Odds & Ends: Full Casting Set for Andréa Burns-Led Judy Holliday Bio-Play & More

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

Full Casting Set for Andréa Burns-Led Judy Holliday Bio-Play
Casting is complete for Smart Blonde, a new off-Broadway play about the life of Judy Holliday, set to debut off-Broadway next month. Written by Willy Holtzman and directed by Peter Flynn, Smart Blonde will begin previews on March 16 ahead of a March 26 opening night at 59E59 Theaters. Newly announced cast members include Andrea Bianchi (Curvy Widow), Mark Lotito (Jersey Boys) and Jonathan Spivey (Summer and Smoke). They join the previously announced Andréa Burns (On Your Feet!) leading the company as stage-and-screen icon Holliday. Smart Blonde charts her experiences from Greenwich Village to Broadway and beyond with notable show business alums including Leonard Bernstein and Marilyn Monroe. As previously announced, Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford will star as Holliday in an upcoming film adaptation of the play.

David Korins Joins Oscars Production Team
Another reason to tune in! David Korins, the Tony-nominated scenic designer of Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen, has been recruited to design the set for the 91st Annual Academy Awards. The multi-talented Korins' work will be seen on Broadway this season with the upcoming musical Beetlejuice. He also designed Broadway.com's very own studio, which can be seen in our photo and video coverage, including every day on Live at Five. The 2019 Academy Awards ceremony will air live on February 24 on ABC. Check out the starry list of nominees here.

Uta Hagen Centenary Celebration to Commence in NYC
HB Studio, one of New York's original acting studios, has announced Uta Hagen at 100, a series of special events and workshops celebrating the centenary of the late Tony-winning actress and activist Uta Hagen. The series of events will honor Hagen's legacy as a pioneering theater artist, activist and master teacher of the nonprofit HB Studio. The celebration will kick off on February 25 at HB Playwrights Theatre in NYC and conclude on June 10 at the Tribeca Rooftop with a gala honoring the actress, whose 100th birthday would be June 12. Hagen earned Tony Awards for her iconic turns in The Country Girl and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, in addition to a Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. Hagen passed away in 2004 at age 84.

James Monroe Iglehart Featured on Kathryn Allison's Debut Album Something Real
Talented Aladdin cast member Kathryn Allison has announced the release of her debut album, Something Real. The compilation of songs reimagines Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Ella Fitzgerald and others as an exploration of love, lust and heartbreak. Featured on the album is Aladdin Tony winner and current Hamilton cast member James Monroe Iglehart duetting with Allison on the classic Motown tune "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing." Something Real is set to be released on February 8.

Second Stage's Christopher Burney Named Artistic Director of New York Stage and Film
Hats off to Christopher Burney, newly appointed as artistic director of New York Stage and Film. The art and film institution's longtime associate artistic director, Liz Carlson, has been promoted to the newly created position of artistic producer. Burney takes on his new role following a tenure as artistic producer of the nonprofit Second Stage, through which he earned a Tony nomination for the company's 2018 revival of Lobby Hero.