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

Carousel   Revival to Hit Broadway in 2018 A revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel  will bow on Broadway in spring 2018, officially opening at a theatre to be announced on March 23. The production will be directed by Jack O'Brien  ( Catch Me If You Can ) and choreographed by NYCB resident choreographer  Justin Peck  ( Everywhere We Go , The Times Are Racing ). Peck's fellow NYCB dancers Amar Ramasar  and Brittany Pollack  will be among the company, figuring prominently in the act two dream ballet. The production will star Tony winner Jessie Mueller  ( Beautiful , Waitress ) as Julie Jordan and two-time Tony nominee Joshua Henry  ( The Scottsboro Boys , Violet ,  Shuffle Along... ) as Billy Bigelow. (Now this photo of Justin and Joshua has been demystified.) Opera diva Renee Fleming  will also appear in the production. In the  Playbill  announcement, Peck promises "an even more dance-and-movement-f...

Erivo and Henry Set for The Last Five Years Benefit Tony winner Cynthia Erivo  ( The Color Purple ) and two-time Tony nominee Joshua Henry  ( The Scottsboro Boys , Violet , Shuffle Along... ) will star in a one-night-only benefit concert of Jason Robert Brown's   The Last Five Years , which was last seen in New York in 2013 . Proceeds from the September 12 Town Hall concert will go to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence . (Brown has been a vocal support of gun safety measures.) Though Erivo and Henry are African-American performers, nothing about the show—dramaturgically speaking—will change. ( The Last Five Years  is specifically about a Jewish man, Jamie, and his shiksa goddess, Cathy.) Tickets go on sale Wednesday. Visit The New York Times  for more. Television Critics Association Awards Nominations The TCA Awards nominees have been announced. The Hollywood Reporter has the full list of nominees. Herein, some notable nominations: Rami Male...

Hamilton Casting News Two-time Tony nominee Joshua Henry ( The Scottsboro Boys , Shuffle Along... ) will originate the role of Aaron Burr in the Chicago company of Hamilton . He'll be joined by Jonathan Kirkland , who'll take on the role of George Washington. The Chicago company began rehearsals this week, and their first performance is scheduled for September 27. Meanwhile, on Broadway, Mandy Gonzales ( In the Heights ) will take over as Angelica this October. A date for her first performance, as well as the date for departing Tony winner Renee Elise Goldsberry's final performance, will be announced later. Broadway.com has more. Casting News Tony winner Kelli O'Hara ( The King and I ) will appear in a recurring role on the fourth season of Masters of Sex . Season four premieres Sunday, September 11. TV Line has more. Casting change at The Cherry Orchard : the memorable Kyle Beltran ( Fortress of Solitude , Head of Passes ) will take on the role of T...

This post has been updated to include the latest Tony eligibility rulings. Casting News Filming is complete on the Twin Peaks Showtime "reboot," and the cast has been revealed. Among those who'll appear in the limited series are Oscar winning -musician Trent Reznor ( The Social Network ); Naomi Watts ; Eddie Vedder ; frequent David Lynch collaborator Laura Dern ( Wild ); Virginia Kull ( Assistance , The Affair ); original Twin Peaks stars, Kyle MacLachlan and Russ Tamblyn (that would be Riff, from West Side Story ); and others. Visit Facebook for the full cast list, and Rolling Stone for a brief analysis. Some casting for Hairspray Live , NBC's December 7 live broadcast of the musical, has been announced. Early in the week , we learned that Jennifer Hudson will play Motormouth Maybelle, and Harvey Fierstein ( Casa Valentina ) will, once again, play Edna Turnblad. (He originated the role on Broadway.) Later, we learned that Martin Short will play...

Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed  is a long title. It is also a perfect title because it aptly describes act one, Shuffle Along , and act two, all that followed. Conceived by George C. Wolfe , Shuffle Along, or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed  tells the story of the groundbreaking musical, Shuffle Along , remarkable because it was New York's first commercially successful musical written, directed, produced by, and starring African-Americans. (It went on to play 504 performances, and throughout the run and subsequent tours, performers included Paul Robeson and Josephine Baker.) The first act focuses on the show coming together. Noble Sissle ( Joshua Henry ) and Eubie Blake ( Brandon Victor Dixon ) are songwriters working the vaudeville circuit. F.E. Miller ( Brian Stokes Mitchell ) and Aubrey Lyles ( Billy Porter ) are a comedy duo also making the vaudeville rounds. The pairs meet at a ...

Shuffle Along... Adds Leading Men Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald is set to star in Shuffle Along, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed in the spring, and it was announced this week that she'll be joined by a quartet of terrific actors. Shuffling along will be Tony winner Brian Stokes Mitchell ( Women on the Verge... ), who will reunite with his Ragtime co-star; Tony winner Billy Porter ( Kinky Boots , scroll down to learn about Porter's Kinky Boots replacement); Tony nominee Joshua Henry ( The Scottsboro Boys , Violet ); and Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon ( Motown , The Wild Party ). Shuffle Along is set to play the Music Box Theatre, with previews beginning March 14, 2016. Opening night is scheduled for April 21. Broadway.com has more. Spring Awakening Completes Its Cast The upcoming revival of Spring Awakening is adding Camryn Manheim , Russell Harvard (a deaf actor who was in the acclaimed Tribes ) and Patri...