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

The nominees for the 71st annual Tony Awards have been announced. The full list of nominees is below, beginning with the big four categories. Thereafter are the nominees in the play categories followed by the nominees in the musical categories. Tune into the Tony Awards on CBS June 11 to find out who will walk away with a statue. Best Musical Come From Away Dear Evan Hansen Groundhog Day Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 There were 13 new musicals this season, necessarily leaving several off this list. That said, from what I've seen and heard, these are the right choices. (A fifth nominee was possible if a certain number of shows earned a certain percentage of the vote, but, clearly, that didn't happen.) What's notable is that two of the four musicals, Dear Evan Hansen and The Great Comet , opened in the fall. All too often, shows that open in the fall either quickly close, or, if they're still open, are forgotten by Tony nominators amid the glu...

Remembering Don Rickles The great Don Rickles passed away this week, and Jimmy Kimmel used the opening of Thursday night's show to pay tribute: Shakespeare in the Park Casting Initial casting has been announced for the two Shakespeare in the Park productions, Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night's Dream , and it's already an embarrassment of riches. (And in keeping with the Public ethos (diversity), both casts include actors of color and non-traditional gender casting.) Among those in Julius Caesar are Corey Stoll ( House of Cards , Plenty ) as Marcus Brutus; Elizabeth Marvel ( House of Cards , Homeland ) as Antony; Tony winner Nikki M. James ( The Book of Mormon , Preludes ) as Portia; Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis ( Between Riverside and Crazy ) as Cinna the Poet; Chris Myers ( Whorl Inside a Loop ) as several characters; and Eisa Davis ( Preludes ) as Decius Brutus. Performances run May 23 through June 18, and will be direct...

Casting News Andre Holland ( Moonlight ) will appear in the film, Widows , co-written by Steve McQueen and Gillian Flynn, and directed by McQueen. Holland joins the previously announced Tony winners Viola Davis and Cynthia Erivo. Variety has more. Tony winner James Monroe Iglehart will join the Hamilton Broadway company as Lafayette/Jefferson in mid-April, succeeding Seth Stewart . Iglehart won his Tony for playing the Genie in Aladdin , and will conclude his three-year run in that show on February 19. Major Attaway will take over the Genie role beginning February 21. Theater Mania has more. Richard Armitage ( Love, Love, Love ) has joined the cast of Ocean's Eight , the female-led Ocean's 11 flick. Armitage joins stars Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, and Helena Bonham Carter. Deadline has more. Golden Globe winner Rachel Bloom ( Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ) and Jerry O'Connell ( Seminar , American Hero ) have joined the starry lineup of the Febru...

A two-section recap of news and notes from the week: Casting News Rebecca Naomi Jones ( American Idiot , Marie and Rosetta ) is joining the Broadway company of Significant Other . The Joshua Harmon play, which ran off-Broadway in summer 2015 , begins previews at the Booth Theatre February 14, 2017. Opening night is set for March 2, and tickets go on sale October 17. Jones joins Gideon Glick, Lindsay Mendez, Barbara Barrie, John Behlmann, Sas Goldberg, and Luke Smith, all of whom are reprising their off-Broadway roles. Theater Mania has more. Tony nominee Alex Brightman will play his final performance in School of Rock on November 6. Waiting in the wings is Eric Petersen , who'll take on the role of Dewey Finn beginning November 7. Broadway.com has more. Three-time Tony Award winner and Academy Award winner Mark Rylance ( Twelfth Night , Bridge of Spies ) will lead a big screen adaptation of the J.M. Coetzee novel, Waiting for the Barbarians . Deadline has detai...

(Scroll down for your first look at the new Muppets show.) Theatre Award Season Updates Winners of the Outer Critics Circle Awards were announced this week, with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time leading the pack. The OCC is made up of critics who cover the New York Theatre scene for out of town outlets, and the awards honor excellence in Broadway and off-Broadway. An American in Paris also won multiple awards: Best Musical; Best Director and Best Choreographer, Christopher Wheeldon; and Best Actor in a Musical, Robbie Fairchild. Unsurprisingly, Hamilton took home the honor for Best Off-Broadway Musical, as well as Best Score and others. Visit Theater Mania for the full list of winners. The Lucille Lortel Awards were handed out on Sunday, and Hamilton led the pack. The Lortels honor excellence in off-Broadway. In addition to winning Outstanding Musical, Hamilton team members also won in the following categories, among others: Outstanding Director, Th...