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

The Beatles famously sang, "all you need is love (love, love)." Were the Fab Four right? That question is at the crux of Mike Bartlett 's new play, Love, Love, Love , enjoying its New York debut in a terrific Roundabout production. Bartlett ( Cock , King Charles III ) is a great writer and a keen observer of relationships, and he proves as much with this decade-spanning serio-comedy that traces the relationship of Kenneth ( Richard Armitage , appealing, commanding, charming) and Sandra ( Amy Ryan , sharp, cunning, captivating) from the swinging 60s to present day, all under the direction of Tony winner Michael Mayer ( Spring Awakening , American Idiot ). Act one begins in the 60s. Feminism is blossoming. People are exploring, trying new things. In the process, they are finding out or coming to terms with what old things mean under these new circumstances. This dynamic is explored as we meet Kenneth and Sandra, as well as Kenneth brother, Henry ( Alex Hurt ). K...

If you've been holding out for a hero, look no further than Brooklynite , the original musical that just opened off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. Michael Mayer  ( Spring Awakening , American Idiot , Hedwig and the Angry Inch ) directs the musical he co-wrote with Peter Lerman  (book: Mayer and Lerman; score: Lerman), and in doing so brings audiences a delightful tale of a young man who discovers you don't need super powers to be a hero. Brooklynite  is set in Brooklyn in a time that is "real soon," according to the program. About ten years before "real soon," an asteroid hit NYC, and the fallout imbued six Brooklynites with super powers. This Legion of Victory has kept Brooklyn safe and virtually crime-free for years. Trey ( Matt Doyle ) is a normal guy, a hardware store clerk who wants to recreate the asteroid effect so he, too, can become a superhero and save the world. Legion member Astrolass ( Nicolette Robinson ) has been saving lives for ten ye...

An American in Paris Sitzprobe The company of Christopher Wheeldon 's An American in Paris are in the City of Lights rehearsing for the show's world premiere at the Theatre du Chatelet. ( Check out this video of them making their way to Europe .) This week brought the all-important sitzprobe (literally: sit and sing), which is the first time the orchestra and cast (which includes Robert Fairchild ( look how excited he is ) and Leanne Cope ) come together in the same room to play/sing through the score. (And this is a gorgeous score; An American in Paris is a Gershwin trunk musical.) The musical, directed and choreographed by Wheeldon and featuring an updated book by Craig Lucas , runs in Paris November 21-January 4, 2015. Broadway previews (at the Palace) begin March 13, with opening night set for April 12. Watch highlights from the sitzprobe below, then head to anamericaninparisonbroadway.com to purchase tickets. Casting Updates Off-Broadway —Full casting has ...

"Whether you like it or not," Hedwig is on Broadway. The John Cameron Mitchell – Stephen Trask punk rock musical (which was a cult–hit off-Broadway and on the big screen) has taken over the Belasco Theatre under the direction of Michael Mayer and with beloved entertainer Neil Patrick Harris donning Hedwig's many wigs. Hedwig and the Angry Inch allows us to be the audience as Hedwig (Harris) tells her story (aided by her backing band, The Angry Inch), from her time as a young boy in East Berlin to a botched gender reassignment surgery (what's left is the angry inch) as she fled Germany for the United States, and all the way through her coupling, uncoupling and search for redemption with a now-famous rock star (who, Hedwig claims, stole her songs). But what Hedwig's story is really about is her quest to find her other half—her true love. What visionary director Mayer ( American Idiot ) makes perfectly clear in his staging is that Hedwig might have already f...

The nominations for the 68th Tony Awards are in! Without any further ado, here is the full list of nominees. (First the plays, then the musicals.) Best Play Act One , James Lapine All the Way , Robert Schenkkan Casa Valentina , Harvey Fierstein Mothers and Sons , Terrence McNally Outside Mullingar , John Patrick Shanley I enjoyed Casa Valentina , but I've yet to see Act One and Mothers and Sons , both of which are supposed to be quite good. And while I haven't seen The Realistic Joneses , word of mouth makes me a little surprised it was left out. Best Revival of a Play The Cripple of Inishmaan   The Glass Menagerie A Raisin in the Sun Twelfth Night Twelfth Night , baby! Also, this is the first time a production of Tennessee Williams's classic has earned a Tony nomination. Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play Samuel Barnett, Twelfth Night Bryan Cranston, All the Way Chris O'Dowd, Of Mice and Men Mark Rylance, Richard III ...

Venus in Fur : Back Before it's Gone The incredible, sexy power play Venus in Fur , which is set to conclude it's limited run on Broadway (via the Manhattan Theatre Club) on Sunday, will be back in the spring for a commercial run . (MTC is a not-for-profit theatre company.) Current stars Nina Arianda and Hugh Dancy will return for the limited commercial engagement, set to run at the Lyceum Theatre, February 7-June 17. (I think it's smart to do this and not just because it's a phenomenal play. That spring run will include Tony season; this is sure to garner several Tony nominations so now this show will have an opportunity to enjoy a Tony bump.) Read my review of the current production , and visit VenusInFurBroadway.com for tickets. (Bonus: Check out this Hugh Dancy edition of Broadway.com's Ask a Star .) Take a look at the "trailer" below. Award Season Update This week, the Golden Globe , SAG and Critics Choice Movie Award nominations came out, and over...

Having seen the lab production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever at the Vineyard Theatre over the summer , I went into the St James Theatre ready to swoon over the Broadway iteration. And boy, did I. It began when I took my seat and caught a first glimpse at Tony Award winner Christine Jones’s scenic design. (Most the design team, including Jones and lighting designer Kevin Adams, have worked with director Michael Mayer on either Spring Awakening or American Idiot , or both.) Just by looking at the “curtain,” I knew this was a great design. It’s total 70s, op-art, meant to be trippy and maybe a bit disorienting. (This is perfect for a show about hypnosis and regressions.) Once the show began, I could see that Adams’s lighting design so perfectly complemented the scenic design. The psychedelic colors kept changing and twisting into groovy swirls. Throughout the show, the seamlessly matched designs continue the theme of uncertainty, with the “backdrops” crossing in and out, so noth...

More Muppet Moments Continuing the countdown they began last week, this week Broadway.com brought us more Broadway-Muppet crossover moments , including Ethel Merman . Below, Ms. Merman and the Muppets perform a Broadway medley, including some of her signature Anything Goes songs. (Did you see the Muppets perform "Mahna Mahna" on Good Morning America this week? If not, watch online .) Even More Muppets Jason Segel , who (you should know by now) co-wrote and is starring in The Muppets , which hits theaters on Wednesday, November 23, recently spoke to Indie Wire about the film and its possible sequels (and a possible The Muppet Show revival); what non-Muppet excitement is next for him, like Sex Tape with Reese Witherspoon; and the possibility of his Forgetting Sarah Marshall Dracula musical being fully realized. In the meantime, the funny man will host SNL this Saturday. Seasons of Regis : On a Clear Day You Can See Michael Mayer The visionary director (who was at the he...