Reviewing the Drama: Broadway, Off-Broadway, Ballet, Movies, and TV Reviews

The 85th Academy Awards are in the books. And it was a great show, in my opinion. Sure, it ran over and some parts were more engaging than others, but considering that they have to actually hand out awards - even in the categories you don't care about - it was good. We'll get into the ceremony and winners in a moment. First, of course, the fashion. Jennifer Lawrence, just 22, looks more grown up and sophisticated in her white Dior gown than she has on the red carpet this season. What I loved most about her look, though, was the backwards necklace draping down her back. It's a simple choice that made a great statement. Meanwhile Zoe Saldana gets the award for most improved. In 2010, she wore a similar look (in that it was purple ombre) and it did. not. work. This year, she gets it right. I don't love the flowers on top, but I get it, and I like the structure of the dress, the belted waist and the flowing, multi-hued bottom. Next on the red carpet, Metal...

Oscars Prep The Oscars are this Sunday night (!!!) so here are some last minute bits of info to help you prepare for Hollywood's big, glamorous night. Full list of nominees , and a round up Oscar promos , featuring host Seth MacFarlane More presenters have been announced, including: Jack Nicholson , Dustin Hoffman , Paul Rudd , Jamie Foxx , Michael Douglas , Salma Hayek , Melissa McCarthy , Liam Neeson and John Travolta Helping to present the awards will be film students who, through a contest, won the opportunity to carry Oscar trophies to the stage , a job usually saved for models. Instead, these film students - who hope to contribute to the future of film making - will have that honor. Cinema Blend has more. A full list of performers has been announced, and includes Aaron Tveit , Eddie Redmayne , Samantha Barks and other Les Miserables cast members, as well as Catherine Zeta-Jones and the previously announced Barbra Streisand , Shirley Bassey and Norah Jones ....

Sharr White's The Other Place uses the age-old literary device of the unreliable narrator, but rather than it being frustrating because we don't know what's going on, we go on an unexpected journey with the narrator as she struggles with losing her brilliant mind. Laurie Metcalf is Juliana, an accomplished scientist who, while giving a sales presentation about a new drug she's developed, has an "episode." Throughout the play, she talks about this episode and her past - and possible delusions of her present - with her husband, Ian (Bill Pullman), a man (John Schiappa, playing various characters) and a woman (Zoe Perry, playing various characters). We learn quickly that Juliana, who is also telling us her story, is unreliable and so we are with her every step of the way while she figures out what's happening to her. It's unfair to give away too much more of the action because the way it unfolds (direction is by Joe Mantello) makes it all unexpe...

Shakespeare in the Park We may still be in the cold, snowy days of winter, but we can look forward to a great summer season of Shakespeare in the Park. This week, the Public Theater announced the program for the venerable summer tradition. May 28-June 30 will bring a Daniel Sullivan-directed production of The Comedy of Errors , starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson ( Modern Family ) and Hamish Linklater ( Seminar , The School for Lies ). Later in the summer (July 23-August 18), we'll get to see a new musical adaptation of Love's Labour's Lost , penned by the Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson team: Michael Friedman is writing the score and Alex Timbers ( Peter and the Starcatcher ) is writing the book and will direct the production. In a statement, Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis said, "This summer will be a joyous and light-hearted celebration of Shakespeare's comic side, from the wild slapstick of The Comedy of Errors to the hip beauty of Alex Ti...

I knew I’d have a good time at New York City Ballet on Saturday night because one of the three pieces on the program was NY Export: Opus Jazz , my favorite. What I didn’t know is how much I would like the first piece, Peter Martins’s The Waltz Project . Choosing pieces from composer Robert Moran’s 1976 collection of American composers’ waltzes, Martins’s ballet is couples night, divided into nine vignettes. The first (to Joan Tower’s “Red Garnet Waltz”) and fifth (to Milton Babbitt’s “Minute Waltz (or ¾ + 1/8)”) feature soloists Savannah Lowery and Adrian Danchig-Waring. They dance short and clipped movements – almost like NYC Ballet’s version of “the robot” – as they contort into all sorts of cool poses. The second (to Philip Glass’s “Modern Love Waltz”) and sixth (to Robert Moran’s “Waltz—‘In Memoriam-Maurice Ravel’”) feature principals Teresa Reichlen and Amar Ramasar. Their dance in the Glass piece is one of the most athletic ballet sequences I’ve ever seen, with Ramas...