In The News: Judith Light Joins HBO’s Julia, Ali Stroker Joins Netflix’s Ozark, More
Read on for more theater info you might have missed in today’s headlines.
Shoshana Bean and Derek Klena get ready for concerts in Hollywood
Bourbon Room Hollywood will reopen in July with a series of live concerts featuring Broadway favorites Shoshana Bean and Derek Klena. The 250-seat theater was built for the Hollywood production of Rock of ages, which plans to return to the site next year, but in the meantime the space will host a lineup of shows, concerts and artists spanning all genres. Brian Justin Crum and Katya kick off July 16-17 with music, drag and dance, followed by contestant Tony Derek Klena (Little jagged pill) with a solo concert of his favorite Broadway tunes on July 24 and 25. Shoshana Bean ends July 29-31 with a fan-favorite concert from her three solo albums. For live recording: Tarantino takes the stage of The Bourbon Room Hollywood for an open run starting in August, transforming the soundtracks from iconic Tarantino films into thrilling immersive theatrical experiences. For more information, visit BourbonRoomHollywood.com.
Judith Light joins the cast of HBO Julia
Two-time Tony winner Judith Light will play publisher Blanche Knopf in the upcoming HBO series about Julia Child, reports Deadline. Julia stars Sarah Lancashire as the famous author of Master the art of French cuisine, with Tony winner David Hyde Pierce, who will play her husband, American diplomat Paul Child. The eight-part series also stars Brittany Bradford, Fran Kranz, Fiona Glascott, Isabella Rossellini, and winners Tony Bebe Neuwirth and Jefferson Mays. Daniel Goldfarb wrote the pilot for the series, which is currently in production.
Ali Stroker joins Ozark
In other “Tony winners on the small screen” news, Tony Award winner Ali Stroker (Oklahoma !, Spring Awakening) was selected to appear in the fourth and final season of Ozark. Also joining the Netflix drama is Queen of the South‘s Veronica Falcón, with the former as Charles-Ann (an old friend of Ruth’s mother) and the latter as Camila Elizonndro, Omar Navarro’s sister. The series stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney.
Casting Prom Guest on a live episode of The theater podcast
The theater podcast with Alan Seales, in association with the Broadway Podcast Network, will broadcast a special episode live with contestant Tony Caitlin Kinnunen, Isabelle McCalla, Josh Lamon and Michael Potts from the original Broadway cast of Prom, with producer Dori Berinstein, four-time Tony Laureate. the Prom guests join host Alan Seales for a discussion about the importance of the musical to them and to the queer community. The live episode of Pride will air on June 29 at 7 p.m. ET on YouTube with an audio-only version released to The Theater Podcast’s podcast stream as Episode 150.
Jason Robert Brown’s Subculture Concert with Ariana Grande and Shoshana Bean on Vinyl
Today, Craft Recordings and Concord Theatricals released the limited-edition vinyl of songwriter-lyricist Tony Robert Brown’s Spring 2020 Virtual SubCulture concert with Ariana Grande and Shoshana Bean. Coming from inside the house (a virtual subculture concert) was originally recorded for an overnight video streaming show on April 27, 2020 and released on digital platforms on December 18. The concert, originally billed as a benefit for SubCulture staff and musicians from artist-in-residence Jason Robert Brown concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic, features Grande’s performance of “Still Hurting” from her musical. The last five years and Bean singing “The Hardest Hill”, a song written especially for her. The album also includes a bonus track, the world premiere recording of “Nothing’s Bigger Than Kong,” a song that was commissioned for (but ultimately not included) the 2018 Broadway musical. King Kong. The recording also features Brown’s family: his wife Georgia Stitt and children Molly Cate and Susannah. The vinyl and digital versions of the album are available here.