Odds & Ends: Get a First Look at the Broadway-Bound 1776 Revival

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

Get Ready For the Broadway-Bound 1776 Revival
American Repertory Theater's pre-Broadway staging of 1776, co-directed by Diane Paulus and Jeffrey L. Page, is getting ready to open on May 26 and now we're giving you a first look into the production! The musical revival is set to bow at Broadway's American Airlines Theatre in September before embarking on a 16-city national tour in February 2023. The 1776 cast includes the following performers who identify as female, non-binary and trans: Gisela Adisa as Robert Livingston, Nancy Anderson as George Read, Becca Ayers as Col. Thomas McKean, Tiffani Barbour as Andrew McNair, Allison Briner Dardenne as Stephen Hopkins, Allyson Kaye Daniel as Abigail Adams/Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon, Elizabeth A. Davis as Thomas Jefferson, Mehry Eslaminia as Charles Thomson, Joanna Glushak as John Dickinson, Shawna Hamic as Richard Henry Lee, Eryn LeCroy as Martha Jefferson/Dr. Lyman Hall, Crystal Lucas-Perry as John Adams, Liz Mikel as John Hancock, Patrena Murray as Benjamin Franklin, Oneika Phillips as Joseph Hewes, Lulu Picart as Samuel Chase, Sara Porkalob as Edward Rutledge, Sushma Saha as Judge James Wilson, Brooke Simpson as Roger Sherman, Salome Smith as the Courier, Sav Souza as Dr. Josiah Bartlett, Jill Vallery as Caesar Rodney as well as Grace Stockdale and Imani Pearl Williams as standbys. 1776 features music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. It is based on a concept by Sherman Edwards. Check out the photo above to see the cast in action!

New Casting Announced for West End's Tina - The Tina Turner Musical
New faces will be joining the cast of Tina - The Tina Turner Musical at West End's Aldwych Theatre. Aisha Jawando and new cast member Elesha Paul Moses will share the role of Tina Turner beginning on June 29, with Caleb Roberts joining to play Ike Turner. Other new cast members include Paula Kay as Zelma, Charis Alexandra as Alline Bullock, George Jennings as Roger Davies,  Kelly Hampson as Rhonda Graam, Gregory Haney as Richard Bullock, Cordell Mosteller as Raymond Hill and Chris Grahamson as Terry Britten. Irene Myrtle Forrester continues as Tina’s Grandmother and Joseph Richardson continues as Erwin Bach. The ensemble features Megan Armstrong, Vanessa Dumatey, Thomas Sutcliffe, Turrell Barrett-Wallace, Joey James, Karis Anderson, Marie Finlayson, Natorii Illidge, Lauren Allan, Richard Appiah-Sarpong, Joshua Da Costa, Miles Anthony Daley, Livvy Evans, Imogen Rose Hart, Jaz Robinson, Brad Veitch, Saran Webb and Samuel J Weir. Tina - The Tina Turner Musical is currently playing at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and will embark on a national tour in the fall.

Film Adaptation of Arian Moyad's The Courtroom to Premiere at Tribecca Film Festival
The film adaptation of The Courtroom, Arian Moayed's off-Broadway play, will premiere at the Tribeca Festival on June 12. Lee Sunday Evans returns as director for the film. Adapted verbatim from court transcripts, The Courtroom follows the harrowing journey of Elizabeth Keathley, a Filipina immigrant who mistakenly registers to vote while on a K3 visa which is a crime punishable by deportation. Married with a newborn baby, Elizabeth, with the support of her husband and the tireless efforts of their lawyer, struggles to navigate an increasingly convoluted and nightmarish legal system. The film stars Kristin Villanueva, Michael Chernas, Linda Powell and BD Wong. New York-based theatre company Waterwell presented the world premiere of The Courtroom in 2019 at the Fordham University School of Law and the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse.