Odds & Ends: Michael Urie Announces the Return of Pride Plays Festival & More

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

Michael Urie Announces the Return of Pride Plays Festival
Celebrated stage-and-screen talent Michael Urie (A Bright Room Called Day, Grand Horizons), along with fellow producer Doug Nevin and festival director Nick Mayo, have announced the return of the celebrated festival Pride Plays from June 25-29, 2020 at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. "Last June, we thought we'd do a handful of play readings celebrating the history of the LGBTQ+ movement since Stonewall," said Urie. "That handful turned into nearly twenty performances over five days, featuring over two hundred artists. People showed up. We realized that history was only the beginning and the future had a story to tell, too. So we're coming back with another festival of play readings that tell the story of the LGBTQ+ experience past, present and future, and honor those who showed up then and are still showing up." Playwrights looking to submit their plays for consideration in Pride Plays 2020 should email prideplayslit@gmail.com for more information. Submissions will close on January 20, 2020.

Dave Malloy's Octet Releases Cast Album
Following an acclaimed world premiere at off-Broadway's Signature Theatre, Nonesuch Records has digitally released an original cast recording of the new musical Octet by three-time Tony nominee Dave Malloy (The Great Comet, Moby-Dick). Octet features a score for an a cappella chamber choir and an original libretto inspired by Internet comment boards, scientific debates, religious texts and Sufi poetry. The cast featured on the album includes Margo Seibert, Adam Bashian, Kim Blanck, Alex Gibson, Justin Gregory Lopez, J.D. Mollison, Kuhoo Verma, Starr Busby, Jonathan Christopher and Nicole Weiss. The recording will be released as a CD on January 17, 2020. Watch Busby and the cast of Octet sing out in the Club Broadway.com video below.



NT Live to Broadcast James McAvoy-Led Cyrano de Bergerac
The National Theatre's NT Live program has announced a 2020 broadcast of Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac headlined by His Dark Materials star James McAvoy. Jamie Lloyd will direct the previously announced London production, set to run from November 27, 2019 through February 29, 2020. Set in seventeenth-century Paris, Cyrano de Bergerac tells the tale of a renowned romantic who lends his gift of words to a handsome cadet in order to vicariously win over the woman who scorns him for his abnormally large nose. McAvoy is a veteran of the West End stage who earned Olivier nominations for his turns in Three Days of Rain, Macbeth and The Ruling Class. An NT Live air date for Cyrano de Bergerac will be announced soon.

Broadway's Adam Roberts Releases Debut Single Glue
Adam Roberts, a strong-voiced star currently appearing on the national tour of the Tony-nominated Miss Saigon revival, has released his debut single, Glue, along with an accompanying music video. Created with numerous musicians and actors from the Miss Saigon company while on the road with the musical, Glue integrates different musical genres with unique vocal stylings. In addition to his current turn on the Miss Saigon tour, Roberts' résumé includes Broadway performances in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and Pippin. Check out the thrilling music video below and download Glue via iTunes or all other streaming platforms today.