Odds & Ends: NBC Plans Broadway Primetime Special This Fall & More

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

NBC Planning Broadway Special
The Peacock network is aiming to celebrate theater in a big way this fall. According to Page Six, NBC is planning to air a primetime Broadway special in October with cast members from Broadway shows performing, though New York theater remains shut down in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Watch this space for more info.

Seth MacFarlane to Release Broadway Songs on New Album
Crooner and comedian Seth MacFarlane will release an album entitled Great Songs from Stage and Screen on August 28 on Republic Records/Verve Records. Billboard reports that the tracklist for the record includes "I Loved You Once In Silence" from Camelot, "Ten Minutes Ago" from Cinderella and more. The Family Guy creator and American Dad! co-creator is no stranger to singing show tunes.

Get a Glimpse at London's Sleepless in Seattle Musical
As previously announced, Jay McGuiness and Kimberley Walsh, the stars who fell in love nightly in the London premiere of Big the Musical, will let sparks fly again in the world premiere musical Sleepless. Based on the 1993 romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, the new show will begin its run on August 25 at London's Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre. Get a sneak peek below!

Richard Nelson's New Apple Play to Premiere Virtually
Apple Family Productions has announced the world premiere of Richard Nelson's Incidental Moments of the Day: The Apple Family: A Dinner on Zoom. Written and directed by Nelson, the piece will be available to view here beginning on September 10 at 7:30PM ET. The Apple Family, a dramatic series of plays which first appeared 10 years ago, returned in April with the premiere of a play written especially for Zoom called What Do We Need to Talk About? followed by And So We Come Forth, which premiered in July. Incidental Moments of the Day is set in early September 2020. After six months of self-imposed pandemic isolation, the Apple siblings again gather on Zoom for an evening of dinner, conversation and performance, while the world continues to sputter more and more out of control, amidst anger, loss, death and a coming election.

Airbnb Partners with Tituss Burgess, Ann Reinking, Laura Osnes & More
Airbnb has joined forces with The Actors Fund to help artists earn income while the entertainment industry remains closed as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Tituss Burgess, Laura Osnes, Susan Egan, Courtney Reed and Ann Reinking are among the bright names offering online experiences. Burgess is offering a virtual workshop on storytelling through song. Osnes, Egan and Reed will host a virtual Broadway Princess Party where they will share stories, teach some techniques and perform their most-requested songs. Reinking will join Chicago dancers Arian Keddell and Jessica Ernest to lead two jazzy dance lessons. Check out all of the online offerings here.

Get Virtual Voice Lessons from Alex Brightman & Rachel Tucker's Vocal Coach
Renowned voice teacher Deric Rosenblatt has launched Vocal Power Presents, a digital subscription-based program to share his vocal training techniques with singers across the world. The new program will offer behind-the-scenes access to lessons with his current roster of clients, including Alex Brightman, Rachel Tucker, Andrea McArdle, Donna McKechnie and many more, so that singers can learn from their own homes. In addition to fly-on-the-wall access to voice lessons, a Vocal Power Presents subscription also includes behind-the-scenes interview content with Rosenblatt and some of his students, live Q+A during some of the lessons, and exclusive digital content. Get all the info here.