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

There's an overture! And an entr'acte! Neither is a mainstay of musicals these days, but composer Jason Robert Brown put them both in his new musical, Honeymoon in Vegas . (The orchestra is on stage throughout the show, though they're often hidden by scenery. For the overture and entr'acte, they are moved to center stage, and the players are dressed according to the setting. Love this.) It is a slick and polished musical comedy. The plot is silly, but that was true of the movie upon which it's based. ( Andrew Bergman wrote the screenplay; he adapted his work and wrote the book for this musical.) It's decent splash, the kind of glitzy, superficial musical that isn't generally my taste. Honeymoon in Vegas doesn't change that, but it's well done. Mostly. The action revolves around Jack (Rob McClure) and Betsy (Brynn O'Malley). They've been together for five years, but Jack can't bring himself to pop the question because of lingering ...

(Scroll down for news about Foo Fighters and Sonic Highways ) Saying Farewell to Wendy Whelan In  The New York Times , Wendy Whelan  (and several of her collaborators) reflects on her time with New York City Ballet, which includes creating roles in several Christopher Wheeldon  ballets, like his breakthrough Polyphonia  and the stunning After the Rain . The not-to-be-missed dancer retires from the company this fall, playing her farewell performance on October 18. (The program has been announced , and it's going to be amazing, and it includes a brand new Wheeldon and Alexei Ratmansky ballet created just for the occasion.) Whelan will continue to dance, though. Her Restless Creatures  program will tour the US in 2015. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees The nominees for the 2015 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been announced. Artists are eligible for nomination 25 years after the release of their first recording. On the ballot this y...

Foo Fighters' Sonic Highways The rock band's eighth album has a release date and album artwork. Sonic Highways will be released worldwide on November 10 . The release coincides with the band's 20th anniversary. You'll recall that this album was written and recorded differently from the other studio albums. The band traveled the US, talking with local musicians and discussing the local music scene in each city. The artwork, above, reflects the journey and the way music connects us all and stays with us forever. Visit foofighters.com for a preview, to view the track list and to pre-order your copy. And don't forget to tune into HBO beginning October 17 for the accompanying docu-series, also titled Sonic Highways . Trading Theatres The upcoming Broadway productions of Love Letters and Honeymoon in Vegas are switching theatres. Love Letters , the A.R. Gurney play that boasts a rotating roster of stars (including Carol Burnett and Martin Sheen ), will now ...

(Scroll all the way down for the first snippet of new Foo Fighters music.) Side Show Coming Back to Broadway A revival of the 1997 musical Side Show , about twins Daisy and Violet Hilton and their journey through the vaudeville circuit, will bow on Broadway this fall. Bill Condon directs the reimagined production that took shape in celebrated runs at La Jolla and the Kennedy Center. Those productions' stars, Erin Davie and Emily Padgett , will reprise their roles in the Broadway run. Side Show features a book by Bill Russell (with addition book material by Condon) and a score by Russell (lyrics) and Henry Krieger (music). The revival will play at the St. James Theatre; previews begin October 28, with opening night set for November 17. Playbill has more. Larry David to Star on Broadway "Pretty, pretty good." Larry David ( Seinfeld , Curb Your Enthusiasm ) will make his Broadway debut in Fish in the Dark . David has developed the play (which was previou...

Casting Updates Film —The incomparable Meryl Streep will star as Maria Callas in HBO's adaptation of Terrence McNally's Master Class . (McNally's Mothers and Sons star, Tyne Daly, played the role in a recent Broadway revival.) The HBO movie will be directed by Mike Nichols ( Death of a Salesman ). Filming will begin in January 2015. Broadway.com has more. Broadway —The starry cast of It's Only a Play added a new player: Rupert Grint , of Harry Potter fame. Grint joins the already announced Nathan Lane ( Guys and Dolls ), Matthew Broderick ( The Producers ), Stockard Channing ( Other Desert Cities ), F. Murray Abraham ( Homeland ) and Megan Mullally ( Guys and Dolls ). It's Only a Play is written by Terrence McNally and directed by Jack O'Brien. Previews begin on October 9 at the Schoenfeld Theatre. Broadway.com has more. Film —Before Andrew Rannells ( The Book of Mormon ) dons Hedwig's wig, he'll make an appearance in The Intern , a new f...