Read on for some recent theatre headlines you may have missed.
Leslie Odom Jr. Stars in Sia's Directorial Debut, Music
Hamilton Tony winner Leslie Odom, Jr. is among the cast of Music, the feature directorial debut from Grammy nominee Sia, according to Deadline. The film, with a screenplay by Sia and Dallas Clayton, also features Golden Globe winner Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), Maddie Ziegler (the upcoming West Side Story), Mary Kay Place (Being John Malkovich), Juliette Lewis (Cape Fear), Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation), and Hector Elizondo (Pretty Woman). Hudson plays a free spirit who becomes the guardian of her teenage half-sister, Music, who is on the autism spectrum. Music features 10 new Sia tracks plus her single "Together."
Madame Tussauds Offers Broadway Performance Series
Every Saturday at 2 PM ET throughout October, Madame Tussauds in Manhattan welcomes a Broadway star for a socially distant performance. The series kicked off October 10 with The Phantom of the Opera alum Ali Ewoldt and continues with John Riddle (Frozen) October 16 and Kara Lindsay (Newsies) October 31. The guest for October 24 will be announced shortly. In addition, the museum has added a giant Tony Award to its Broadway-themed interactive exhibit, offering fans a new backdrop for a red carpet photo op.
Broadway Buskers Series Enters Final Month
Broadway Buskers, the annual Times Square concert series celebrating singer-songwriters of the theatre community, concludes October 27 at 7 PM ET with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s Juwan Crawley, Eastbound’s Cheeyang Ng, and The Prom’s Anthony Norman. Prior to the finale, the Tuesday evening series, available at TSQ.org/BroadwayBuskers, will feature é boylan (Soft Butter), Isis (Nia Witherspoon), and Matt Wolpe (Rock of Ages) October 13 and baby chemist (Katie Lee Hill and Travis Artz) and Jai’Len Josey (SpongeBob SquarePants) October 20. Although the concerts are free to stream, viewers are encouraged to donate to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund and the Broadway Advocacy Coalition. The virtual series began in July.
Maury Sings Yeston: The Demos Due on PS Classics
Maury Sings Yeston: The Demos, celebrating the 75th birthday of Tony-winning composer Maury Yeston, will be available in digital and streaming formats October 23. A two-disc CD set will be released December 4. The 40 tracks of Yeston singing and playing his compositions include songs from his Tony–winning scores for Nine and Titanic, his stage adaptation of Death Takes a Holiday, the unproduced Queen of Basin Street, the concept album Goya, a sampling of pop tunes, and theatrical works still in progress. The iTunes download includes a 29-page booklet with complete lyrics, historical photos, and liner notes. “These demos are my personal, private notes,” says Yeston. “They’re first drafts. Those who are familiar with the final versions of a number of these selections as they ultimately appeared in shows may find it interesting to see what remains and what changed in these early drafts. I have spent a lifetime teaching musical theatre composition with the same watchword as a core principle: The art of writing is the art of rewriting. I hope these drafts will inspire every new writer to persist.” Maury Sings Yeston is produced by Bart Migal.
