Odds & Ends: Christy Altomare, Derek Klena & More to Reunite for Songs for a New World Concert
(Photo by Caitlin McNaney for Broadway.com)
Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed recently.
Songs for a New World Concert to Take Place Under the Stars
An outdoor concert production of Jason Robert Brown's Songs for A New World will bring a Broadway stars together on August 26 at 7:30PM. Set against Radial Park's breathtaking backdrop of the Manhattan skyline in Queens, the concert staging will feature Anastasia co-stars Christy Altomare and Derek Klena as well as Jenn Colella, Shereen Pimentel, Ciara Renée, Bonnie Milligan and Kyle Taylor Parker. NCMT Producing Artistic Director Miles J. Sternfeld will direct the concert with music direction by Rick Edinger and choreography by Ahmad Simmons. Head here for more information.
In the Heights' Leslie Grace Tapped to Play Batgirl
Leslie Grace, who stars as Nina in the In the Heights film adaptation, has been tapped to play Barbara Gordon (a.k.a. Batgirl) in a film on HBO Max. Deadline reports that Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah will direct Batgirl, which features a script by Christina Hodson. As previously reported, In the Heights star Anthony Ramos also has film projects lined up, including the next Transformers movie installment and the upcoming comedic sci-fi film Distant.
Phillipa Soo Joins Shining Girl Thriller Series
Fresh off of an Emmy nomination for her performance in Hamilton on Disney+, Phillipa Soo has joined the cast of the AppleTV+ series Shining Girls, according to Deadline. The series is based on the 2013 bestselling novel by Lauren Beukes. Soo will portray Jin-Sook, who works in the research department at the Adler planetarium. She will star opposite Elisabeth Moss, who plays a Chicago reporter who survived a brutal assault only to find her reality shifting as she hunts down her attacker. A production timeline will be announced later.
See Michael Shannon & More in the New Trailer for Nine Perfect Strangers
As previously announced, Nine Perfect Strangers, a TV series based on the book by Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, is headed to Hulu next month. A new trailer has been released, and Tony nominee Bobby Cannavale, Tony nominee Michael Shannon, Oscar winner Nicole Kidman and Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy are just a handful of the actors featured. Executive produced by Kidman, the series is set at a boutique health and wellness resort, where nine stressed-out strangers are hoping to take a path toward better living. The series premieres on Hulu on August 18. Check out the trailer below!
Steppenwolf Announces New Artistic Directors
Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company has named ensemble members Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis as the incoming Artistic Directors. This is the first time co-artistic leaders have been appointed by the 49-member ensemble in its nearly five-decade history and the first time the company has elected an Artistic Director of color. Both Davis and Francis got their start at the School at Steppenwolf and became ensemble members in 2017 under Anna D. Shapiro’s leadership as Artistic Director. As previously announced, Steppenwolf’s production of The Minutes will return to Broadway in March 2022, and Pass Over, which received its world premiere production at Steppenwolf, will be among the first shows to open on Broadway.
Christina Bianco Headlines U.K. Tour of The Rise & Fall of Little Voice
Two-time Drama Desk Award nominee Christina Bianco is taking her vocal talents on tour across the U.K. in 2022. She announced the news on Instagram on July 22. Bianco will play the title role in Jim Cartwright's The Rise & Fall of Little Voice, which tells the story of quiet and unassuming LV, who seeks companionship and joy from music’s most iconic singers and begins to embody them. The production will also star Shobna Gulati and Ian Kelsey. Check out the announcement below!
