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

Big Brother on Broadway In a politically and socially savvy move, producers Sonia Friedman and Scott Rudin are bringing the stage adaptation of George Orwell 's 1984 to Broadway. This production debuted in London in 2013, and had multiple engagements in the area since. Performances will begin this summer (with an exact first preview date TBA), and opening night is scheduled for June 22. The London creative team, including co-writers and co-directors Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan , will make the transfer. 1984 will play the Hudson Theatre, which reopens this month with a 10-week revival of Sunday in the Park with George . Visit Playbill for more. Roundabout Off-Broadway Season Announced Roundabout Theatre Company has announced its 2017-2018 off-Broadway shows. Returning to Roundabout are playwrights Joshua Harmon ( Bad Jews , Significant Other ) and Lindsey Ferrentino ( Ugly Lies the Bone ). Harmon's Skintight will be directed by Daniel Aukin , and Ferrentino...

Casting News Tony and Academy Award nominated actor and activist Mark Ruffalo will return to Broadway in Roundabout's revival of Arthur Miller's The Price . Ruffalo ( Spotlight ) replaces the previously announced John Turturro, who had to bow out due to filming commitments. Tony Shalhoub and Jessica Hecht are still scheduled to appear. Previews begin February 16, with opening night scheduled for March 16. Theater Mania has more. Casting for the first national tour of Hamilton has been announced. Joshua Henry , who plays Aaron Burr in the Chicago production, will star as Burr; Michael Luwoye , who is the Broadway Hamilton alternate, will star as Hamilton; and Broadway's outgoing King George III, Rory O'Malley , will be back as the king. The cast will also include Emmy Raver-Lampman (Angelica; she appeared in the Broadway production as an ensemble member), Isaiah Johnson (Washington), and Desmond Newson (ensemble), among others. The tour launches with a five-m...

As we close out 2016, please enjoy this Year in Review. Diversity —When Hamilton flipped conventional casting wisdom on its head, it sent shock waves through the artistic community. We haven't fully turned the corner (though The Great Comet , for example, features Denee Benton, an African-American woman, as a 19th century Russian, you might have noticed many of the all-white casting announcements for upcoming shows), but when four black actors won Tony Awards this year, the moment's power could not be denied. (See the illustration, at right, by artist Tim Long .) Things are looking better in film, too. After two years of #OscarsSoWhite, this year's slate of nominees (for Golden Globe and SAG Awards) feature multiple actors of color, including from films like Moonlight and Fences . (See also this recent item about BAFTA making diversity an eligibility requirement.) Everything is Beautiful at the Ballet, Even When It's Not —New York City Ballet soloist and resi...

Nominees for the 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced. Winners will be announced and celebrated at the January 29, 2017, ceremony, which will air on TNT and TBS. Herein, the full list of nominees. Movies Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Captain Fantastic Fences Hidden Figures Manchester by the Sea Moonlight Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Casey Affleck , Manchester by the Sea Andrew Garfield , Hacksaw Ridge Ryan Gosling , La La Land Viggo Mortensen , Captain Fantastic Denzel Washington , Fences Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Amy Adams , Arrival Emily Blunt , The Girl on the Train Natalie Portman , Jackie Emma Stone , La La Land Meryl Streep , Florence Foster Jenkins   Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Mahershala Ali , Moonlight Jeff Bridges , Hell or High Water Hugh Grant , Florence Foster Jenkins Lucas Hedges , Manchester by the Sea De...

Creative Arts Emmys The primetime Emmy Awards are this Sunday ( here's the list of nominees ), but this past Saturday and Sunday, the creative people who, for the most part, work behind the scenes to bring you your favorite shows were honored. Grease Live took home four awards: Outstanding Lighting for a Variety Special; Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special ( Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen 's David Korins ); Outstanding Technical Director for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special; and Outstanding Special Class Program (this award goes to the producers, making Tony winner Thomas Kail an Emmy winner). Other winners included the writing staff for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver , Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series; recent Tony winner Paul Tazewell ( Hamilton ), for Outstanding Costumes for a Variety Special for The Wiz Live ; and Tina Fey and Amy Poehler , Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, for their SNL hosting appearance. Visit the Emmy...

Royal Baby News I don't typically include artists' personal or lifecycle event information in these posts, but I'm making an exception. Shuffle Along... leading lady, Audra McDonald , and her husband, Will Swenson , are expecting a child! (Both actors have a child/children from their respective previous marriages.) Of course, this means that a casting shuffle is due at Shuffle Along... The pregnant McDonald will continue with the show through July 24 before going on maternity leave; she intends to return to the show this winter. (This also means that the Lady Day... West End production is postponed. Broadway.com has more about that.) Filling McDonald's tap shoes will be Rhiannon Giddens , making her Broadway debut. In addition, over the summer, the show's Tony-nominated choreographer, Savion Glover , will appear in the show, though, as Broadway.com reports , it has not been announced which track he'll take on. Congratulations to McDonald and Swenson!!! ...