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

There has been unrest in the Middle East since Isaac and Ishmael , and various diplomatic efforts have tried to curb the carnage. In September 1993, the Oslo Accords represented the first-ever peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). In J.T. Rogers 's play, we go behind the scenes to see what led to that historic moment. (In program notes, Rogers explains the genesis of the play, and makes a point to point out that this is his telling of the events. He notes that everything in the play happened, but names, locations, and certain details have been changed for dramatic effect and expediency.) It seems that a Norwegian husband-and-wife team got the ball rolling. Terje Rod-Larsen ( Jefferson Mays ) and Mona Juul ( Jennifer Ehle ) hatch the idea that under a specific diplomatic approach an agreement would be possible. Terje, an academic, believes that if a more personal approach is taken by the negotiators, they will be able to find common ...

Bette Midler to Star in Hello Dolly The Divine Miss M will star as Dolly Levi in a 2017 revival of Hello Dolly . Bette Midler was last seen on Broadway in 2013's I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers . Midler will be directed in Hello Dolly by Jerry Zaks , with Warren Carlyle choreographing. ( Scott Rudin is the lead producer.) Though the production does not have a theatre, it's been announced that previews will begin March 13, 2017. Opening night of the Jerry Herman – Michael Stewart musical is scheduled for April 20. Playbill has more. The Most Incredible Thing New York City Ballet soloist and resident choreographer Justin Peck ( Everywhere We Go , New Blood ) is putting the finishing touches on his new ballet, The Most Incredible Thing , which premieres on February 2. Based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, this will mark Peck's first narrative ballet. Ever the collaborator, Peck is teaming with composer Bryce Dessner and artist Marcel Dz...

Hamilton News The Hamilton original Broadway cast recording was released digitally this week. (CDs will be released October 16, and vinyls will be released in January 2016.) You can visit your favorite digital music retailer to purchase the album, and then head to the Atlantic Records website , where you can download the full lyrics and album credits. In addition, it was announced that the Hamilton book, which will feature annotated lyrics and many other goodies, is now available for pre-order. The title will be released on April 12, 2016. Visit Amazon or your favorite retailer to place your order. Lincoln Center Theater Announces Three New Productions Lincoln Center Theater has announced three show that will be part of its 2015-2016 season: The Royale , written by Marco Ramirez and directed by Rachel Chavkin , beginning February 11, 2016; Her Requiem , written by Greg Pierce and directed by Kate Whoriskey ( Tales from Red Vienna ), beginning February 6; and War , writte...

Dave Malloy 's new show, Preludes , is "inspired by the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff." If only Rach knew the impact he would have he might not have gone through the tsuris that is the action of Preludes . The title is taken from Rachmaninoff's breakthrough work, but it's so much more. Preludes are a hint of what's to come, yet it's the very excitement created by that hint, that taste that paralyzes Rachmaninoff and makes him loathe to write more. As noted in the program, Rach's "Symphony no. 1 in D minor, opus 13" premiered when the composer was 24, and the performance was a disaster. He was so stung by the reception that he developed a three-years-long bout of writer's block. As Malloy ( Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 ) explores in his play, the icy reception wasn't the only thing keeping Rach from writing. Set inside Rachmaninoff's mind, Preludes is an imagination of what happened in Rach's sessions wit...

What a beautiful revival of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Just kidding! Of course I have more to say about the show. I, of course, knew of The King and I , and had heard or heard of many of the songs in its delightful score, yet I had never seen The King and I , and the first thing that struck me about this musical, which first bowed on Broadway in the 1950s and takes place in the 1860s, is that our leading lady, Anna (Kelli O'Hara), is a proto-feminist. Anna, a widow, and her son arrive in Siam, where Anna will teach English to the king's children (and others). She shrugs off the British naval officer's warnings about being a woman alone in Siam and, once she arrives at the palace, insists that the king honor their agreement. (There is a discrepancy about where she will live and what salary she'll draw.) She continues this way, speaking truth to power, demanding the king ( Ken Watanabe , making his Broadway debut) ...

She Loves Me Returns The Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick musical, She Loves Me , will return to Broadway next season, in spring 2016. The revival will be part of Roundabout's 50th anniversary season. (The theatre company held a benefit, one-night-only concert of the show in 2011.) But that's not all: Tony winner Laura Benanti ( Gypsy , Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown ) and Josh Radnor ( Disgraced , How I Met Your Mother ) will star in the production, to be directed by Scott Ellis ( The Mystery of Edwin Drood , You Can't Take it With You ). In addition to the Bock and Harnick score, She Loves Me features a book by Joe Masteroff ( Cabaret ); the musical is based on the novel, The Shop Around the Corner , which is also the source material for the Tom Hanks–Meg Ryan flick, You've Got Mail . Specific dates for the production have not been announced, and it is not confirmed whether She Loves Me will play at the American Airlines Theatre or Studio 54. The ...

Neil Patrick Harris to Host Variety Show He's hosted the Tonys , the Emmys and magic shows, and he's set to host the Oscars in February. Now, it's been announced, the versatile Tony and Emmy Award winner Neil Patrick Harris ( Hedwig and the Angry Inch ) will host a weekly variety show for NBC. Based on the British sensation, Saturday Night Takeaway , the variety show will likely feature comedy sketches, musical numbers and magic segments, playing into Harris's talents. In a statement, Harris said, "Nothing like this has been done before, and its unique structure fits into my random skill set. I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and have some fun!" [Variety shows have been tried in recent years; in May, in fact, the insanely talented Maya Rudolph hosted a one-night-only variety show...on NBC.] The peacock network has ordered ten episodes of the untitled series. Broadway.com has more. The Last Ship Opens After about a month of previews, the te...

A life in theatre. Act One is a theatre story for theatre lovers, but like all good plays it’s about something much more universal: pursuing a dream. I haven’t read Moss Hart ’s eponymous autobiography, from which this James Lapine play is adapted (Lapine also directs the play). That is to say that I can’t speak to the play’s fidelity to the source material, but I don’t think that matters. What matters is that Hart had a dream, and with tenacity and some remarkably lucky breaks, he carved out a fulfilling and rich life for himself.  We watch as Moss (Santino Fontana) falls in love with the theatre and sets out to become a contributing member of the community. He talks his way into a producer’s assistant job and starts making connections. While working various assistant-level jobs and working in the Catskill Mountains during the summer, he continues to write, and with the help of his friends and an adventurous producer, is connected to the great George S. Kaufman (T...