Odds and Ends: Last Dance to Star Adrien Brody, Rachel Zegler & Ben Platt, James Brown Musical & More

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

Save the Last Dance

Two-time Oscar winner Adrien Brody and Rachel Zegler have been tapped to star in Last Dance, a father-daughter story directed by Brazilian filmmaker Karim Aïnouz. Tony winner Ben Platt will co-star and write original music for the film, and Zegler will bring her soaring vocals. Emily Ziff Griffin wrote the screenplay based on her 2021 autobiographical New Yorker article, “The Last Dance With My Dad,” which recounts her experience on a gay cruise with her father in the early ‘90s, as the AIDS crisis is on the rise. Brody is currently starring in The Fear of 13 on Broadway and Zegler was recently announced to lead a Broadway revival of Evita, following her Olivier-winning turn as the titular Argentinian first lady.

Make It Funky on Broadway

A new musical about the Godfather of Soul is aiming for Broadway. The biomusical about about funk legend James Brown is co-written and produced by Brown’s daughter, Deanna Brown-Thomas. Jeremy E. Cormier will direct, co-write and serve as lead producer. Born in Barnwell, South Carolina, Brown ascended to superstardom through his exhilarating stage presence and hits like "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "I Got You (I Feel Good)," and "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine." In a statement, Cormier said, “We are not adapting a Wikipedia page. We are staging a life. Deanna Brown-Thomas has trusted me to help carry this story—not as an outsider hired in, but as someone who sat at the table with the family, learned the truth behind the headlines and committed to honoring it.” Cast, creative team and venue information for James Brown the Musical will be announced at a later date.

Angel of Music

Anna Zavelson will play Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera in London's West End for an 11-week engagement from May 18–August 1 at His Majesty's Theatre. Zavelson previously played the role in Masquerade, the immersive off-Broadway reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical epic. Her other stage credits include The Notebook on Broadway, Chinese Republicans off-Broadway and the New York City Center Encores! production of The Light in the Piazza. Zavelson joins Dean Chisnall as The Phantom, Ashley Gilmour as Raoul, Joanna Ampil as Carlotta Giudicelli, Adam Linstead as Monsieur André, Martin Ball as Monsieur Firmin, Helen Hobson as Madame Giry, Bradyn Debysingh as Ubaldo Piangi and Millie Lyon as Meg Giry. Christine will be played by Colleen Rose Curran at certain performances.

I’m Almost Through My Memoirs

Tony-winning Spring Awakening composer Duncan Sheik’s new musical Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen will premiere off-Broadway this fall, with a book by Leah Nanako Winkler and direction and choreography by Tony winner Rob Ashford. Music supervision is by Or Matias. Based on Moyoco Anno’s manga series, it is the first manga to be developed into an American musical in the English language. Memoirs follows Collete, a witty young dreamer in 20th-century Paris, who finds her power through writing. The production will be staged at a new venue, The Night Egg at the Culture Club—named for the club in the story—located at the former home of Sound Factory and the 14-year run of the immersive show Sleep No More. Dates and casting will be announced at a later date.

Love Story

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone star Taraji P. Henson is co-producing a documentary about the legendary vocalist Darlene Love. Directed by Barry Avrich, Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been will tell the story of the oft-sidelined voice behind “He’s a Rebel” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” who also had a prolific career as a backup singer. The film will feature interviews with some of Love's noted collaborators, including Cher, Bruce Springsteen and Dionne Warwick, as well as David Letterman, Nancy Sinatra, Marc Shaiman, Jimmy Fallon and many more. Love was one of the central participants in the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom. On Broadway, she has performed as Teen Angel in Grease, Motormouth Mabel in Hairspray and Miss Gardner in the infamous Carrie, of which we hope there will be ample discussion. A release date for the documentary has not yet been announced.