Here's a quick roundup of stories you may have missed today and over the weekend.
Audra McDonald Circling EGOT
Congratulations to Mama Broadway herself, Audra McDonald, who co-won a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program for Sweeney Todd (Live From Lincoln Center) on September 12. And yes, this now means that the six-time Tony winner is one step closer to the EGOT—she's just got the Oscar to go! Also honored were Great White Way alums Alan Alda and Jane Lynch, for their work on Alan Alda And The Actor Within You: A Young Arts Masterclass and Hollywood Game Night, respectively. FX Networks' special tribute to The Producers mastermind Mel Brooks won for Outstanding Short-Format Nonfiction Program and Neil Meron and Craig Zadan's production of the 87th Oscars won for Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Limited Series, Movie Or A Special.
Hamilton Cast Heads to Ars Nova
Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo and more have boarded the lineup of The Ars Nova Revolution. Why so many from the cast of Hamilton? Well, the event is celebrating the show’s creator Miranda, director Thomas Kail and producer Jill Furman. The benefit evening in aid of Ars Nova’s artistic development initiatives and programming will take place on September 21 at The Edison Ballroom.
Tony-Winning Playwright Frank D. Gilroy Dead at 89
Frank D. Gilroy, who won the 1965 Tony and the Pulitzer for The Subject Was Roses, died of natural causes on September 12, Time reports. He was 89. Gilroy later adapted the play for the screen—the 1968 movie version starred Martin Sheen, Patricia Neal and Jack Albertson. Gilroy’s last Broadway production was Any Given Day in 1992; his other Great White Way credits include Last Licks, The Only Game in Town and That Summer—That Fall. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Ruth, and their three sons.
NPH Gears Up for Best Time Ever
Got Neil Patrick Harris withdrawal symptoms? His new live NBC variety series, Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, will premiere on September 15. The Tony winner stopped by The Today Show on September 14 to chat about the new project, which will feature comedy sketches, musical numbers, mini game shows, hidden camera pranks on celebrities and appearances by A-list stars. "I've done enough live stuff," he said, "that if something goes wrong I'm excited by that and it will be fun to comment on it." Check out the interview below and then Best Time Ever tomorrow night!