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

Page to Screen Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio ( The Revenant ) is set to star in a film adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI , a David Grann novel. (Obviously, they'll have to change the title.) DiCaprio will reteam with legendary director Martin Scorsese (they collaborated on The Departed , Shutter Island , and other films) for the project, which is still in the fledgling stages. The novel is being adapted by screenwrite Eric Roth ( Forrest Gump ). Variety has more. Two-time Academy Award winner and Tony nominee Cate Blanchett ( Blue Jasmine , The Present ) is set to star in the adaptation of Where'd you Go, Bernadette? , which, BTW, is not about Bernadette Peters. The Maria Semple novel focuses on a woman who mysteriously leaves her husband and child. Blanchett will be joined on screen by Billy Crudup ( The Metal Children , Spotlight ) and Kristen Wiig . Boyhood mastermind Richard Linklater co-adapted t...

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...

I had high hopes for The Present . The Sydney Theatre Company production is a take on a lost Anton Chekhov play ( Platonov ) and stars the unparalleled two-time Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett (making her Broadway debut). While it was, indeed, a treat to catch Blanchett on stage, The Present is a middling play about a bunch of adults misbehaving. At rise, several old friends and lovers are gathered for Anna's 40th birthday. Anna (Blanchett, Blue Jasmine ) was married to The General; his second wife, the couple married when Anna was just 20, and The General died about 10 years prior to the present (set in the 1980s, it seems). Among the guests are Anna's step-son, Sergei ( Chris Ryan ), who's only about four years younger than Anna; Nikolai ( Toby Schmitz ), a life-long friend of Sergei's; and Mikhail ( Richard Roxburgh ), the boys' tutor and a perpetual flirting partner for Anna. Given the revelers' history, there's a lot of talk of the past. T...

Coming to the Boards Dates and a theatre are set for the Broadway bow of The Present , Andrew Upton 's adaptation of Chekhov's Platonov . Starring Oscar winner   Cate Blanchett  ( Blue Jasmine ) in her Broadway (but not NY stage) debut, The Present  will take up residency at the Barrymore Theatre. Previews begin December 17, with opening night set for January 8, 2017. The limited engagement is scheduled to conclude on March 19. Visit Playbill for more, including ticket on-sale dates. We'll have to wait a little while, but Angela Lansbury  is confirmed for her Broadway return. (She was last seen on Broadway in The Best Man .) The nonagenarian will tread the boards in a revival of  The Chalk Garden , written by Enid Bagnold , as part of the 2017-2018 season. Playbill has details. Movie Musicals Moving Ahead It's confirmed: Emily Blunt ( Into the Woods ) and Lin-Manuel Miranda ( Hamilton ) will star in the new Mary Poppins movie. As...

Leading Lady Set for Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 Pierre  has found his Natasha. Denee Benton will star as Natasha opposite the previously announced Josh Groban (as Pierre) in the Broadway bow of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 . Benton starred in the recent American Repertory Theater run of the show (see the production photo at right). Natasha... , written by Dave Malloy ( Preludes ), still does not have a theatre, and specific dates have not been announced, but the show is expected to begin previews in September.  Theater Mania has more. Cate Blanchett to Make Broadway Debut Academy Award winner (and current nominee ) Cate Blanchett ( Blue Jasmine , Carol ) will make her long-anticipated Broadway debut this fall. She'll appear in The Present , a new play adapted from Chekhov's Platonov . The adaptation was written by Blanchett's husband and frequent artistic collaborator, Andrew Upton , and premiered in Blanchett's native Aus...

The nominees for the 88th Academy Awards have been announced. Herein, the full list of nominees. Best Picture The Big Short Bridge of Spies Brooklyn Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant Room Spotlight Not that I've seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens , but I'm surprised it is not nominated. There are available slots (there are only eight nominees; there could be ten), and the number of possible nominees was expanded in recent years specifically to make room for blockbusters like Star Wars . Given the nominees, I'd say The Revenant has the edge (it's well represented throughout the full nomination list), though I'm actually rooting for Spotlight in this category. I think it's a powerful film, and represents film making 101: compelling story told well with fantastic actors.   Best Actor in a Leading Role Bryan Cranston , Trumbo Matt Damon , The Martian Leonardo DiCaprio , The Revenant Michael Fassbender , Steve Jobs Eddie Redmayne...