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

I never read the Boris Pasternak novel. I never saw the Warner Bros. film. And I'm not particularly well-versed in the early 20th century Russian revolution. Which is all to say I didn't know quite what to expect when seeing this musical adaptation of the epic story. Doctor Zhivago  isn't really bad (with some exceptions) but it's also not really good. This is probably a byproduct of having source material that's so epic in scope. The creators of the musical (book by Michael Weller ; lyrics by Michael Korie and Amy Powers ; music by Lucy Simon ) were clearly trying to cram in a lot of story into a two-and-a-half hour show. In doing so, they present a lot of drama without a lot of exposition and character development. We, therefore, don't get a true sense of the stakes (especially if you're unfamiliar, as I am, with the internal politics of the revolution). And, unfortunately, much of the drama reads like eyeroll-inducing, soap opera-level melodrama. ...

Nina Arianda Back on Broadway Rejoice! Tony Award winner Nina Arianda ( Venus in Fur , Tales from Red Vienna ) will be back on stage in NYC next fall. You might recall that the goddess starred alongside Sam Rockwell ( A Behanding in Spokane ) in the Sam Shepard play, Fool for Love , at the Williamstown Theatre Festival this summer. That production, with both stars in tow and directed by Daniel Aukin ( Bad Jews , The Fortress of Solitude ), will bow on Broadway (courtesy of the Manhattan Theatre Club) beginning September 15, 2015. Opening night is set for October 8. MTC also announced that David Lindsay-Abaire ( Rabbit Hole )'s latest comedy, Ripdcord , will be part of its off-Broadway offerings. Broadway.com has more. Foo Fighters "I Am a River" The documentary series Sonic Highways comes to a conclusion with the New York episode, airing this week. (Don't despair yet: Dave Grohl hinted at a second season when he spoke to Jon Stewart on Wednesday .) Che...