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

Behind the Scenes at Shuffle Along... CBS Sunday Morning takes you behind the scenes during rehearsals for the upcoming Shuffle Along, or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and all that Followed . Billed as a revival, the show is an adaptation, of sorts, of the 1921 musical, Shuffle Along . As director and book writer George C. Wolfe explains in the segment, they are telling the story of Shuffle Along as well as the story of what was happening backstage and culturally when Shuffle Along hit Broadway. Choreographed by Savion Glover , Shuffle Along... boasts a cast that includes Audra McDonald ( Porgy and Bess ), Billy Porter ( Kinky Boots ), Joshua Henry ( Violet ), Brian Stokes Mitchell ( Women on the Verge... ), and Brandon Victor Dixon ( The Wild Party ).  Previews at the historic Music Box Theatre begin March 15, 2016, with opening night set for April 28. Watch the Sunday Morning piece below, and then head to shufflealongbroadway.com to learn more and to...

Annie Baker's The Flick Wins Pulitzer Prize Everyone rejoice: Ms. Baker's latest masterpiece, The Flick , won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama ! Baker is known for her deliberately-paced plays that seem to be about the mundane but actually turn into something more profound and complex and interesting. The play had a somewhat controversial run at Playwrights Horizons last spring (many subscribers complained about the pace and length—I thought those complaining were CRAZY!). Since winning the Pulitzer, it was announced that The Flick will return to New York, playing at the Barrow Street Theatre . In addition, the terrific The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence , the Madeleine George play that also ran at Playwrights Horizons, was a Pulitzer finalist, as was the Jeanine Tesori-Lisa Kron musical, Fun Home . Bravo to all the talented (female) artists! Foo Fighters Recording New Album Despite taking a temporary hiatus a few years ago, Foo Fighters are in the recor...

What if? It's a short question, something we often wonder throughout our lives (maybe even multiple times each day). On the surface, it's a simple question, too. What if? What if just one seemingly innocuous choice changes your fate—or does it? What if there were a musical that asked us to grapple with this? Then it would be If/Then . This original Broadway musical, which reunites team Next to Normal , Tom Kitt (music), Brian Yorkey (lyrics and book) and Michael Greif (direction), tells Elizabeth's stories. Recently divorced and in her late thirties, Elizabeth (Idina Menzel) moves back to New York. One friend, Kate (LaChanze), says "Liz" moved to NYC to find true love. Another friend, Lucas (Anthony Rapp), says "Beth" returned to pursue her dream career. (As part of her reinvention, Elizabeth decides between calling herself Liz and Beth.) At the top of the show, Elizabeth meets up with Kate and Lucas in Madison Square Park and each asks her to t...