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

(Scroll down for TWO Foo Fighters songs from Sonic Highways .) Hand to God Coming to Broadway After an acclaimed and extended run off-Broadway at MCC, Robert Askins 's Hand to God will be produced on Broadway this spring. The play focuses on Jason, who finds "an outlet for his burgeoning creativity at the Christian Puppet Ministry..." Things take an interesting and provocative turn when Jason's puppet, Tyrone, "takes on a shocking and dangerously irreverent personality all its own." The Broadway bow will feature the MCC cast: Steven Boyer ( Modern Terrorism ) as Jason, and Geneva Carr , Marc Kudisch ( On a Clear Day lab ), Sarah Stiles ( On a Clear Day ) and Michael Oberholtzer in featured roles. Director Mortiz von Stuelpnagel will reprise his work for Broadway. Previews begin March 12, 2015, with opening night set for April 7. Hand to God will play the Booth Theatre. Playbill has more. Casting News Off-Broadway —I'm not Neil LaB...

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...

Little Dancer to Debut at the Kennedy Center Good news: dates have been announced for the debut of Little Dancer , the musical that is loosely based on the life and work of artist Edgar Degas . You might recall that NYCB principal dancer Tiler Peck is slated to play the title role, with four-time Tony Award winner Boyd Gaines and Rebecca Luker also along for the ride. Little Dancer is written by Lynn Ahrens (book and lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music), and is directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman ( Big Fish , Double Feature ). No doubt aiming for Broadway, Little Dancer will play at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater October 25-November 30. Visit Playbill for more information about the Kennedy Center's season, and head to the Kennedy Center website to learn more about Little Dancer and ticketing options.  Coming to the Boards It is now confirmed that On the Town , the Leonard Bernstein - Betty Comden + Adolph Green ...

(Scroll down for news about Bradley Cooper 's return to Broadway!) Awards Season Updates Well, there's been a lot going on on the award show circuit. Saturday night was the first of the major guild awards: the Screen Actors Guild Awards  were presented. For full coverage, check out my wrap up , which includes a fashion review and the full list of winners. On Sunday, the Producers Guild  handed out its awards, and, for the first time, honored two films, 12 Years a Slave  and Gravity , with its top honor. ( The Hollywood Reporter 's Scott Feinberg weighs in regarding what the PGA Awards mean for Oscar hopefuls. And his colleague, Ben Zauzmer, crunches the numbers to find out the odds of such a tie at the Oscars.) Of course, last week, the Oscar nominations  were announced, and, on the same day, the Critics' Choice Movie Awards  were presented. Feinberg once again analyzed the goings on, and in his latest Feinberg Forecast , has the Academy Award no...

With the New Year right around the corner, it's time for my year in review. Herein, my favorite things of the year (in alphabetical order), plus some honorable mentions. (Like Spinal Tap, I take this to 11.) Aaron Tveit Has a Good Year —The multi-talented star began the year by being the best thing about the screen adaptation of Les Miserables . He continued his mastery of the universe by walking out on stage at the Academy Awards like a boss, showing everyone how it's done. Then his new TV show, Graceland , premiered on USA Network and was picked up for a second season. He basically broke 54 Below's ticketing system, selling out several concerts (I couldn't even get a ticket), and then released a recording of the concerts (the album has been in constant rotation). He continues to work in film, shooting a few films, both short and feature-length. I couldn't be happier for the talented guy's success—though I do hope it's not too long before we see the ...