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

New Foo Fighters Album Foo Fighters are releasing a new album, Concrete and Gold , this fall!!! Set for release on September 15, the album, the band's ninth, will be supported by a national tour. You can gain pre-sale access when you pre-order the album (several combo packages are available) and/or you become a verified fan (an anti-ticket bot measure). All pre-orders come with an instant download of the single, "Run." See the announcement below, and head to foofighters.com to pre-order and rock out. Casting News Broadway —Initial casting for the Broadway bow of The Band's Visit has been announced. Many of the actors from the acclaimed off-Broadway production will be reprising their roles, including Tony Shalhoub ( The Price , Act One ), Katrina Lenk ( Indecent ), and Jonathan Raviv . Previews for the David Yazbek–Itamar Moses musical begin October 7 at the Barrymore Theatre, with opening night scheduled for November 9. Broadway News has more. Concer...

Lazarus in London A London production of Lazarus will be mounted this fall. Featuring music from the late, great David Bowie 's catalog (and a few new tunes) and a book by Enda Walsh , Lazarus is inspired by and is a continuation of The Man Who Fell to Earth . Michael C. Hall , Michael Esper , and Sophia Anne Caruso , who starred in the off-Broadway run last year, will reprise their roles across the pond. Lazarus will begin previews at the Kings Cross Theatre on October 25. Opening night is set for November 8, and the limited engagement is scheduled to conclude January 22, 2017. Broadway.com has more. Casting News Oscar winner and Tony nominee Lupita Nyong'o ( 12 Years a Slave , Eclipsed ), Tony nominee Danai Gurira ( Eclipsed ), and the great Michael B. Jordan ( Fruitvale Station ) have joined the previously announced Chadwick Boseman in Ryan Coogler's Marvel flick, Black Panther . Deadline has details. Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth ( On the Twentieth...

The nominations for the Outer Critics Circle (OCC) Awards were announced today. These awards honor excellence in both Broadway and off-Broadway. The OCC includes critics covering New York theatre for out-of-town outlets. Note that Hamilton was not considered this year as it was considered (and awarded) last year, for its off-Broadway iteration; only new elements of the Broadway production were considered. In addition, at the request of the show's producers, Shuffle Along... was not considered this year because of the OCC nomination deadline; it will be considered next year. Winners of this year's awards will be announced May 9 and feted May 26. Herein, the full list of nominees (unless otherwise noted, categories include Broadway and off-Broadway): Outstanding New Broadway Play Eclipsed The Father The Humans King Charles III Therese Raquin Outstanding New Broadway Musical American Psycho Bright Star On Your Feet Tuck Everlasting Waitress Outstanding New Off-...

Lazarus is abstract and intriguingly weird, and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Inspired by the Walter Tevis novel The Man Who Fell to Earth , Lazarus is about...well, that's open to interpretation, which is why this complex work is so worth seeing. As the novel's title suggests, the protagonist, Newton (Michael C. Hall), is not of this world. He lives in a sparse, beige space, punctuated by an oversize screen upstage center and two large windows on either side of the screen. (We can see the band through the windows.) Both the windows and the TV screen allow Newton to see out into the world, but they also allow others to look in on him. He's living in a fishbowl (designed and lit by Jan Versweyveld ), which can only make him feel more out of place. Indeed, throughout the show (written by David Bowie and Tony winner Enda Walsh ( Once , Hunger )), all I kept thinking was "alienation." These people—not just Newton but also Elly (Cristin Milioti), who is, ...

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees Annoucned Nominees for the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class have been announced. Among the nominees are Janet Jackson , t he Smiths , N.W.A. , Chaka Khan , Nine Inch Nails  and more. Winners/inductees will be announced in December; they'll then be honored in a rocking ceremony in the spring, which will be edited and broadcast on HBO later in the year. Rolling Stone  has the full list of nominated artists. While you're there, you can vote for the artist you'd most like to see inducted into the Rock Hall. Hamilton News Go behind the scenes at Hamilton  on a two-show day, courtesy of featured player, Anthony Ramos , who plays John Laurens and Phillip Hamilton. Playbill has the photo essay. In other Hamilton  news, Andrew Rannells  will take on the role of King George III from October 27 through November 29 while current king, Jonathan Groff, films the concluding Looking  special. Groff will retake his throne on...

Casting News Off-Broadway —Thank Thespis, Michael Esper is back. The captivating performer has joined the cast of the upcoming Lazarus , a new musical written by David Bowie. ( Here's a reminder about the musical .) Esper ( American Idiot , The Last Ship ) is joining the previously announced Michael C. Hall. The two men will also be joined by Tony nominee Cristin Milioti ( Once , The Wolf of Wall Street ), Nicholas Christopher ( Whorl Inside a Loop ) and others. Previews begin November 18, with opening night of the New York Theatre Workshop production set for December 7. Broadway.com has the full cast list. Broadway —Initial casting has been announced for the Broadway bow of Tuck Everlasting . Among the cast are Andrew Keenan-Bolger ( Newsies ), Carolee Carmello ( Finding Neverland ), Terrence Mann ( Pippin ), Fred Applegate ( The Last Ship ) and more. (Mann, by the way, will be busy before then; see below.) Previews begin March 31, 2016, with opening night scheduled f...

Casting News Michael Esper ( The Last Ship ) has joined the cast of Shades of Blue , an upcoming NBC series starring Jennifer Lopez. The series is shooting in New York. Deadline has details. Tony winners Gabriel Ebert ( Matilda , Casa Valentina ) and Judith Light ( The Assembled Parties ) have joined the cast of Therese Raquin . The Roundabout revival begins previews October 1, and opening night is set for October 29. Broadway.com has more. Steven Pasquale ( The Bridges of Madison County ),  John Ellison Conlee ( Murder Ballad , The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence ), Ciara Renee ( Big Fish ) and Miriam Shor (Yitzhak in the original production of Hedwig ) have joined the cast of the Encores! production of The Wild Party . Brandon Victor Dixon ( Motown ) has also joined, replacing the previously announced Joshua Henry. The show runs July 15-18. Broadway.com has more. It is confirmed that Alex Brightman will star in the Broadway run of Andrew Lloyd Webbe...

Casting News Film — Variety reports that Brad Pitt ( Moneyball , 12 Years a Slave ), Christian Bale ( American Hustle , The Fighter ) and Ryan Gosling ( Drive , Blue Valentine ) are set to star in an adaptation of Michael Lewis's The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine . The non-fiction book chronicles the credit bubble of the early '00s, which led to the financial crash of 2007/8. Nothing is confirmed. Broadway —Additional casting has been announced for Something Rotten , the original musical comedy coming to Broadway's St James Theatre this spring. [title of show] and Now. Here. This. star Heidi Blickenstaff , Tony nominee Brad Oscar ( The Producers , Big Fish ), Brooks Ashmanskas , Michael James Scott ( The Book of Mormon ) and John Cariani , among others, join the previously announced Brian d'Arcy James and Christian Borle. Something Rotten begins previews on March 23, with opening night set for April 22. Broadway.com has the full cast list. Find ...