Here's a quick roundup of stories you may have missed today.
Kelly Clarkson Eyes Broadway
Move over Lea Michele, Kelly Clarkson would like the lead role of Fanny Brice if Funny Girl is revived on Broadway. “I just relate to that character, and I've loved it since I was a little girl,” the first American Idol winner revealed to EW about the part that made Barbra Streisand a star. “I've always kind of been that awkward girl that stood out—in not such a great way sometimes." However, Clarkson would also “love to do something brand new. I think it would be exciting to create a role.”
Stark Sands to Star in Minority Report
Two-time Tony nominee Stark Sands (Kinky Boots, Journey’s End) has landed the lead role(s) in Fox’s Minority Report. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the sequel to Steven Spielberg’s 2002 feature film will be set 10 years after the end of Precrime in Washington D.C. Sands will play both Dash and Arthur, twin brothers who can see into the future. The pilot's cast also includes Broadway alum Li Jun Li, Meagan Good, Daniel London and Laura Regan.
Lena Hall's Next Gig
No sooner do we hear that Lena Hall is departing Hedwig, than we learn where she’ll next be performing! The Tony winner will open Café Carlyle’s spring 2015 season and perform a limited engagement at the famed hotspot April 7 through April 18. Other Broadway faves to headline the venue include Megan Hilty, who will return with a new show, Songs For My Daughter, May 19 through May 30 and Cabaret’s Alan Cumming. Catch the Tony winner’s perfectly marvelous limited engagement of Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs June 2 through 13.
Star Trek & Stage Vet Leonard Nimoy Dies
He lived long and prospered. Beloved stage and screen star Leonard Nimoy has died at the age of 83 in Los Angeles. The New York Times reports that his wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, said the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Best known for his role of Spock on Star Trek, Nimoy made his Broadway debut in 1973 in Full Circle and also appeared on the Great White Way in Equus and The Apple Doesn’t Fall… His many additional credits include helming the 1987 hit movie Three Men and a Baby. Along with his wife, Nimoy is survived by his children, Adam and Julie, a stepson, Aaron Bay Schuck, six grandchildren, one great-grandchild and an older brother, Melvin.
Harvey Fierstein Gets His Brit On
Switching gears, Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein has been hard at work removing Americanisms from the upcoming London production of Kinky Boots. The Tony-winning tuner is, of course, actually set in a British Northampton shoe factory. “You want to be very respectful of your audience. If words are wrong, it puts you right off the show,” Fierstein told The Daily Mail. We'll all say yeah to that! Kinky Boots will begin previews at the West End’s Adelphi Theatre on August 21.