Odds & Ends: Mike Birbiglia to Host 2019 Lortel Awards & More

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

Mike Birbiglia to Host 2019 Lortel Awards
Mike Birbiglia, the acclaimed comedic monologuist who earned acclaim this season for the Broadway premiere of his comedy The New One, has signed on as emcee of the 2019 Lortel Awards. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at NYU's Skirball Center on May 5. In addition to The New One, which is currently nominated for a Lortel Award, Birbiglia has earned acclaim off-Broadway for his Lortel-winning My Girlfriend's Boyfriend and Lortel-nominated Thank God for Jokes and Sleepwalk with Me. For a full look at the 2019 Lortel nominations, click here.

Billy Magnussen & Ben Whishaw Cast in New James Bond Film
Acclaimed stage alums Billy Magnussen and Ben Whishaw will return to the big screen in 2020 as part of the newest James Bond flick. The pair is newly announced among a slew of co-stars joining stage alum Daniel Craig (Betrayal), returning to the title role for the major motion picture. Magnussen is a Tony nominee for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike who made a splash in the film world in Into the Woods. Whishaw won a Theatre World Award for Broadway's The Crucible and a Golden Globe for A Very English Scandal. 

Michael Urie-Helmed Bright Colors and Bold Patterns Sets Regional Premiere in D.C.
Drew Droege's celebrated solo play Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, which concluded its off-Broadway debut in 2018, has scheduled a regional premiere this summer at Washington, D.C.'s Studio Theatre. Michael Urie (Torch Song) will repeat his work as director of the comedy, which will be headlined by Jeff Hiller (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) reprising his turn as Gerry for the three-week engagement from July 9-28. Bright Colors and Bold Patterns is set the night before Josh and Brennan's picture-perfect Palm Springs wedding as their old friend Gerry arrives car-cranky and a few beers in, furious that the invitation demands that he "refrain from wearing bright colors or bold patterns."

Alexandra Silber, Drew Gehling & Carrie St. Louis Will Sing Dream Roles in Concert
A slew of stage stars have signed on for a one-of-a-kind concert, I Wish: The Roles That Could Have Been, set to play Feinstein's/54 Below on June 2 at 9:30pm. Created by Alexandra Silver (Fiddler on the Roof), the event will feature stars performing from roles that just never fit their range or natural-born abilities but had always remained on their bucket lists. Joining Silber onstage will be Drew Gehling (Waitress), Carrie St. Louis (Kinky Boots), Zach Adkins (Anastasia), Bobby Conte Thornton (A Bronx Tale), Blair Goldberg (Kinky Boots), Robyn Hurder (Moulin Rouge!), Natalie Joy Johnson (Kinky Boots), Raymond J. Lee (Groundhog Day), Thom Sesma (Sweeney Todd) and Elizabeth Stanley (Jagged Little Pill). The evening will be music-directed by Brian J. Nash and produced by Jen Sandler.