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

Casting News Following last week's announcement of the ART production of Jagged Little Pill , inspired by the Alanis Morissette album, this week we learned Tony winner Idina Menzel ( Rent , Wicked , If/Then ) will lead an upcoming industry reading of the musical. As noted in the Broadway.com report, though, Menzel is not likely to appear in the ART production since she is already slated to star in Joshua Harmon's Skintight , which runs at the same time as the ART Jagged Little Pill production. Joe Tippett ( Familiar ) will join the company of Waitress beginning with the June 13 performance. He'll take on the role of Earl, the titular waitress's abusive husband. (Will Swenson plays the role through June 11.) Tippett's first performance will also mark the first performance of Betsy Wolfe in the title role. Playbill has more. Additional casting has been announced for Steven Speilberg's The Papers , a telling of the Pentagon Papers. Sarah Paulson (...

It's an Honor Lilly Awards — Tony nominee Denee Benton ( Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 ) and others are among this year's Lilly Award honorees. These awards recognize women's contribution to American theatre, and the women will be feted at the May 22 ceremony. Playbill has more. Mark Twain Prize for Humor —Funny man and former late night weirdo David Letterman has been named the 2017 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Letterman will be honored at the Kennedy Center in October, and an edited recording of the tribute will likely air on PBS later in the year. Rolling Stone  has more. Broadway.Com Awards —Winners of the Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards were announced, and the fans loved Dear Evan Hansen . The musical won eight awards, including Favorite New Musical and Favorite Lead Actor, Ben Platt. Visit Broadway.com for the full list of winners. Off-Broadway Alliance Awards —Honoring excellence in off-Broadway, the Off-Broadw...

Casting News Andre Holland ( Moonlight ) will appear in the film, Widows , co-written by Steve McQueen and Gillian Flynn, and directed by McQueen. Holland joins the previously announced Tony winners Viola Davis and Cynthia Erivo. Variety has more. Tony winner James Monroe Iglehart will join the Hamilton Broadway company as Lafayette/Jefferson in mid-April, succeeding Seth Stewart . Iglehart won his Tony for playing the Genie in Aladdin , and will conclude his three-year run in that show on February 19. Major Attaway will take over the Genie role beginning February 21. Theater Mania has more. Richard Armitage ( Love, Love, Love ) has joined the cast of Ocean's Eight , the female-led Ocean's 11 flick. Armitage joins stars Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, and Helena Bonham Carter. Deadline has more. Golden Globe winner Rachel Bloom ( Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ) and Jerry O'Connell ( Seminar , American Hero ) have joined the starry lineup of the Febru...

Lazarus in London A London production of Lazarus will be mounted this fall. Featuring music from the late, great David Bowie 's catalog (and a few new tunes) and a book by Enda Walsh , Lazarus is inspired by and is a continuation of The Man Who Fell to Earth . Michael C. Hall , Michael Esper , and Sophia Anne Caruso , who starred in the off-Broadway run last year, will reprise their roles across the pond. Lazarus will begin previews at the Kings Cross Theatre on October 25. Opening night is set for November 8, and the limited engagement is scheduled to conclude January 22, 2017. Broadway.com has more. Casting News Oscar winner and Tony nominee Lupita Nyong'o ( 12 Years a Slave , Eclipsed ), Tony nominee Danai Gurira ( Eclipsed ), and the great Michael B. Jordan ( Fruitvale Station ) have joined the previously announced Chadwick Boseman in Ryan Coogler's Marvel flick, Black Panther . Deadline has details. Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth ( On the Twentieth...

Theatre Award Season News The Fred and Adele Astaire Award nominees were announced this week. (The awards honor excellence in Broadway dancing and choreography.) Best Female Dancer nominees include Leanne Cope ( An American in Paris ); Megan Fairchild ( On the Town ); and Annaleigh Ashford ( You Can't Take It With You ), Tony nominees all. Best Male Dancer nominees include Robbie Fairchild ( An American in Paris ); and Alex Sharp ( The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ), both Tony nominees . Best Choreographer nominees include Christopher Wheeldon ( An American in Paris ); Steven Hoggett ( The Last Ship ); and Warren Carlyle ( On the Twentieth Century ). Visit Theater Mania for the full list of nominees. Winners of the New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards were announced this week. Hamilton was named Best Musical and Between Riverside and Crazy (which just won the Pulitzer) was named Best Play. Bob Crowley received a special citation; he is rep...

Casting News Film — Variety reports that Brad Pitt ( Moneyball , 12 Years a Slave ), Christian Bale ( American Hustle , The Fighter ) and Ryan Gosling ( Drive , Blue Valentine ) are set to star in an adaptation of Michael Lewis's The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine . The non-fiction book chronicles the credit bubble of the early '00s, which led to the financial crash of 2007/8. Nothing is confirmed. Broadway —Additional casting has been announced for Something Rotten , the original musical comedy coming to Broadway's St James Theatre this spring. [title of show] and Now. Here. This. star Heidi Blickenstaff , Tony nominee Brad Oscar ( The Producers , Big Fish ), Brooks Ashmanskas , Michael James Scott ( The Book of Mormon ) and John Cariani , among others, join the previously announced Brian d'Arcy James and Christian Borle. Something Rotten begins previews on March 23, with opening night set for April 22. Broadway.com has the full cast list. Find ...