Odds & Ends: Mare Winningham & More Join A Man of No Importance at Classic Stage Company

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

Mare Winningham & More Board A Man of No Importance
Classic Stage Company has revealed additional casting and creative team members for the previously announced staging of A Man of No Importance. Featuring a book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, the show will be the final CSC production directed by John Doyle as artistic director of the company. Joining the cast will be two-time Emmy winner, Oscar and Tony nominee Mare Winningham as Lily Byrne and William Youmans as Baldy O’Shea. The cast also includes four-time Emmy winner Jim Parsons as Alfie Byrne, Alma Cuervo as Miss Oona Crowe, Kara Mikula as Mrs. Curtain, Da’Von T. Moody as Breton Beret, Tony nominee Mary Beth Peil as Mrs. Grace, Thom Sesma as Mr. Carney, Tony nominee A.J. Shively as Robbie Fay, Nathaniel Stampley as Father Kenny, Jessica Tyler Wright as Mrs. Patrick and Joel Waggoner as Ernie Lally. Final casting will be announced soon. The production will feature scenic design by Doyle, costume design by Ann Hould Ward, lighting design by Adam Honoré, sound design by Sun Hee Kil, orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin and music direction by Caleb Hoyer. A Man of No Importance will begin performances on October 11 with opening night set for October 30. The show is scheduled to run through December 4.

Betsy Wolfe Set for New York Pops Underground Concert
Betsy Wolfe, who will star in & Juliet on Broadway beginning this fall, is heading to Feinstein's/54 Below first. On September 19, Wolfe will headline the New York Pops Underground cabaret, performing selections from Waitress, The Last Five Years, & Juliet and more. The event begins with a champagne reception at 5:30PM, followed by the event program and performance at 6:30PM, accompanied by a dinner with wine pairings. New York Pops Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke hosts the evening, and proceeds benefit the New York Pops' PopsEd programming.

New Songs by Tom Kitt & More Added to Sesame Street Musical
Sesame Street the Musical will feature new songs written by Tom Kitt, Helen Park and Nate Edmondson. Featuring Sesame Street Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, Grover, Rosita, Bert, Ernie, Oscar the Grouch, Gabrielle and more, this production is designed for both the young and the young-at-heart. The show is written, directed and produced by Jonathan Rockefeller and will begin performances at Theatre Row on September 8 through November 27 with an opening night set for September 19.

See Billy Porter Discuss His First-Ever Audition & Anything's Possible
It's always a treat to hear from Tony and Emmy winner Billy Porter, and his appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on August 3 was no exception. In addition to talking about his new film Anything's Possible, which just arrived on Amazon Prime Video, he also recounted the story of sneaking off to Chicago to audition for Dreamgirls at age 16. Check it out below!

London's Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical to Close
Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical will play its final performance in London’s West End on January 8, 2023. The show has been playing at the Lyric Theatre Shaftesbury Avenue since October 2021 and was nominated for four Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical, winning the award for Best Orchestrations. Following the West End run, the production will embark on a U.K. tour with details to be announced soon. A cast recording, featuring Olivier Award nominee Arinzé Kene as Bob Marley, will be released later this year.