Odds and Ends: Jonathan Groff’s Shakespeare Debut, TLC Musical Casting, Elvis Presley Stage Musical in the Works

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

Jonathan Groff Tackles The Bard

After Jonathan Groff wraps his Broadway run as Bobby Darin in Just In Time on March 29, the Tony-winning triple-threat will take on Rosalind in Royal Shakespeare Company’s all-male staging of As You Like It. The production runs from September 26–November 7 at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre under the direction of RSC’s co-artistic director Daniel Evans. Heartstoppers actor and West End mainstay Fisayo Akinade will play Celia, with additional casting to be announced. In an interview with Deadline, Groff said, “I’ve never done Shakespeare before, and it’s just been so inspirational and exciting, and I am amped,” while also sharing that he has begun studying with classical voice coach/Shakespeare-aficionado Patsy Rodenburg, who was appointed RSC’s emeritus director of voice. Groff won his Tony for the acclaimed 2023 revival of Merrily We Roll Along and secured his place in theater history as the original Melchior in Spring Awakening and King George in Hamilton on Broadway. On-screen, Groff has appeared in Mindhunter, Looking, Glee and voices Kristoff in Disney’s animated Frozen franchise.

Left Eye, Center Stage

The TLC musical CrazySexyCool has secured three performers to embody the iconic girl group onstage. For the world premiere production, Holli' Gabrielle Conway (Lempicka, SIX: The Musical, Tina), Jade Milan (Hell’s Kitchen, The Lion King) and Stoney B. Woods (The Book of Mormon) will star as Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins, Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas, respectively. In a statement, founding member Watkins said, “The moment we saw Holli’, Jade, and Stoney bring our music to life onstage, we felt an immediate connection. They carry our story with authenticity and grace, and watching them perform is genuinely captivating.” Bursting onto the music scene in the early ‘90s, TLC spawned hits like “Creep,” “No Scrubs,” “What About Your Friends” and “Waterfalls.” Behind the scenes, creative clashes, label disputes and personal tragedy threatened to topple their success. Written and directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, with choreography by Chloe O. Davis, CrazySexyCool – The TLC Musical heats up Arena Stage’s Kreeger Theater in Washington, D.C. from June 12–August 9. The full cast and creative team will be announced in April.

Ana Navarro Is Broadway Bound

Last month, political strategist and commentator Ana Navarro celebrated her birthday on ABC’s daytime talk show The View, where she serves as a co-host. During the episode, Navarro was surprised by Renesito Avich and David Oquendo, cast members of the Broadway hit Buena Vista Social Club. After serenading her, the performers invited Navaro to make her Broadway debut in the Havana-set musical. It has now been confirmed that Navarro will have a one-night-only walk-on role in the Tony-winning sensation on March 6. Inspired by the landmark album of the same name, Buena Vista Social Club charts Cuba’s music scene from the '50s to the '90s. The show's cast recording won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.

Elvis Has Entered the Building

Mama! Maestro of spectacles Baz Luhrman directed the biopic Elvis in 2022 and spearheaded the recent theatrical release of EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, which revives the King of Rock through previously unseen concert footage and audio. It seems the Australian showman isn’t done mining the artistic depths of the hip-swiveling music legend. While promoting EPiC on UK’s Magic Radio, Luhrman confirmed that he plans on adapting Presley’s life into a musical, saying: “It’s being worked on. It’s happening.” He stipulated that he would not direct this project, citing his decision to have Alex Timbers helm the Broadway adaptation of his 2001 film Moulin Rouge!. “I really love handing it on and I’m not precious.” Luhrman is presently working with screenwriter Ava Pickett on a big-screen adaptation of Thomas Keneally’s novel Blood Red, Sister Rose, which explores the mythos of Joan of Arc. Presley’s catalog has previously been used in the jukebox musical All Shook Up, which premiered on Broadway in 2005.

A Star Studded Gala for New York Theatre Workshop

New York Theatre Workshop will host a gala on March 2, 2026 at Gotham Hall. The event will honor Oscar nominee and Broadway veteran Colman Domingo, along with Tony winning producer Mara Isaacs and NAACP Image Award nominee Nicole Ari Parker. There will also be appearances and performances by Emmy winner Tina Fey, Boris Kodjoe, Nicholas Christopher (Chess), Tessa Thompson (The Fear of 13), Tony winners Anika Noni Rose (The Balusters), Brandon Uranowitz (Ragtime), Rachel Chavkin, Anaïs Mitchell (Hadestown), Tony nominees Joy Woods (Little Shop of Horrors), Amber Iman and a bevy of other stars. Tony winner J. Harrison Ghee has been tapped to host under the direction of Kevin Cahoon. The evening will be scripted by Thaddeus McCants with musical direction by Rick Hip-Flores. Patrick Tully will serve as auctioneer.

Claybourne Elder Shoots for the Stars

Theater vet Claybourne Elder has turned his one-man show If The Stars Were Mine into an album, set to be released on April 3. In an Instagram post, Elder wrote, “I’ve always lived somewhere between a song and a punchline, and this album holds those contradictions without apology: faith and queerness, humor and longing, Broadway and Whitney Houston. It’s not a playlist—it’s a map of my heart.” To commemorate the album’s release, Elder will perform a series of concerts at 54 Below on April 3, 4 and 15. Elder plays John Adams on HBO’s Broadway star-studded The Gilded Age and was last seen on Broadway as Andy in Marianne Elliot’s 2021 revival of Company.