Odds & Ends: Zawe Ashton & Ashley Park Board Mr. Malcolm’s List & More

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

Zawe Ashton & Ashley Park Nab New Screen Roles
Broadway alums Zawe Ashton and Ashley Park have joined Frieda Pinto, Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu, Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Theo James in the film Mr. Malcolm’s List, according to Deadline. Ashton is replacing Constance Wu in the lead role of Julia, a society lady jilted by London’s most eligible bachelor Mr. Malcolm (Dirisu). Feeling shunned and humiliated, she enlists her friend Selina (Pinto) to help her take revenge on Mr. Malcolm by tricking him into thinking he has found his perfect match. Emma Holly Jones directs the film, which is based on Suzanne Allain novel of the same name. Production has already started in Ireland. Ashton was previously announced to play the villain in Captain Marvel 2 alongside Oscar winner Brie Larson. Park was nominated for a 2021 Critics' Choice Award for her performance in Netflix's Emily in Paris, which is already slated for a second season.

Bernadette Peters, Amy Adams & More Join Broadway Backwards
This roster keeps getting better! As previously reported, Broadway Backwards, the annual gala that bans gender constraints in its performances, will make its virtual premiere on March 30 as a benefit for both Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City. The show will feature Jay Armstrong Johnson as an isolated New Yorker who dreams a fantastical journey guided by a late-night television host, portrayed by Jenn Colella. New performances will be merged with numbers from previous editions of Broadway Backwards. Joining the previously announced lineup of stars are Bernadette Peters, Amy Adams, Debbie Allen, Glenn Close, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Debra Messing, Ruthie Ann Miles, Brian Stokes Mitchell, James Monroe Iglehart, Jessie Mueller, Karen Olivo, Brenda Braxton, Len Cariou, Michael McElroy, Javier Muñoz, Tony Yazbeck and more. The online event can be viewed here and will remain available through April 3.

Triassic Parq: The Musical to Play at Radial Park Drive-In
Triassic Parq: The Musical is coming back to life! The musical, which ran at off-Broadway's Soho House in 2012, is set to play at the Radial Park drive-in theatre from May 21 to May 23 for three performances only. Original off-Broadway cast members Lindsay Nicole Chambers, Brandon Espinoza, Wade McCollum, Claire Neumann, Shelley Thomas-Harts, and Alex Wyse will reprise their roles in the “not-parody” musical comedy of the famous dinosaur island theme park examines the story from the dinosaurs’ point of view. Featuring music by Marshall Pailet, and book and lyrics by Pailet, Bryce Norbitz and Steve Wargo, this production is a revised version of the musical and will run for 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are now on sale.

Zachary Quinto & Jim Parsons Voice Truman Capote & Tennessee Williams 
These Boys in the Band stars are crossing paths once more. Deadline reports that Zachary Quinto and Jim Parsons will lend their voices to the documentary Truman and Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation, which chronicles the writers' personal and professional journeys. Quinto will voice WIlliams and Parsons will give voice to Capote. This 2020 Telluride Film Festival selection is scheduled for release this June.

Olivier Winner Sheridan Smith Set to Star in Teacher
This two-time Olivier winner is heading to the front of the class. According to Deadline, Sheridan Smith is set to star in Teacher, a drama series from ViacomCBS’s U.K. network Channel 5. Smith will play Jenna in the psychological thriller, which follows a state schoolteacher whose life unravels after being accused of a drunken sexual encounter with one of her pupils. The cast also includes Samuel Bottomley, Kelvin Fletcher, Cecilia Noble, Sharon Rooney, David Fleeshman and Ian Puleston-Davies. Filming is set to begin this month.

Akram Khan's Jungle Book Reimagined Announces World Premiere
The world premiere of choreographer Akram Khan's Jungle Book Reimagined will play at London's Leicester’s Curve Theatre beginning April 2. This new work reimagines the journey of Mowgli through the eyes of a refugee caught in a world devastated by the impact of climate change. The production features direction and choreography by Khan and is written by Tariq Jordan, with dramaturgy by Sharon Clark, and a music contribution by Anoushka Shankhar. This new work will be performed by an ensemble of 10 dancers, and has the insight of film director Andy Serkis.

London's Monday Night at the Apollo Announces New Dates
New dates have been confirmed for Monday Night at the Apollo, a concert series performed in front of socially distanced audiences at the Apollo Theatre in London. The concerts will also be simultaneously livestreamed. Originally scheduled for earlier in the year, the concerts will now happen on May 24, June 14 and July 5. Stars set to appear in the series include Aimie Atkinson, Declan Bennett, Rosalie Craig, Arthur Darvil, Hadley Fraser, Lucie Jones, Cedric Neal and Jamie Muscato. Tickets are now on sale.