Odds & Ends: Billy Eichner & Paul Rudnick Team Up for Ex-Husbands & More
(Photos: Emilio Madrid for Broadway.com)
Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed recently.
Billy Eichner & Paul Rudnick's Ex-Husbands Acquired by Amazon Studios
Billy Eichner and The Devil Wears Prada musical scribe Paul Rudnick have created an original story for the comedy film Ex-Husbands, which has landed at Amazon Studios after a bidding war, according to Deadline. Eichner is also attached to star in the film, which has a screenplay by Rudnick. The movie tells the story of Daniel and Connor, who were madly in love when they became the first gay couple in New York City to get legally married in 2015 and poster boys for LGBTQ+ love and acceptance. Now, they’re getting an even more epic divorce. A production timeline and additional casting will be announced later.
Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett to Release Cole Porter Tribute Album
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett are collaborating on another album. Variety reports that the duo, who released Cheek to Cheek in 2015, have revealed the title, concept and tracklist for their second collaborative album, Love for Sale, a Cole Porter tribute. The album is set for release on October 1 and is being billed as Bennett’s final recording. Love for Sale is slated to include standards musical theater fans will recognize, including "It’s De-Lovely," "Do I Love You," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "So In Love," "You’re The Top" and more. Bennett performed special concert engagements on Broadway in 1974 and 1993. Gaga has yet to bow on Broadway.
Billy Porter to Fund Prize for Playwrights Living with HIV
Tony and Emmy winner Billy Porter, who revealed his own HIV-positive status in May, is funding a new playwriting prize for people living with HIV. The WIO! Prize was created through One in Two and Sugar in Our Wounds scribe Donja R. Love's Write It Out! program. The winner of the 2021 Write It Out! Prize will receive $5,000 and an opportunity to work with a professional dramaturg to develop a new work. The chosen dramaturg will also receive a stipend from GLAAD. Applications are being accepted now through September 3. Head here for further details.
Rita Moreno Documentary to Premiere on PBS October 5
After being released in theaters in June, the documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It, which chronicles the life of the performer with EGOT status, will air nationwide on October 5 at 9PM ET on PBS in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The film, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in January, features interviews from Moreno as well as Gloria Estefan, Eva Longoria, Lin-Manuel Miranda and more. Check local listings to watch, or head to pbs.org/ritamoreno.
Hadestown Tony Winner Anaïs Mitchell Heading on Tour
Hadestown's Tony-winning creator Anaïs Mitchell took to Instagram to reveal that she will be heading on a national tour in January 2022 with her group Bonny Light Horseman. As previously reported, her Tony-winning musical Hadestown will resume performances at the Walter Kerr Theatre beginning on September 2.
