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

Rock Hall 2017 The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2017 has been announced. Entering the Hall on their first year of eligibility are Pearl Jam and Tupac , with Journey , Yes , Electric Light Orchestra , and Joan Baez as their fellow classmates. Musician Nile Rodgers will be given the Award for Musical Excellence, though his band, Chic, remains left out of the Hall. The artists will be inducted and honored during an April 7, 2017, ceremony/performance in Brooklyn, and, as in years past, an edited version of the festivities will air on HBO in May. Rolling Stone has more. NYCB on Your TV This winter, you'll get to watch New York City Ballet on PBS as part of the Great Performances series. Over the summer, NYCB performed in Paris's Theatre du Chatelet, and on February 17 and 24, 2017, you can tune in to see the Company's final performance from that three-week run. As The New York Times reports, the performance includes Walpurgisnacht Ballet , featuring Sara M...

Tupac Shakur is one of the most prolific hip-hop artists, garnering even more success and attention posthumously than he did in his brief life. (He would have been only 43 this year.) He’s also a poet and master storyteller, which makes him a natural fit for theatre. And Broadway will be richer for having his voice in the canon. Holler If Ya Hear Me is a non-biographical musical that features music by the late rapper (I suppose you could call it a jukebox musical, but I think a mix tape musical is more apropos), with music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Daryl Waters and a book by Todd Kreidler . From a dramaturge’s perspective, Holler is plagued by some of the same pitfalls of other jukebox musicals: The book is often weak, feeling as if it’s written not to serve the story but to get to the next hit song. Which is not to say that the characters populating Holler are simply jibber-jabbering on stage; indeed, it seems that many of the conversations had on “the...

Coming to the Boards Broadway Casting —Full casting for Holler if Ya Hear Me , the non-biographical musical featuring Tupac 's music, has been announced. Leading the cast are Saul Williams , an acclaimed slam poet; Tonya Pinkins ( Milk Like Sugar ); and Christopher Jackson ( In the Heights ). They'll be joined by Saycon Sengbloh ( Hair , Fela! ), Ben Thompson ( American Idiot , Matilda ); John Earl Jelks and more. Directed by Kenny Leon ( Fences ) and written by Todd Kreidler , Holler if Ya Hear Me centers on young inner city dwellers who "struggle for peace against the daily challenges they face," according to press notes. The musical begins previews at the Palace theatre on May 29, with opening night set for June 19. Tickets are now on sale; the box office at the Palace opens May 8, and students can purchase $35 tickets in advance through tix4students.com . Off-Broadway Casting —Full casting has been announced for When We Were Young and Unafraid , a new...

Oscar Prep The Oscars will be presented this Sunday night! (The ceremony begins at 8pm EST and airs on ABC.) In preparation, the Academy has announced the full list of presenters. In addition to those announced last week , some of the starry presenters are: Amy Adams ; Penelope Cruz ; Viola Davis ; Robert De Niro ; Joseph Gordon-Levitt ; Michael B. Jordan ; Anna Kendrick ; Bill Murray ; Kim Novak ; Sidney Poitier ; and Charlize Theron . Read the press release for the full list, and visit the Oscars Presenters gallery to find out who their heroes are. (Remember that "heroes" is the theme this year. Whatever.) Rolling Stone posted a list of the 12 people most likely to join the EGOT club . (EGOT = Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) Only 11 people are in the club right now (including Mel Brooks, Marvin Hamlisch and Rita Moreno), and on Sunday night, Bobby Lopez could join them. (He won Tonys for Avenue Q ; Tonys and a Grammy for The Book of Mormon ; and an Emmy (daytime) for ...

(Scroll down for the official trailer for House of Cards , season 2.) Award Season Round Up Golden Globes —The Golden Globe awards will be handed out this Sunday night. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are back to host the starry gala. The Wrap reports that Jennifer Lawrence ( American Hustle ); Jimmy Fallon ; Mila Kunis ( Ted , Black Swan ); Reese Witherspoon ( How Do You Know? ); Modern Family 's Julie Bowen ; Colin Farrell and more will present awards. Later in the week it was announced that Tom Hanks , Seth Meyers , Margot Robbie ( The Wolf of Wall Street ) and Mark Ruffalo ( The Kids Are All Right ), among others, will also present. Check out the list of nominees , then head to Vulture and The Hollywood Reporter for their "who should win" picks. Tune into NBC this Sunday at 8pm EST to find out whom the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has decided to honor. (Late-breaking news: Globe nominee Leonardo DiCaprio will present at the Globes!!! (So wi...