Odds & Ends: Angela Lansbury Tips Hat to Stephen Sondheim, Cynthia Erivo Set for Bee Gees Tribute & More

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

Angela Lansbury to Pay Tribute to Stephen Sondheim
Angela Lansbury will take part in Irish Rep’s gala benefit production Sondheim at Seven. The five-time Tony winner who originated the role of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd will offer the introduction to a revue that will feature Broadway stars singing from the legendary songwriters’ many musicals, including Follies, Into The Woods, Assassins and Gypsy. The gala performance will take place June 13 at 7:00pm at the Town Hall in New York City. Participating performers will be announced at a later date.

Cass Morgan, Jennifer Sanchez to Test Out New Play Paulette
Phantom of the Opera veteran Jeremy Hays is behind the reading of Mary Adkins’ new play Paulette. Hays is producing the reading on April 17 in Manhattan with a cast of New York stage veterans including Cass Morgan, Jennifer Allen, Vivien Bailey, Allyce Beasley, Rebecca Eichenberger, Aleisha Force, Kathleen Hays, Margaret Loesser Robinson and Jennifer Sanchez. Paulette focuses on a North Carolina mother (Morgan) coming to terms with her adult daughter’s life choices and a son-in-law in transition.

Andrew Rannells, Patti Murin & More to Sing Music of Lysistrata Jones Composer
Give it up for Andrew Rannells and Patti Murin who will be part of an evening of music by Lewis Flinn on May at 7:00pm and 9:30pm at Feinstein’s/54 Below. Flinn wrote the score for the Broadway musical Lysistrata Jones, which featured Murin in the title role. The out-of-town tryout of that musical costarred Rannells. Joining Murin and Rannells for the concert will be Santino Fontana, Ashley Park, Alysha Umphress and more. In addition to songs from Lysistrata Jones, the concert will preview songs from Flinn’s upcoming musical Hood, which he cowrote with Tony-nommed Lyssie J. collaborator Douglas Carter Beane.

Cynthia Erivo Set for CBS’ Bee Gees Tribute Show
Cynthia Erivo is among the stars who will perform the music of the Bee Gees on a tribute concert set for April 16 at 8:00pm EST on CBS. The Tony-winning Color Purple star will be joined by Broadway veteran and Saturday Night Fever star John Travolta, Smash veteran Katharine McPhee, members of Panic! at the Disco and more. Stayin’ Alive: A Grammy Salute to the Music of the Bee Gees will be a star-studded tribute concert celebrating the iconic pop trio's career. Among the many songs recorded by the group are “To Love Somebody,” “How Deep Is Your Love” and “Stayin’ Alive.”
 
Date Is Set for BroadwayCon 2018
Mark your calendar for the third-annual BroadwayCon, happening January 26-28, 2018 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. Cocreator and original Rent star Anthony Rapp will participate, along with Alex Brightman, Andrea Burns, Carolee Carmello, Andrew Chappelle, Lilli Cooper, Janet Dacal, Ben Fankhauser, Annie Golden, Derek Klena, Joe Mantello, Lesli Margherita, Ruthie Ann Miles, Donna Murphy, Kelli O'Hara and James Snyder. More guests will be announced at a future date.

Will Barbra Streisand Reopen Broadway’s Palace Theatre?
Stage and music legend Barbra Streisand could be headed back to Broadway, according to the New York Daily News. Her longtime manager, Marty Erlichman, wrote a note in the program for the memorial service of James Nederlander inferring that was the case. Prior to Nederlander's passing, they’d been at work on a deal that would make a Streisand concert the Palace Theatre's opening engagement following its renovation. We certainly wouldn’t be against seeing the great Miss Streisand back on Broadway. Her two appearances on the Great White Way were in the 1962 play I Can Get It for You Wholesale and her star-making performance in 1964’s Funny Girl.