Odds & Ends: New Musical Soft Power Will Receive Original Cast Album & More

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

New Musical Soft Power Will Receive Original Cast Album
The cheered new musical Soft Power, which recently concluded a twice-extended run at off-Broadway's Public Theater, will be preserved on an original cast recording, Ghostlight Records announced today. Featuring a book and lyrics by David Henry Hwang and music/additional lyrics by Jeanine Tesori, the musical centers on a Chinese executive who is visiting America and falls in love with a good-hearted U.S. leader. The musical's cast was led by Alyse Alan Louis, Conrad Ricamora, Billy Bustamante, Kendyl Ito, Francis Jue, Austin Ku, Raymond J. Lee, Jaygee Macapugay, Daniel May, Paul HeeSang Miller, Geena Quintos, Trevor Salter, Kyra Smith, Emily Stillings, Emily Trumble, Jon Hoche, Kristen Faith Oei and John Yi. The cast album will be released in spring 2020.



Elizabeth Ashley & Penny Fuller to Lead Industry Reading of Wharton/Williams
Award-winning stage-and-screen stars Elizabeth Ashley and Penny Fuller will co-star in an invitation-only reading of Wharton/Williams, a work based on the short stories of novelist Edith Wharton and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tennessee Williams. The reading will take place at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Studio at Playwrights Horizons on December 5 at 3:00pm. Featuring a script by Charles Leipart and direction by Michael Wilson, Wharton/Williams is based on two memorable short stories: Wharton's Roman Fever and Williams' Happy August, which offer a contrasting portrait of female friendship.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Releases 21st Annual Carols for a Cure Album
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has announced the release of the 21st edition of Carols for a Cure, a holiday album featuring the casts of a slew of Broadway musicals singing seasonal songs, both classic and new. This year's compilation features 18 tracks from the companies of Hadestown, Beetlejuice, Dear Evan Hansen, Oklahoma! and many more. The album, which exclusively benefits BC/EFA, is available for purchase here.

Michael J. Pollard, Original Hugo of Bye Bye Birdie & Oscar-Nommed Star of Bonnie and Clyde, Dies at 80
Michael J. Pollard, a veteran screen actor whose career began on Broadway, passed away recently, according to Variety. The cause of death is currently unknown. Pollard's decade-long career on Broadway included five credits, most notably originating the role of Hugo Peabody in the Tony-winning musical comedy Bye Bye Birdie (1960). He also appeared in Comes a Day (1958), A Loss of Roses (1959), Enter Laughing (1963) and Leda Had a Little Swan (1968) and off-Broadway in Curse of the Starving Class (1978). On-screen, Pollard was honored with two Golden Globe nods and an Academy Award nomination for his turn as C.W. Moss in Bonnie and Clyde (1967). Later in his career, he made a memorable turn as Stucky in House of 1000 Corpses (2003). Pollard had one child, Holly Howland, who survives him.

Ads for The Boys in the Band, The Sound Inside Win Clio Awards
Advertisements for two Broadway plays are among winners of 2019 Clio Entertainment Awards. The honor's Live Entertainment category, which toasts the best in advertising for ticketed events in front of live audiences, this year recognized campaigns for the Tony-winning revival of The Boys in the Band and the currently running play The Sound Inside. Check out a sample from The Boys in the Band's campaign here and watch a video ad for The Sound Inside below.