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

The winners for the 71st annual Tony Awards have been announced and feted! The full list of winners is below, beginning with the big four categories. Thereafter are the winners in the play categories followed by the nominees in the musical categories. Winners are notated with bold typeface and an asterisk. Best Musical Come From Away Dear Evan Hansen * Groundhog Day Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 Hooray!!! Dear Evan Hansen  had been the early frontrunner, but Come From Away  was the horse that broke late, and made the category competitive. (I certainly don't mean that as a knock on Great Comet , which I've seen and loved, or Groundhog Day , which I haven't seen; that's just what the race, according to chatter, was.) I love this musical. It's raw, honest, and important. It worked so well off-Broadway, it works amazingly on Broadway, and you better look for it in your town because I have no doubt it will be incredible on tour. Best Play ...

The nominees for the 71st annual Tony Awards have been announced. The full list of nominees is below, beginning with the big four categories. Thereafter are the nominees in the play categories followed by the nominees in the musical categories. Tune into the Tony Awards on CBS June 11 to find out who will walk away with a statue. Best Musical Come From Away Dear Evan Hansen Groundhog Day Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 There were 13 new musicals this season, necessarily leaving several off this list. That said, from what I've seen and heard, these are the right choices. (A fifth nominee was possible if a certain number of shows earned a certain percentage of the vote, but, clearly, that didn't happen.) What's notable is that two of the four musicals, Dear Evan Hansen and The Great Comet , opened in the fall. All too often, shows that open in the fall either quickly close, or, if they're still open, are forgotten by Tony nominators amid the glu...

Bette Midler to Star in Hello Dolly The Divine Miss M will star as Dolly Levi in a 2017 revival of Hello Dolly . Bette Midler was last seen on Broadway in 2013's I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers . Midler will be directed in Hello Dolly by Jerry Zaks , with Warren Carlyle choreographing. ( Scott Rudin is the lead producer.) Though the production does not have a theatre, it's been announced that previews will begin March 13, 2017. Opening night of the Jerry Herman – Michael Stewart musical is scheduled for April 20. Playbill has more. The Most Incredible Thing New York City Ballet soloist and resident choreographer Justin Peck ( Everywhere We Go , New Blood ) is putting the finishing touches on his new ballet, The Most Incredible Thing , which premieres on February 2. Based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, this will mark Peck's first narrative ballet. Ever the collaborator, Peck is teaming with composer Bryce Dessner and artist Marcel Dz...

Aaron Tveit on Show People Now a bona fide movie star, Aaron Tveit returns to Broadway.com's talk show, Show People, to talk to Paul Wontorek about Les Miserables , his new TV show, Graceland , turning 30 and why he stays off social media. Award Season Updates Oscars Oscar nominations were announced!!!! I have the full list of nominees and a Pinterest board full of fun photos of nominees and nominated films. I'm most disappointed that Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck were left off the Best Supporting Actor and Best Director, respectively, lists. What do you think of this year's slate? Herein, some additional analysis and reactions: The Wrap's Steven Pond posits that though Lincoln received the most nominations (12), it won't necessary coast to the podium on Oscar night. Looking at the slate of nominees, and particularly who was left out of the directing category (Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow), Pond predicts (and I agree) the historical ...