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

Erivo and Henry Set for The Last Five Years Benefit Tony winner Cynthia Erivo  ( The Color Purple ) and two-time Tony nominee Joshua Henry  ( The Scottsboro Boys , Violet , Shuffle Along... ) will star in a one-night-only benefit concert of Jason Robert Brown's   The Last Five Years , which was last seen in New York in 2013 . Proceeds from the September 12 Town Hall concert will go to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence . (Brown has been a vocal support of gun safety measures.) Though Erivo and Henry are African-American performers, nothing about the show—dramaturgically speaking—will change. ( The Last Five Years  is specifically about a Jewish man, Jamie, and his shiksa goddess, Cathy.) Tickets go on sale Wednesday. Visit The New York Times  for more. Television Critics Association Awards Nominations The TCA Awards nominees have been announced. The Hollywood Reporter has the full list of nominees. Herein, some notable nominations: Rami Male...

In 1981, lyricist and book writer Howard Ashman got an itch to create a musical adaptation of Roger Corman 's B-movie, The Little Shop of Horrors . It was far from an obvious choice for an adaptation of any kind, let alone a musical. As his sister, Sarah Ashman Gillespie , recalls in program notes, she and some other confidants tried to dissuade Howard from the venture. Lucky for all of us, he was determined. The original production (directed by Ashman) opened in May 1982 at the WPA Theatre, and transferred to off-Broadway's Orpheum Theatre in July of that same year. It went on to run for 2,209 performances, and was adapted into a movie in 1986. It was a success in its time, and it continues to be a cult favorite. This unexpected story set on Skid Row has tickled audiences for 33 years (and counting), and thanks to Encores!, a few thousand lucky people got/get to see it on stage in New York—with Ellen Greene, the original Audrey. Little Shop of Horrors , with music by A...