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

Leading Lady Set for Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 Pierre  has found his Natasha. Denee Benton will star as Natasha opposite the previously announced Josh Groban (as Pierre) in the Broadway bow of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 . Benton starred in the recent American Repertory Theater run of the show (see the production photo at right). Natasha... , written by Dave Malloy ( Preludes ), still does not have a theatre, and specific dates have not been announced, but the show is expected to begin previews in September.  Theater Mania has more. Cate Blanchett to Make Broadway Debut Academy Award winner (and current nominee ) Cate Blanchett ( Blue Jasmine , Carol ) will make her long-anticipated Broadway debut this fall. She'll appear in The Present , a new play adapted from Chekhov's Platonov . The adaptation was written by Blanchett's husband and frequent artistic collaborator, Andrew Upton , and premiered in Blanchett's native Aus...

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 ...

This week's Week in Review features news items from last week and this week. Casting News From Motown Philly to Teen Angel: the extant version of Boyz II Men will appear in the January 31 live Fox broadcast of Grease . They'll be singing "Beauty School Dropout" to Frenchy. The Grease Live cast is led by Aaron Tveit. Broadway.com has more. Samantha Barks , who wowed audiences as Eponine in the recent film adaptation of Les Miserables , has been cast in the film adaptation of Strike , a 2005 musical about the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. She'll appear alongside Alan Doyle and Barenaked Ladies' Steven Page . Broadway.com has more. Possible casting news: Tom Hardy ( The Revenant , Inception ), Mark Rylance ( Jerusalem , Twelfth Night ), and Kenneth Branagh (every Shakespeare movie you've seen) are in talks to star in Christopher Nolan 's WWII action thriller, Dunkirk . The Wrap has more. Casting for Familiar , the new Danai Gurira ( E...