Odds & Ends: Laura Benanti & Bartlett Sher to Be Honored at Encompass Annual Gala & More

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

Laura Benanti & Bartlett Sher to Be Honored at Encompass Annual Gala
Tony winners Laura Benanti and Bartlett Sher, star and director of Lincoln Center Theater's Tony-nominated My Fair Lady revival, have been named honorees for the 2019 gala of Encompass New Opera Theatre. The star-studded event will be held at the National Arts Club on March 31 at 6:00pm. Iconic lyricist and past honoree Sheldon Harnick (She Loves Me, Fiddler on the Roof) will present Benanti with the Sheldon Harnick Award for Creative Excellence and Sher with Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in the American Theatre, Musical Theatre and Opera Award. The event will also feature appearances by Whitney Bashor, Baize Busan, Adrienne Danrich, Lianne Gennaco, Adam Guettel, Samantha Massell, Marilyn Maye, Susanna Phillips, J.T. Rogers, Billy Stritch, Michael Yeargan and Maury Yeston.

Phylicia Rashad & André Holland Set for Public Theater's Onassis Festival 2019
The Public Theater and Onassis USA have announced additional stars for Onassis Festival 2019: Democracy Is Coming, running from April 10-28 at The Public Theater and La MaMa. The 19-day festival of arts and ideas celebrates, evaluates and considers anew the concept of democracy. Newly announced programming includes Tony winner Phylicia Rashad taking part in Public Shakespeare Presents: What’s Hecuba to Him? Greek Tragic Women on Shakespeare's Stage set for April 22 at 7:00pm at the Public. Also part of the new slate of programming is Of, By, and For the People, featuring André Holland, on April 15 at 7:00pm at the Public. For a full look at the Onassis Festival schedule of events, click here.

Playwrights Horizons Extends Tori Sampson's World Premiere Play
Off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons has announced an extension for the acclaimed world premiere production of Tori Sampson's If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhf**ka. Originally slated to conclude its run on March 31, the production will now close on April 5. Níkẹ Uche Kadri stars in the new play, directed by Leah C. Gardiner and choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly. The play is set in the village of Affreakah-Amirrorkah, where no one questions that Akim (Kadri) is the one true, perfect beauty—not even her jealous classmates. But they'll be damned before they let her be the leading lady in this story. The cast also features Mirirai Sithole, Rotimi Agbabiaka, Maechi Aharanwa, Jason Bowen, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Ian Duff and Phumzile Sitole. The production began previews on February 15 and officially opened on March 10.