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

For centuries, people have been imploring one another to remember this or that historic event, tragic or otherwise. They don't, however, always say exactly what you should remember or why. So what happens when we learn the wrong lessons about our history? In If I Forget , Steven Levenson ( Dear Evan Hansen ) explores this question through the lens of what it means to be a modern American Jew. (Though the play is set in mid-2000 and early 2001, the conversations and debates feel fresh, and like they could be taking place in 2017.) Michael Fischer ( Jeremy Shamos , terrific and restrained as Michael tries not to be the agitator) and his wife, Ellen ( Tasha Lawrence ), have traveled from their Brooklyn home to Tenleytown, a Washington, DC, suburb. Michael's father, Lou ( Larry Bryggman ) still lives there, in the Fischer family home, though he's not doing too well. Michael's sisters, Holly ( Kate Walsh ) and Sharon (a compelling Maria Dizzia ) live in town, and shar...

Rock Hall 2017 The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2017 has been announced. Entering the Hall on their first year of eligibility are Pearl Jam and Tupac , with Journey , Yes , Electric Light Orchestra , and Joan Baez as their fellow classmates. Musician Nile Rodgers will be given the Award for Musical Excellence, though his band, Chic, remains left out of the Hall. The artists will be inducted and honored during an April 7, 2017, ceremony/performance in Brooklyn, and, as in years past, an edited version of the festivities will air on HBO in May. Rolling Stone has more. NYCB on Your TV This winter, you'll get to watch New York City Ballet on PBS as part of the Great Performances series. Over the summer, NYCB performed in Paris's Theatre du Chatelet, and on February 17 and 24, 2017, you can tune in to see the Company's final performance from that three-week run. As The New York Times reports, the performance includes Walpurgisnacht Ballet , featuring Sara M...

Noises Off , Michael Frayn 's backstage farce, has been one of my favorite plays since I was about 11. I remember first being exposed to the movie, and, ever since, I can't get Carol Burnett saying, "Take the sardines" out of my head. (This is a good problem.) I had the pleasure of seeing a production in DC several years ago, and now Roundabout and director Jeremy Herrin are bringing the hilarity to Broadway with a cast that is simply an embarrassment of riches. At rise, it's the final dress rehearsal before opening night of Nothing On , and director Lloyd ( Campbell Scott , a roguish frayed knot) is exasperated. (Herrin has Scott stalking around the theatre, even making his way into the mezzanine so one of Lloyd's cries of despair was delivered right next to me!) Nothing On , the show within the show, is, itself, a farce, and Lloyd's actors and stagehands aren't quite helping the cause. Dotty (Andrea Martin) can't get her stage directions ...

(Scroll down for some Muppets news.) Casting News Broadway — Marlee Matlin has joined the company of the Spring Awakening revival. Matlin will play Adult Woman. Matlin won an Oscar for Children of a Lesser God , and was memorable as Joey Lucas on The West Wing . This will be her Broadway debut. Spring Awakening begins previews on September 8, with opening night set for September 27. The strictly limited engagement, playing at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, will conclude on January 9, 2016. Broadway —An unbelievable roster of stars is assembling for the Roundabout revival of Noises Off , one of my favorite plays. Joining the previously announced Tony winner Andrea Martin are Tracee Chimo ( Circle Mirror Transformation , The Heidi Chronicles ); Kate Jennings Grant ( The Country House ); Megan Hilty ( 9 to 5 , Smash ); Rob McClure ( Chaplin , Honeymoon in Vegas ); and Jeremy Shamos ( Dinner with Friends , The Qualms ), among others. The Michael Frayn play begins previews D...

Checking in Off-Broadway There are several great new plays running off-Broadway. Here are interviews and news about some of them: Theater Mania and The New York Times spoke with playwright Joshua Harmon , who broke out a few years ago with Bad Jews , about his latest work, Significant Other , one of the most unflinchingly honest portrayals of being a young, single adult. Significant Other is at Roundabout. Rajiv Joseph 's fantastic new work, Guards at the Taj , has extended its run at the Atlantic Theater Company. The two-hander, which stars Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed , will play through July 12. Get your tickets now . The New York Times spoke with Jeremy Shamos about his career, which includes starring in the provocative new Bruce Norris play, The Qualms , now playing at Playwrights Horizons. The article also notes that Shamos will be part of Roundabout's upcoming Broadway revival of Noises Off . Heisenberg , the new play from Tony winner Simon Stephens ( T...

Bruce Norris likes to write characters who stir the pot, and Jeremy Shamos is terrific at playing them. Re-teaming with their Clybourne Park director, Tony winner Pam MacKinnon  ( Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ), they bring us The Qualms , Norris's new play about sexual politics. Shamos plays Chris, a sort of everyman, he seems like an average, middle-aged white guy. Chris is married to Kristy ( Sarah Goldberg ), a sweet-looking blonde with alabaster skin, and the newlyweds are at Gary ( John Procaccino ) and Teri ( Kate Arrington ( Grace ))'s beach condo. The couples met recently while on vacation in Mexico, and Chris and Kristy have decided to accept Gary and Teri's invitation to join their swingers club. Playing out in real time, the other members of the club begin to arrive: There's Deb (Donna Lynne Champlin), an overweight, average looking woman, and her boyfriend, Ken ( Andy Lucien ), a black man who is cut like an Adonis and carries himself in an...

James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson Return to Broadway The veteran actors will star in a revival of D.L. Coburn 's The Gin Game . As Playbill notes , this is the first time Tony winners James ( The Best Man , You Can't Take It With You ) and Tyson ( The Trip to Bountiful ) will be on Broadway together since 1966, when they played in A Hand is on the Gate . Previews will begin September 21, with opening night set for October 13. Directed by Leonard Foglia , The Gin Game is slated for the intimate Golden Theatre. Tony Awards Update The Tony Awards Administration Committee met for a final time to determine eligibility of the season's last several shows . Unless ruled otherwise, actors/actresses whose names appear above the title are considered eligible for Lead Actor/Actress awards; performers whose names appear below the title are considered eligible in the Featured Actor/Actress categories. Tony Award nominations will be announced on Tuesday, April 28 (visit tonyawa...