Odds & Ends: Joel Grey to Sign & Chat About His New Photography Book & More

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

Joel Grey to Sign & Chat About His New Photography Book
Tony and Oscar winner Joel Grey, the Fiddler on the Roof director who also happens to be a celebrated photographer, will take part in a conversation about his new book, The Flower Whisperer, at the NYC book store Rizzoli on July 25 at 6:00pm. The event will feature Grey being interviewed by his friend, acclaimed photographer Duane Michals, followed by a signing. Grey's book captures his life-long love for nature's beauty, with an array of images featuring lilies, tulips, roses and poppies. For further details on Thursday's book signing, click here.

Norm Lewis to Headline New York Pops Underground Cabaret Concert
Tony nominee Norm Lewis has been selected as the star of the 2019 annual cabaret fundraiser of The New York Pops. The event, hosted by music director Steven Reineke, will be held at Feinstein's/54 Below on September 23 at 5:30pm. Lewis is a Broadway veteran who earned a Tony nomination for his turn in Porgy & Bess; he also broke ground as the first African-American actor to play the title role in the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera. Proceeds from the fundraiser will support The New York Pops orchestra and PopsEd music programs, which reach more than 5,000 New York City students each year throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

Claybourne Elder & Eric Rosen to Host Broadway Daddies Fundraiser for About Face Youth Theatre
Broadway actor Claybourne Elder (Torch Song) and his husband, director Eric Rosen, have signed on to emcee Broadway Daddies, an upcoming fundraiser concert for About Face Youth Theatre, set to appear at Feinstein's/54 Below on August 26 at 9:30pm. Elder and Rosen, who are fathers to two-year-old Bo, will headline an evening celebrating all the ways Broadway dads navigate show schedules, rehearsals, out-of-town tryouts, diapers, daycare, first words and college graduations—not to mention competitive dad jokes. The evening will feature songs and stories from Broadway's hit shows and beloved performers, who happen to be fathers, including Tony nominee Bryce Pinkham (The Great Society), Ben Thompson (Waitress), Jack Noseworthy (Come From Away), Michael Williams (My Fair Lady), Cleve Asbury (How to Succeed), Raymond J. Lee (Groundhog Day), Andrew Kober (Beautiful) and Kevin Massey (Memphis). Rosen will direct the evening, which will feature music direction by Rodney Bush.

Janine LaManna & More to Join SNL's Heidi Gardner for Noises Off at Cape Playhouse
Full casting has been announced for the Cape Playhouse's upcoming staging of Michael Frayn's iconic farce Noises Off. The previously announced production, directed by Jeffry Denman, will run from August 7-17 at the historic theater on Cape Cod. New to the cast is Janine LaManna (Seussical) as Belinda, Craig Wesley Divino (Happy Birthday, Wanda Jane) as Tim, Taylor Galvin (The Marvelous Wonderettes) as Poppy, David Patterson (Les Liaisons Dangereuses) as Frederick, John Scherer (Sunset Boulevard) as Garry, Jeremy Webb (Burn This) as Lloyd and Philip Goodwin (The School for Scandal) as Selsdon. They join the previously announced Heidi Gardner (Saturday Night Live) as Brooke Ashton and Jennifer Cody (The Pajama Game) as Dotty.

Robert Cuccioli, Teresa Avia Lim to Lead Off-Broadway's Caesar and Cleopatra
Gingold Theatrical Group has announced casting for its rare revival of George Bernard Shaw's comedy Caesar and Cleopatra, set to arrive off-Broadway this fall. Artistic Director David Staller will helm the production, slated to begin previews on September 3 and open on September 24 for a limited engagement through October 12​​ at Theatre Row. Heading the cast in the title roles will be Tony nominee Robert Cuccioli and Teresa Avia Lim; they'll be joined by Tony nominee Brenda Braxton, Claybourne Elder, Rajesh Bose, Dan Domingues and Jonathan Hadley. One of Shaw's most famous and least known plays, Caesar and Cleopatra hasn't been given a full NYC production in more than 40 years.