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

There's an informative history of Falsettos on the Lincoln Center Theatre blog. It traces Falsettos ' origins, from In Trousers to March of the Falsettos (nee Four Jews in a Room Bitching ) to Falsettoland , providing background and context, as well as insight into its significance in famed off-Broadway company, Playwrights Horizons. It does not, however, make me like the show more. Falsettos , written by William Finn (score and book) and James Lapine (book), focuses on Marvin (Christian Borle), and his desire for a tight knit family. Set in 1979 (act one) and 1981 (act two), we meet Marvin just after he's left his wife, Trina (Stephanie J. Block), and son, Jason (Anthony Rosenthal), to be with his lover, Whizzer (Andrew Rannells). Marvin must navigate his sexuality, relationships, and familial needs, while Trina and Jason figure out how to move forward. (They'll be aided by Mendel (Brandon Uranowitz), a therapist-turned-Trina's love interest.) In act two,...

Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs Begins Filming The long-gestating biopic Steve Jobs , written by Aaron Sorkin ( The Social Network , The Newsroom ) and which focuses on the Apple innovator, has officially started filming. After many casting, directing and producing changes, the film, told in three long scenes (sounds quite Sorkin-eqsue), now boasts an enviable cast: Michael Fassbender ( Hunger , 12 Years a Slave ) as the titular Jobs; Seth Rogen ( 50/50 , The Interview ) as Steve Wozniak; and The Newsroom star Jeff Daniels , Kate Winslet ( The Reader ), Michael Stuhlbarg ( A Serious Man , Hugo (he also appeared in an couple of episodes of Sorkin's Studio 60 )) and Katherine Waterston ( Inherent Vice ). Danny Boyle ( 127 Hours ) directs. Slash Film has more. New York Pops Season Announced The 2015-2016 New York Pops concert season has been announced. Concerts will feature the talents of Brian d'Arcy James ( Macbeth , Next to Normal ) and Stephanie J. Block ( Th...

I remember seeing Little Miss Sunshine in the movie theater in 2006. It was one of the first breakout, counter-programming summer movies (in the recent trend, anyway), and it was so delightful and poignant and easy to relate to. So I was a little bit skeptical heading into see the stage musical adaptation but also a little bit excited (particularly because of the cast). I went in with mixed feelings and I came out with mixed feelings. Little Miss Sunshine tells the story of the Hoovers, an average Albuquerque family (mom, dad, grumpy grandpa, depressed uncle, brother and sister) that heads out on an unplanned road trip to Redondo Beach, California, so that little Olive, the (8-10-year old) spunky kid can compete in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. For most of the show (as in the movie) they're stuck in a van with no one but each other. (That van, by the way, is a clunker and the family has to push it to get it going and then hop in while it's rolling along.) There are l...