Odds and Ends: Celebrate New Year’s Eve With Jonathan Groff and Sara Bareilles, Leslie Odom Jr. Dances With the Devil & More

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

Just In Time Co-Writer Rings in the New Year

Though it feels like just yesterday we were counting down to 2025, a brand-spanking New Year is rearing its head in under a month. Playwright and humorist Isaac Oliver will be celebrating the occasion with a show at Joe’s Pub. Isaac Oliver’s Very Special Very Early New Year’s Show offers songs, stories and appearances from Broadway favorites Sara Bareilles and Jonathan Groff. Oliver co-wrote the book for the Broadway hit Just In Time with Tony winner Warren Leight and has written for The Marvelous Maisel, GLOW and High Maintence. You can ring in the new year with Oliver and company on December 31.

Leslie Odom Jr. Goes Toe to Toe With the Devil

Leslie Odom Jr. has a knack for embodying historical figures, having won a Tony Award for his performance as Aaron Burr in Hamilton and securing an Oscar nomination for playing Sam Cooke in One Night in Miami. Now, the multi-hyphenate will take on the role of Sammy Davis Jr. in a horror film adapted from the Rolling Stone article “Dance With the Devil” by Alex Bhattacharji. Odom Jr. will also pen the screenplay, marking his debut writing credit on a feature film. The movie will explore how the Rat Pack crooner got embroiled with the Church of Satan in the early '70s. Odom Jr. led the Broadway cast of Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch and just closed-out a triumphant return to Hamilton. The cast and creative team for his forthcoming project have yet to be announced.

Jasmine Amy Rogers to Headline Junior Theater Festival

The Junior Theater Festival (JTF) celebrates young thespians by bringing theater troupes from across the country to perform selections from musicals. Festival-goers also get the opportunity to attend professional workshops and experience performances from Broadway stars. JTF Atlanta will run January 16-18, 2026, while JTF West in San Diego will be February 6-8. Tony nominee (and beloved Broadway.com vlogger) Jasmine Amy Rogers will headline PBS’ Sunday night broadcast of JTF Atlanta. Rogers is no stranger to youth theater programs, having been a finalist at the 2017 Jimmy Awards. She received a Tony nomination for originating the role of Betty Boop in Boop! The Musical and is currently starring in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee off-Broadway. Isaiah Bailey, Katy Geraghty, Morgan Siobhan Green, Beau Harmon, Briga Heelan, Brittany Mack, Amanda Reid, Darian Sanders and Michael James Scott are among the other guests at the festivals.

Olivier Awards Set a Date

Campaign season for the Olivier Awards is in full-swing, as London’s top productions vie for nominations. The ceremony will take place on April 12, 2026 at Royal Albert Hall. Some of the buzzy eligible titles are Oh, Mary!, My Neighbour Totoro, Into the Woods, Paddington The Musical, The Hunger Games On Stage, Hercules and The Producers. Last year, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button won Best Musical with the now Broadway-bound Giant taking home the bronze bust for Best Play.

Richard Fleeshman Takes on The Bard

Paul Mescal might make a dashing Shakespeare in tearjerker Hamnet, but he’s got some competition. Richard Fleeshman has been tapped to play the bard in the U.K. premiere of Something Rotten! at the Manchester Opera House, having previously performed in a West End concert staging of the musical comedy. Fleeshman originated the role of Sam in Ghost: The Musical and earned an Olivier Award nomination for his comedic turn in Marianne Elliot’s production of Company. Set in the 1590s, Something Rotten! follows a pair of brothers who attempt to outwit Shakespeare by staging a song-and-dance spectacular. West End mainstay Jason Manford will star as Nick Bottom and Tim Jackson, who helmed Broadway’s Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), will direct and choreograph. The show will run from June 16 to July 19, 2026 before transferring to the West End.