Odds & Ends: Come From Away Blue Vinyl Sets Arrival Date & More

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

Come From Away Cast Album to Be Released on Vinyl
Molly Records, Junkyard Dog Productions, Craft Recordings and Concord Theatricals will release the Grammy-nominated Broadway cast recording of Broadway's Come From Away as a 2-LP set on blue vinyl on May 15. Previously only available in the U.S. as a limited-edition yellow vinyl, this edition will be available worldwide. The original Broadway cast recording features Jenn Colella, Chad Kimball, Petrina Bromley, Geno Carr, Joel Hatch, Rodney Hicks, Kendra Kassebaum, Lee MacDougall, Caesar Samayoa, Q. Smith, Astrid Van Wieren, Sharon Wheatley, Josh Breckenridge, Susan Dunstan, Tamika Lawrence and Tony LePage. Come From Away's musical coordinator David Lai, musical supervisor Ian Eisendrath, orchestrator August Eriksmoen and creators Irene Sankoff and David Hein serve as album producers. Come From Away fans can pre-order the vinyl set here.

Want to Perform Onstage in Phantom of the Opera? Here's How
Theater fans—and Phans, of course!—have been loving Andrew Lloyd Webber's #ComposerInIsolation series, which encourages performers that take part (from their homes, of course) and viewers to sing along to numbers from his musical theater catalog. The Broadway legend recently invited Phans to create their own cadenza (a fancy word for an improvised vocal moment, typically at the end of a song) for "Think of Me." A panel of judges, including Phantom alumna Sierra Boggess, will select a winner who will perform the song on stage at the very first post-pademic performance of The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway or in London's West End. Think you have what it takes to be an angel of music? Get to taping your cadenza!

National Theatre to Stream Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch & More
London's National Theatre has announced that both Danny Boyle’s production of Frankenstein and Simon Godwin’s production of Shakespeare’s Antony & Cleopatra will be available to view on the NT YouTube channel as part of National Theatre at Home, the new initiative to bring content to the public during the coronavirus crisis. In Frankenstein, which was filmed in 2011 at the National Theatre, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternated in the roles of Victor Frankenstein and his creation. The two versions will be shown across two nights on April 30 and May 1. Antony & Cleopatra, starring Ralph Fiennes and Tony winner Sophie Okonedo as the famous lovers, will be streamed on May 7. Both productions will be free to stream, premiering at 7:00PM BST on their respective nights and then available on demand for seven days. Further productions to be streamed as part of National Theatre at Home will be announced soon.

Dates Announced for 10th Annual Off-Broadway Alliance Awards
The Off-Broadway Alliance, a non-profit corporation organized by theater professionals dedicated to supporting, promoting and encouraging the production of off-Broadway theater, has announced the dates for its annual awards. Nominations for the 10th Annual Off-Broadway Alliance Awards will be revealed on April 28. Winners will be announced on May 19 at 11AM ET via Facebook Live. In addition to the competitive awards, four Legend of Off-Broadway Awards will be presented for sustained achievement in the world of off-Broadway, and three new honorees will be posthumously inducted into the Off-Broadway Hall of Fame. The Off-Broadway Alliance will also continue its tradition of presenting the Friend of Off-Broadway Award, honoring a person or organization for steadfast support of the off-Broadway community. An official reception will be held this fall; the date will be announced at a later time.

Billy Porter & More Join GLAAD Benefit for LGBTQ+ Community Centers
As previously reported, GLAAD (the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) will host Together in Pride: You are Not Alone, a livestream event on April 26 at 8PM ET on GLAAD’s YouTube channel and Facebook Live. The event will highlight the LGBTQ response to COVID-19 and amplify messages of acceptance and affirmation to the LGBTQ+ community and people living with HIV during this unprecedented time. The livestream will raise funds for LGBTQ+ community centers that are members of CenterLink. Joining previously announced guests like Mj Rodriguez, Matt Bomer, Javier Muñoz and Sean Hayes will be Tony winner Billy Porter, Rosie O’Donnell, Pete and Chasten Buttigieg, Jonathan Van Ness, Brian Michael Smith, Ross Mathews and Tyler Oakley. The event will feature performances from Alex Newell and the cast of Jagged Little Pill, interviews and video messages.

Chita Rivera Joins "Artists in Conversation" Livestream Series
Projects with Jason is continuing its livestream series “Artists in Conversation” with a true Great White Way icon. Veteran Broadway stage manager J. Jason Daunter will moderate a live Q&A with Chita Rivera about her illustrious career on April 25 at 8PM ET on the Projects with Jason YouTube channel. The evening will also feature performances celebrating Rivera’s legacy as performed by middle school and high school students from across the country.

P.S. This video of Annie composer Charles Strouse singing "Tomorrow" will make your day.