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

The winners for the 89th Academy Awards have been announced and honored. Herein, the full list of winners. (Winners are notated with an asterisk, and are in bold typeface.) Best Picture Arrival Fences Hacksaw Ridge Hell or High Water Hidden Figures La La Land Lion Manchester by the Sea Moonlight * Maybe the best moment and surprise of the night, the right movie actually won! And you know that "There's been a mistake. Moonlight , you guys won Best Picture," will be not only be remembered for years to come, but will also be part of the Oscars promo next year with a tagline like, "It's live. Anything can happen." Actor in a Leading Role Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea* Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge Ryan Gosling, La La Land Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic Denzel Washington, Fences Actress in a Leading Role Isabelle Huppert, Elle Ruth Negga, Loving Natalie Portman, Jackie Emma Stone, La La Land * Meryl Streep, Florence F...

Dear Evan Hansen, Today is going to be a great day, and here's why. An original, emotional, affecting musical, free of stunt casting, is on Broadway. It has hints of other musicals (particularly Next to Normal ), but that's what happens when young writers are inspired by those who've come before. Written by Steven Levenson (book) and Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (score), this musical is about loneliness, and the ways things that are supposed to connect us these days (social media) can also be terribly isolating. It's about learning who you are, and stepping out into the world. It's about learning who your children are, and loving them unconditionally. It's going to be a great day because Levenson's book is both funny and touching; Pasek and Paul's score features accessible pop (so it sounds natural in the teen characters' mouths) and smart, raw lyrics that reveal depth of character. It's going to be a great day because Rachel Bay Jones ...

We're much more tuned into other people's lives—you can check in on people via an ever-growing number of social media platforms—but does that mean we're any more connected? That seems to be at the crux of Dear Evan Hansen , a beautiful original musical that just opened at off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre. Written by Steven Levenson (book) and Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (score), the show centers on Evan Hansen (Ben Platt), a high school senior whose awkwardness and social anxiety have kept him on the periphery of social circles. His therapist has given him an exercise: every day, Evan is to write himself a letter beginning with, "Dear Evan Hansen, today is going to be a good day because..." One of Evan's letters ends up in the wrong hands. When it does, rather than set the record straight, Evan seizes on the opportunity to become known; to have friends; to get a taste of what he considers a good, normal family life. (Evan's parents are divo...