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

An American in Paris Opens on Broadway Merde! The glorious new musical, An American in Paris , which features a Gershwin score, officially opened on Broadway this past Sunday night. It not only marked the American stage debut of the show (inspired by the Oscar-winning Gene Kelly movie), but also marked stars Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope 's Broadway debuts. (Choreographer and director Christopher Wheeldon has a previous Broadway choreography credit to his name; this marked his directorial debut.) Theatre outlets were out in full force to cover the opening night festivities, beginning with my review and the New York Times ' review . Next, check out photos from Broadway Style Guide ; Theater Mania ; Broadway.com ; and Broadwayworld.com: Gypsy Robe ceremony ; red carpet ; bows ; and party . Watch below as Broadway.com talks to audience members, like Robbie's sister, Megan Fairchild (who's on Broadway in On the Town ), and the cast and creative team at the open...

I spent about eleven years listening to the first off-Broadway, Sherie Rene Scott–Norbert Leo Butz recording of Jason Robert Brown 's  The Last Five Years  before seeing it on stage in 2013. I love the music and wasn't sure what to expect when seeing it live. Turns out, I was blown away by the chamber musical's power, and the performances of Betsy Wolfe and Adam Kantor. My love for the musical only grew, and I now listen to that  off-Broadway recording on a regular basis. (That production, by the way, was directed by Brown.) And so it was with cautious optimism that I approached the film adaptation, directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan. I didn't love it. What makes The Last Five Years  work so well on stage is what keeps it from really taking off on screen. As Brown explained during the recent off-Broadway run, this show is about two people who can never seem to be in the same place at the same time. Thus, they never in...

Be careful what you wish for because "wishes come true, not free." Sage advice from musical theatre's greatest living legend, Stephen Sondheim . In Into the Woods , Sondheim (music and lyrics) and frequent collaborator  James Lapine (book/screenplay) take several well known fairy tales and blend them together to create a morality tale. We begin with a prologue that introduces us to all the characters and their wishes. The Baker (James Corden) and the Baker's Wife (Emily Blunt) wish for a child (they don't know it at rise, but it's a curse cast on the Baker's father that has made them barren). Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) wishes to go to the festival (i.e., the Prince's ball), but her stepmother (Christine Baranski) says no. Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) wants to keep his cow, Milky White, but his mother (Tracey Ullman) insists he sell it. Little Red (Lilla Crawford) is en route to grandmother's house. And then there's the Witch (Meryl Streep), ...

Broadway Bites: Casting and New Shows Announced Lots of news this week about shows that are coming to Broadway in the 2013-2014 season. Casting : Additional casting has been announced for the upcoming repertory productions of Twelfth Night  and Richard III . Joining the all-male cast led by the incomparable Mark Rylance  are several members of the Shakespeare's Globe company. Visit Playbill for the full cast list. New show : After Midnight , a re-conception of  Cotton Club Parade and filled with the music  Duke Ellington , will play the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Previews begin October 18 and opening night is set for November 3.  Playbill  has details. Casting : Lead casting has been announced for the previously announced Broadway run of Jason Robert Brown 's stage adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County . The busy  Kelli O'Hara  and Steven Pasquale  will star in the production that begins previews in January 2014. The ta...