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

If/Then Sitzprobe Go behind the scenes of the original Tom Kitt - Brian Yorkey musical, If/Then . The musical, now in previews in Washington, DC, is directed by Kitt and Yorkey's Next to Normal collaborator, Michael Greif , and stars Greif's Rent stars Idina Menzel and Anthony Rapp (and others, of course). In this video, you can watch as the cast and the 13-piece band come together for the first time and go through the score, an event known at sitzprobe. It's a glorious look at the most anticipated show of spring, as it further solidifies what a genius Kitt is. (And look at Rapp's face as he watches Menzel sing.) If/Then is in DC through December 8. It comes to Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre beginning March 5, 2014, with opening night set for March 27. Visit the show's dynamic website to learn more. Big Fish to Conclude Broadway Run The wonderfully splashy new musical Big Fish will conclude its Broadway run on December 29. At the time...

Guys and Dolls is Back (for One Night) The beloved Frank Loesser musical will enjoy a one-night-only concert at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium on April 3, 2014.  Directed by Jack O'Brien ( Catch Me if You Can ), the concert will feature good old reliable Nathan Lane ( The Addams Family ), reprising the role of Nathan Detroit, whom he played in the 1992 revival, Patrick Wilson ( The Full Monty , Young Adult ) as Sky Masterson, Megan Mullally ( Will and Grace ) as Adelaide and Sierra Boggess ( The Little Mermaid ) as the missionary, Sarah Brown. Tickets are on sale now. Broadway.com has more. (Bonus: watch the video below to see Wilson singing the My Fair Lady tune, "On the Street Where You Live," during a Kennedy Center Honors performance honoring Julie Andrews.) Holiday Season Happenings The performers for the 87th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade have been announced. (This is the parade that's televised on NBC.) The parade will feat...

On this day of Thanksgiving, here's a little something to remind us that life and beauty are all around us. Give thanks! Life of flowers from VOROBYOFF PRODUCTION on Vimeo . (I found this through NYC Ballet corps dancers, Justin Peck. Follow him on Twitter: @justin_peck .)

Jason Segel Makes Rolling Stone 's Hot List The talented and very funny puppet lover makes Rolling Stone 's annual Hot List as the magazine (and I!) anticipate the release of The Muppets . (It opens November 23. Get thee to a theater.) In the short profile, Segel says he "just really appreciates puppetry as an art form," which, if you ask me, makes him the perfect choice to return the Muppets to their former glory. I can't wait to see the movie!!! Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade On the heels of Thespis's special day comes Thanksgiving, and with it the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I don't know about you, dear readers, but snuggling on the couch with loved ones is my favorite way to start my favorite holiday. Of course, my favorite part about the parade is the slate of performances from Broadway shows. This year, we'll see performances from How to Succeed , Priscilla , Sister Act and Spider-Man , in addition, of course, to the Rockette...

Wilfred Dear readers, are you watching Wilfred ? It's a new dark comedy on FX starring Elijah Wood. His character, Ryan, befriends Wilfred, his neighbor's dog. Well, to everyone but Ryan, Wilfred appears as a dog. To Ryan, Wilfred appears as a man in a dog suit. It's crazy but also wickedly good. Check your local listings for air dates and times. And in the meantime, read through this AV Club interview with Wood. Muppet Madness As we look forward to the Thanksgiving release of The Muppets , the new Muppet movie starring and co-written by Jason Segel, I'll do my best to bring you various Muppet news. August will see the release of The Green Album on which contemporary artists, like Weezer, cover Muppet songs, like "Rainbow Connection." Visit pitchfork.com for the track listing. Need to brush up your Muppet? Empire Online has a guide to the Muppet movies , beginning with The Muppet Movie (my very favorite movie, Muppet or otherwise) and continuing through to...

Happy Thanksgiving! Yesterday was Thanksgiving (duh!) and that meant the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade brought us all the usual bells and whistles and floats. As usual, my favorite part was watching the performances from Broadway shows. It should come as no surprise that my very favorite part of that was watching my beautiful Idiots perform "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) ." They sounded great, they looked great and I just can't watch Johnny play guitar without tearing up. This Thanksgiving, I am so incredibly thankful for American Idiot , for pluralism and for the freedom of expression. Happy Thanksgiving! Bloody Bloody Bits President Sexypants was interviewed by the Craptacular, a Broadway blog (with a spectacular name…). Read on to find out what he’s been reading, how his “Rock Star” lap dance caused a woman’s teeth to fall out and how to get that “guy-liner” just right. Spider-Man Swings by NY Magazine Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is the subj...

I’m so excited to celebrate Independence Day with a paragon of free speech, American Idiot . The show, its preceding record and its creators, cast and crew all demonstrate what a wonderful country we live in: As messed up as the country may be; as much as you may disagree with the politicians in charge and the laws they hand down; as much as blathering and rhetoric makes you want to tear your hair out, America is a great country because we can speak out against all that. Every time Ann Coulter says something that makes me want to vomit (which is pretty much any time she opens her mouth) I resist the urge because as long as she’s allowed to say whatever ridiculous, hateful and misguided bullshit she wants to, I know I’m allowed to say whatever brilliant, encouraging and on target witticisms I want to (…with a healthy helping of snark, of course!) So to the idiots of America who think artists are amoral, and that they (along with anyone offering a different opinion) shouldn’t have a voic...

The Nutcracker cracks me up. This family hosts a party at which the children are paraded about as entertainment; then a creepy looking godfather arrives with a little boy and presents Clara (or Marie, if you’re watching NYC Ballet’s version) with a Nutcracker doll. She falls asleep in the living room and has what, if she weren’t five, seems like an LSD-induced dream in which the creepy godfather spooks her, mice try to attack her but toy soldiers, led by the Nutcracker come to life, defeat the rodent army and then she and the Nutcracker (the little boy who came with the godfather) take off on a journey to Candy Land, complete with dancing candy canes and hot chocolate. It’s really kind of nutty but the lovely and memorable music and impressive dancing makes George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker a nice wintry treat. I saw The Nutcracker this year having different expectations than last. Last year, I was seeing The Nutcracker performed professionally and in whole for the first time. Grow...