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

Coming to the Boards Regional —There's a stage adaptation of Alanis Morissette 's Jagged Little Pill in the works, and it's premiering at American Repertory Theater (in Massachusetts) next year. Featuring Morissette's music and a book by Oscar winner Diablo Cody ( Juno , Young Adult ), Jagged Little Pill will be directed by Tony winner Diane Paulus ( Pippin , Waitress ) and feature orchestrations by Tony and Pulitzer winner Tom Kitt ( Next to Normal , If/Then ), who, you might remember, also provided the incredible orchestrations for American Idiot . Visit Playbill for more. Off-Broadway —A new play by Zoe Kazan (as a writer: We Live Here , as an actress: Love, Love, Love ) has been added to Lincoln Center Theater's 2017-2018 season. After the Blast , set in a Children of Men -style dystopia, will begin performances at the LCT 3 Claire Tow Theatre October 7. Opening night is set for October 23, and the limited engagement is scheduled to conclude November...

I come from a family that talks about food. A lot. Whenever we eat, we talk about what we're having for the next meal, making dinner plans during lunch, talking about the next day's breakfast menu at dinner. So many of my memories are tied to food, to the meals I've had, and the pomp and circumstance surrounding them. So I was instantly captivated when the lights came up and Aubergine began. The play begins with Diane ( Jessica Love ) directly addressing the audience, recounting the best thing she ever ate. (These direct addresses season the play, serving as little noshes in between scenes.) She takes great care to get the specifics of the meal (a pastrami sandwich) right, including a vivid description of browning the butter so as to properly toast/fry the bread. As Diane continues, it becomes clear that this sandwich is not the best thing she ever ate because it tasted amazing, because the umami was wonderfully overwhelming her senses. It's the best thing becaus...