Odds and Ends: Spring Awakening Sets First Vinyl Release, Buena Vista Social Club World Cup Event & More

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

Spin Awakening
Spring may have given way to a “Purple Summer,” but Spring Awakening is forever. To commemorate the Tony-winning musical's 20th anniversary, Decca Broadway has announced the first-ever vinyl release of Spring Awakening’s original cast recording. Produced in collaboration with show creators Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, the album has been newly mastered for vinyl and will feature two previously unreleased archival recordings: “All Begin to Call,” a 2000 duet featuring Lea Michele and the late Gavin Creel, and “As Shadows Do,” performed by Lauren Pritchard. The celebrated rock musical premiered on Broadway in 2006 and won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Tony winner Danya Taymor will direct an off-Broadway revival of Spring Awakening this fall at Studio Seaview.

Buena Vista Soccer Club
Broadway’s Buena Vista Social Club is teaming up with Telemundo to celebrate the World Cup with a live event on July 16 at Rockefeller Center. The event begins at 1:15 p.m. and is free to the public. Attendees will enjoy live performances by the show’s Tony-winning band and have the chance to learn some choreography alongside members of the Broadway company. All of this will take place at the newly established Telemundo Fan Village, which transforms Rockefeller’s iconic rink into a playable soccer field. While our knowledge of sports may be best represented by the musical number where Debbie Reynolds plays an anthropomorphic football (and Damn Yankees, of course), we celebrate the intersection of athletics and theater. See you at the village!

Beast Mode
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast has been enchanting audiences across the country on its first North American tour in over 25 years. Having played 34 cities since its launch last summer, the tour will celebrate its one-year anniversary on July 10 at the Civic Theatre in San Diego, California. The cast is now welcoming Christina Rose Hall as Mrs. Potts and Aaron Kaburick as Maurice. They join current stars Kyra Belle Johnson as Belle and Fergie L. Philippe as the Beast, along with Stephen Mark Lukas as Gaston, Danny Gardner as Lumiere, Javier Ignacio as Cogsworth, Harry Francis as Le Fou, Holly Ann Butler as Madame, Cameron Monroe Thomas as Babette and Levi Blaise Coleman and Kanoa Edgar alternating as Chip. Hats off to a hardworking company!

Prima Premiere
We smell an Oscar! The film adaptation of Suzie Miller’s play Prima Facie will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2026. Tony winner Cynthia Erivo stars as a successful defense barrister whose belief in the legal system is shaken by the actions of her colleague. Susanna White directs the film adaptation from a script by Miller. Prima Facie opened on Broadway in 2023 after a run in the West End. The solo drama earned its star, Jodie Comer, a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.

Remembering Louise Lasser
Louise Lasser, who played the title character in Norman Lear’s satirical soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, has died at 87. Lasser began her career on Broadway in I Can Get It For You Wholesale, in which she understudied Barbra Streisand in the role of Miss Marmelstein. She was married to Woody Allen from 1966 through 1970 and starred in his films Take the Money and Run, Bananas and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask). In addition to Mary Hartman, Lasser's television credits include memorable guest appearances on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, Laverne and Shirley and Girls. She died on July 6 of natural causes.

P.S.
Mariska Hargitay will host the 78th Emmy Awards. NBC and Peacock will screen the ceremony on September 14. Hargitay just wrapped up her run in Every Brilliant Thing on Broadway. Wouldn't it be brilliant if she came back to the stage soon?