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

Murder Ballad Returns It's official: Murder Ballad , which had an acclaimed limited run at MTC's Studio at Stage II this past fall, will resurface downtown for nine weeks this spring. Transferring to the Union Square Theatre, the rocking and sexy new original musical will begin previews May 7 in advance of a May 22 opening. The terrific Will Swenson ( Hair ), Rebecca Naomi Jones ( American Idiot ) and John Ellison Conlee ( The Full Monty ) will reprise their roles, and Swenson's fellow Tribe member Caissie Levy ( Ghost ) will round out the cast. (She'll be playing the role originated by Karen Olivo.) The physical box office will open April 29, though you can purchase tickets through Ticketmaster now. The announcement in Playbill notes that the original cast recording (which will feature Olivo, not Levy) will be released soon. Grab your tickets now! (And head over to Broadway.com to see an animated version of the show logo at right.) [Note: Levy mentioned on ...

(Scroll down for the latest The Great Gatsby trailer!) The Last Five Years After several weeks of previews (and two extensions prior to the official open), The Last Five Years opened at Second Stage Theatre, marking the first time the show has been revived in New York. Opening night coverage includes: my review ; photos from Broadway.com ; a show tease by Jason Robert Brown ; and video of audience members and the company on opening night . Congratulations on a glorious production! (Visit 2st.com for more information and to purchase tickets.) Directed by the show's writer, Jason Robert Brown , this production stars Betsy Wolfe and Adam Kantor , who recently stopped by the Broadway.com studio to answer your questions: Tony Awards News Two-time Tony Award-winning actress Sutton Foster and Broadway veteran and Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson will announce the Tony nominees on April 30! You'll be able to watch the announcement live on TonyAwards.com a...

Aaron Tveit to Play Concerts at 54 Below in May That's right: for the first time ever, Aaron Tveit ( Next to Normal , Catch Me if You Can , Les Miserables ) will play solo concerts at New York's newest cabaret venue, 54 Below , located under Roundabout's Studio 54 theatre, which is itself built upon the remnants of the famed Studio 54. Tveit will play four shows, each of which starts at 11pm: Friday, May 3, Saturday, May 11, Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18. Tickets go on "presale" on April 2, and will be available for the general public beginning April 5. More information is available on 54 Below's website . Tveit will sing covers of his favorite songs, musical theatre standards and signature songs from some of his own shows (like, maybe, "Goodbye," from Catch Me ? Watch below!). What do you hope to hear this ridiculously talented star of stage and screen sing? Joseph Gordon-Levitt Back on TV The founder of hitRECord (the online com...

(Scroll down to read this week's biggest news!)   Oscar Recovery Are you still reeling from Sunday? Here are some follow up tidbits: My Oscar Wrap Up , including red carpet coverage and the full list of winners, and my Pinterest Oscars board Possibly because of host Seth MacFarlane , possibly because of the slate of nominees or possibly because of the entertainment promised, Oscars ratings were up this year. As Rolling Stone reports , this year's broadcast was "the most-watched Oscars telecast since 2007...when Ellen DeGeneres hosted and Martin Scorsese's The Departed won Best Picture." The Hollywood Reporter 's awards guru, Scott Feinberg, provides analysis of the night, laying out the reasons certain people walked home a winner and others did not. GQ makes its selections for best and worst dressed men at Vanity Fair 's Oscars soiree The Hollywood Reporter lets us in on the secret moments that happened on the red carpet while...

Oscars Prep The Oscars are this Sunday night (!!!) so here are some last minute bits of info to help you prepare for Hollywood's big, glamorous night. Full list of nominees , and a round up Oscar promos , featuring host Seth MacFarlane More presenters have been announced, including: Jack Nicholson , Dustin Hoffman , Paul Rudd , Jamie Foxx , Michael Douglas , Salma Hayek , Melissa McCarthy , Liam Neeson and John Travolta Helping to present the awards will be film students who, through a contest, won the opportunity to carry Oscar trophies to the stage , a job usually saved for models. Instead, these film students - who hope to contribute to the future of film making - will have that honor. Cinema Blend has more. A full list of performers has been announced, and includes Aaron Tveit , Eddie Redmayne , Samantha Barks and other Les Miserables cast members, as well as Catherine Zeta-Jones and the previously announced Barbra Streisand , Shirley Bassey and Norah Jones ....