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

This morning, these two things happened. First, Thomas Sadoski (who plays Don on  The Newsroom ) let his Italian friends know that  The Newsroom  will premiere on Italian TV on October 17, and air every Thursday, at 11pm. Then he apologized for his Italian skills. Later,  Lin-Manuel Miranda (a Tony winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist for In the Heights ) reviewed the new doc, Broadway Idiot , which chronicles Billie Joe Armstrong's journey from punk rocker to a rocking Broadway star, with  American Idiot . (For the full effect, it's important to note that Miranda worked with the genius  Tom Kitt (who won the Pulitzer and a Tony for  Next to Normal ) on  Bring It On .) Miranda speaks the truth. (Also, learn about Broadway Idiot . ) It was a fun morning.

Tale as old as time. A story of jilted and cheating lovers is nothing new, but the story playing out through a true rock opera set in a Lower East Side dive bar is, and Murder Ballad pulses with the fresh exuberance of its players’ throbbing hearts. Murder Ballad marks the inaugural production of Manhattan Theatre Club’s Studio at Stage II and it’s a hell of a way to start. The new musical (written by Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash) centers on Sara (Karen Olivo). When we meet her, she’s with Tom (Will Swenson) but the two have a tumultuous relationship and Tom won’t commit. Enter Michael (John Ellison Conlee). Sara and Michael begin a life together (on the Upper West, naturally), but Tom and Sara never leave each other’s hearts. Guiding us through all this (and making an appearance as a character later in the show) is “narrator” Rebecca Naomi Jones. But like I said, the story is nothing new. Even the act of telling us right up front that one of these people ends up in grave...