen), Tony nominee Marin Ireland (Summer and Smoke), Kyle Beltran (Fire in Dreamland), Nicole Lewis (Hair) and Chris Stack (Ugly Lies the Bone). Blue Ridge centers on a progressive high-school teacher with a rage problem who retaliates against her unscrupulous boss and is sentenced to six months at a church-sponsored halfway house, where she attends to everyone's recovery but her own. Blue Ridge is scheduled to play a limited engagement through January 27, 2019.

New York's Iconic Drama Book Shop Will Close
Bad news for stage fans. The 100-year-old Drama Book Shop, mainstay provider of scripts and theater-related tomes, will shudder in early 2019, according to Crain's. The reason for closing is the expiration of the business' 20-year lease, with its $20,000 monthly rent slated to increase by 50% at the start of next year. Also gone with the closing will be the shop's performance space, home to acclaimed off-Broadway companies such as Theatre 68. Owners of The Drama Book Shop hope to reopen in another, likely smaller, space in the theater district soon.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Offers a Homage to Funny Girl in Season-Two Trailer
We can hardly wait for the second season of Amazon's Emmy-winning comedy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. In anticipation of the newest slate of episodes, a trailer was released today offering a first look at what is to come in the hit series. Featuring the beloved Funny Girl tune "The Greatest Star," the trailer gives us insight into where the show is headed, with Emmy-winning Broadway alums Rachel Brosnahan and Tony Shalhoub front and center. Watch below and mark your calendar: season two drops on December 5.



Dianne Wiest Is Performing Beckett's Passing Outdoors in Madison Square Park
Broadway alum Dianne Wiest is serving up her best interpretations of Samuel Beckett this week in NYC—but not the way you might think. The two-time Oscar winner is performing outdoors from 12:00pm-1:00pm daily, through Friday in Madison Square Park, offering her take on the classic playwright's Passing for lunchtime theater lovers to enjoy. Wiest is no stranger to Beckett, having performed in numerous plays by the acclaimed scribe, including a memorable 2017 turn in Happy Days at Brooklyn's Theatre for a New Audience.