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

Hamilton Hype Between the announcement of the Broadway mounting and tickets going on sale, Hamilton has been getting extra attention. Watch this CBS Sunday Morning interview in which Hamilton writer and star Lin-Manuel Miranda talks about being inspired to write the musical, and why the hip-hop vernacular is the perfect fit for the story. In this bonus clip , Miranda talks about performing a song from Hamilton at the White House. Miranda also spoke to MSNBC's Chris Hayes , with whom he went to high school. (For more, watch the extended, 20-minute conversation between the old friends.) Hamilton tickets are now on sale, including at the pop-up box office at the Marquis Theatre. The musical continues its Public run through the beginning of May. Broadway previews (at the Richard Rodgers Theatre) begin July 13, with opening night set for August 6. Visit hamiltonbroadway.com for more. Josh Groban Stages Josh Groban has been working, simultaneously, on two albums. One is...

The New Year is almost here so in lieu of a Week in Review, please enjoy this Year in Review. The Bridges of Madison County Score —Music is better than words, which is what made this show work and why I feel I can't fully express, with mere words, how good the score is. Head to Sh-K-Boom to purchase a copy. You'll thank me. I feel like crying when Kelli O'Hara starts singing "To Build a Home," the opening number. I ache when Whitney Bashor goes full Joni Mitchell in "Another Life." I absolutely swoon anytime Steven Pasquale sings, especially a love song, like "Falling into You." And if you don't completely melt from the one-two punch of the final two numbers, "It All Fades Away" and "Always Better," then you have no feeling. It's a magnificent, unabashedly emotional score from Tony winner Jason Robert Brown ( The Last Five Years ), a treasure of modern musical theatre. Freestyle Love Supreme —The frees...

Theatre Award Season Tony Awards —The first round of presenters/performers for the Tony Awards, taking place on Sunday, June8, and hosted by Hugh Jackman, has been announced. Viewers can expect to see Bradley Cooper ( American Hustle ), who is looking to return to Broadway in a revival of The Elephant Man , and Patricia Clarkson , who is set to join Cooper in the revival; Carole King , who will likely perform with Jessie Mueller and the cast of Beautiful ; Maggie Gyllenhaal ( Crazy Heart ), who will make her Broadway debut next season in The Real Thing ; all the Zacharys who made their Broadway debuts this season: Zachary Quinto ( The Glass Menagerie ), Zachary Levi ( First Date ) and Zach Braff ( Bullets Over Broadway ); Clint Eastwood ( J. Edgar ), who might or might not bring along a chair; and many more. Read this press release for the full list of stars and read this press release for details about performer. Note that the releases state that TonyAwards.com will featur...

New York City Ballet 2014-2015 Season NYCB (finally) announced its 2014-2015 season, and there's plenty to look forward to. Favorites like NY Export: Opus Jazz and Interplay are in the mix, as are some new classics, like A Place for Us . It's a Balanchine-heavy season, although audiences can also look forward to several new works, including two (TWO!) world premiere Justin Peck ballets. (Peck's In Creases will also be part of the season, as will his latest, breath-taking work, Everywhere We Go .) The season will also bring us the bittersweet occasion of Wendy Whelan 's farewell performance (on October 18th), the program for which is still to be announced. To learn more and to subscribe, visit nycballet.com . The Bridges of Madison County Sets Closing Date I'm incredibly sad to report that late last week, The Bridges of Madison County posted its closing notice. While the romantic musical with the best score in years (thanks, Jason Robert Brown ) did r...

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...