Odds & Ends: Phillipa Soo Tapped for New Series Dopesick & More

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

Phillipa Soo Joins Cast of Dopesick 
Phillipa Soo has joined the cast of Hulu's upcoming drama Dopesick. Variety reports that the eight-episode limited series is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Beth Macy and centers on America’s struggle with opioid addiction. Soo is set to play Amber, a sales rep with Purdue Pharma who is part of the first team to sell OxyContin. A production timeline for Dopesick will be announced later.

Kelvin Harrison Jr. Tapped for Cyrano Movie Musical
Kelvin Harrison Jr. will play Christian in Cyrano, the previously announced musical film adaptation starring Peter Dinklage, according to  Deadline. Harrison screen credits include 12 Years a Slave, Luce, Waves and The Photograph and is set to appear in Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7.  Haley Bennett will return to the role of love interest Roxanne, which she played alongside Dinklage at the Goodspeed Opera House’s Norma Terris Theatre in 2018. Tony nominee Brian Tyree Henry and Ben Mendelsohn will also star in the movie, which will be directed by Joe Wright. The music for Cyrano is by The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner, with lyrics by Matt Berninger (also from The National) and Carin Besser, who has contributed to many of the band’s songs. A production timeline for the film will be announced later.

Original Four Seasons Member Tommy DeVito Dies at 92
Four Seasons member Tommy DeVito has died at the age of 92.  Christian Hoff won a 2006 Tony for portraying DeVito in the Broadway smash hit Jersey Boys. According to social media, the Belleville native passed away on September 21 after previously being hospitalized with COVID-19. Born Gaetano DeVito on June 19, 1928, singer-guitarist DeVito and Frankie Valli began performing together in The Four Lovers and The Variatones—they formed The Four Seasons with Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi in 1960 and scored many chart-toppers like “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Dawn (Go Away),” “Rag Doll,” “Let’s Hang On!” and “Working My Way Back to You.”

Jordan Fisher to Star in Hello, Goodbye and Everything In Between
Dear Evan Hansen star Jordan Fisher will star in ACE Entertainment’s feature film Hello, Goodbye and Everything In Between. The story follows Clare and Aidan (Fisher), who after making a pact that they would break up before college, find themselves retracing the steps of their relationship on their last evening as a couple.

Virtual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction Raises $316,282
The first virtual edition of the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction, which took place on September 20, was a day of digital auctions, meet-and-greets and online theatrical treasure-hunting. It raised $316,282 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Since 1987, this annual event has raised $15.7 million for the organization.

Congrats to the 2020 Musical Songwriting Challenge Winners
The National Endowment for the Arts and the American Theatre Wing have announced the winners of the 2020 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge. They are Sierra Blanco, Jane Brinkley & Ashley Schmitle, Henry Crater, Viola Durfee, Ada Fender, Adam Jones, Joseph Mosby, Xyzsa Pagaduan, Leilani Patao, Alejandro Rodriguez, Chelsea Rose and Soleil Singh. These young artists from across the country arepaired with a coaching team consisting of a mentor and music director to hone the student’s original song into a Broadway-ready composition. Their song is then recorded by Broadway musicians and vocalists in New York City. Final songs are distributed on streaming music platforms and compiled into a songbook created by Concord Theatricals.

P.S. Check out the new trailer for David Byrne's American Utopia on HBO!