Odds & Ends: Tony Shalhoub to Star Opposite Aaron Tveit, Watch Mind-Blowing Grease: Live Video & More

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

Tony Shalhoub to Star Opposite Aaron Tveit
Tony Shalhoub has been tapped for a lead role opposite your Broadway boyfriend Aaron Tveit and Tony Winner Nikki M. James in CBS’ BrainDead. According to Deadline, the three-time Tony nominee and Emmy winner will take on the role of Red Wheatus, a Republican senator who used to play and party hard until he undergoes a major transformation into a “health-conscious extremist.” As previously reported, the D.C.-set series about politics and extraterrestrials is scheduled to premiere this summer.

Date Set for Drama Desk Awards
The 61st Annual Drama Desk Awards will take place on June 5 at The Town Hall; nominations are set to be announced on April 28 at Feinstein's/54 Below. The Drama Desk Awards are the only major New York City theater honors for which productions on Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off Broadway compete against each other in the same category. The Public's off-Broadway production of Hamilton was the big winner at the event in 2015, which means that Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit tuner is ineligible this year. It will be fascinating to see what happens in this particular room in June…

The Most-Produced High School Musicals & Plays Are...
The Educational Theatre Association has released its annual survey of most-produced musicals and plays at America's high schools and it makes fascinating reading. The Addams Family came out on top for tuners (Shrek won last year) and regular winner Almost, Maine took the top spot for plays. The top 5 musicals were: 1. The Addams Family; 2. Shrek; 3T. Legally Blonde; 3T. Cinderella and 5. Little Shop of Horrors. The top 5 plays were: 1. Almost, Maine; 2. A Midsummer Night’s Dream; 3. You Can’t Take It with You; 4. Twelve Angry Men and 5. Our Town.

Watch Mind-Blowing Grease: Live Video
This video is going viral and with good reason. It was clear from watching the recent telecast of Grease: Live that it must have been incredibly complex to put together, and the below footage sheds some light on just how tricky it was. Watch associate director Carrie Havel call the shots for "Greased Lightning" next to a split screen of Aaron Tveit et al performing the number. Jaw-dropping.