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

Willy Loman is the 99%. That’s the thought that was running through my mind (and continues to) while I watched this starry revival of the Arthur Miller Pulitzer Prize-winning classic Death of a Salesman . We’re all familiar with the story, right? Willy Loman (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a down-on-his-luck salesman who is trying to support his wife, Linda (Linda Emond). They have two adult sons, Biff (Andrew Garfield) and Happy (Finn Wittrock), both of whom happen to be staying with their parents at the start of the play. Willy and Biff have an estranged and complicated relationship, which provides never-ending stress for Linda. Fathers and sons. Biff’s whole arc revolves around trying to not be like his father. He’s trying, somewhat desperately, to be his own man, disillusioned by the father whom he once idolized but has nevertheless let him down. He doesn’t want to end up like Willy, but he does want something from life – if only he could figure out what. Indeed, the most compellin...

Nina Arianda on Show People The luminescent Nina Arianda, currently giving a revelatory performance in the commercial Broadway run of Venus in Fur , sat down with Broadway.com's Paul Wontorek to chat about life these days. From her crushes on recent Oscar winner Christopher Plummer and the Fonz to speaking Ukringlish, Ms. Arianda is lovely and frank. And, she has excellent taste: after the show, she likes to go home and watch Downton Abbey ! Visit Broadway.com to watch the interview and head over to venusinfurbroadway.com to learn more about the show and purchase tickets. Oscar Wrap Up The Oscars have come and gone, but people are still buzzing. As I mentioned in my wrap up , sometimes the better films go home without top honors. Others agree. On EW.com , they looked at the "Most Overrated Best Picture Winners," and the films that should have won instead. (Example: The King's Speech is overrated and The Social Network should have won. Rolling Stone 's Peter Tr...

Casting News: Starry, Broadway Edition Andrew Garfield ( The Social Network ), Philip Seymour Hoffman ( The Ides of March ) and Linda Emond ( iHo ) will star in the upcoming, limited engagement revival of the Aurthur Miller classic, Death of a Salesman . Previews will begin at the Barrymore Theatre on February 13 followed by a March 15 opening. The show will run for 16 weeks. Visit Playbill.com for ticket information . Jim Parsons ( The Normal Heart ) and Jessica Hecht will star in Roundabout's revival of Harvey (which really makes me miss Wilfred !) The show will play at a renovated Studio 54; previews begin May 18 in anticipation of a June 14 opening. Playbill.com has more information. Eric McCormack joins an already starry cast of Gore Vidal's The Best Man . McCormack joins Candice Bergen, Angela Lansbury ( A Little Night Music ), James Earl Jones and Michael McKean ( Welcome Home, Dean Charbonneau ). The impressive cast does not have a home, but previews are schedul...

Jesse Eisenberg is best known as an actor, and especially for his acclaimed performance in last year’s The Social Network . With Asuncion , produced by the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and playing by special arrangement at the Cherry Lane Theatre, Eisenberg pulls double duty, serving as both actor and playwright. And he’s pretty good at both. Eisenberg’s Edgar lives with his friend Vinny (Justin Bartha), a Black Studies PhD candidate. Edgar is an unemployed journalist who is too liberal for his own good. (It’s a little difficult to decipher their relationship at first, but later this confusion comes to a head.) Edgar’s sycophantic behavior toward Vinny seems to suit both young men just fine, but their world is turned upside down when Edgar’s older brother, Stuart (Remy Auberjonois), drops in out of the blue and drops off his new Philippine bride, Asuncion (Camille Mana). Asuncion stays with Edgar and Vinny (without Stuart) for several days and forces both, though especially Edg...

“Integrity matters. Dignity matters.” That’s what Governor Mike Morris, the candidate in The Ides of March , believes. But is there really a place for either in politics, and specifically in elections? The Ides of March focuses on Stephen (Ryan Gosling), a wunderkind press secretary, who is working with his mentor, Paul (Philip Seymour Hoffman), as the two try to make Pennsylvania governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) the Democratic nominee for president. (The film takes place over the course of about a week in March - during the primary season - in the battleground state of Ohio.) Stephen’s loyalties are tested when a rival campaign manager, Tom (Paul Giamatti) tries to poach Stephen. And, since this is politics, there’s an attractive intern, Molly (Evan Rachel Wood), thrown into the mix. It’s an intriguing set up, though I came to it with a biased point of view: The Ides of March , directed by Clooney, is adapted from Beau Willimon’s play Farragut North . Willimon, when he was in hi...

Catch Me While You Can It pains me to bring you this news, dear readers, but Catch Me if You Can will end its Broadway run on September 4. When the show closes on Broadway, it will have played 32 previews and 170 regular performances. Though its time on Broadway is ending, the show will live on via a national tour, which is launching in fall 2012 in Providence, Rhode Island. (Providence, by the way, is where the hilarious Safe Men takes place. Just saying. Good things happen in Providence.) Make sure you avail yourself of the opportunity to see this great, fun show - with a sensationally talented cast - either on Broadway, on tour or both! Visit catchmethemusical.com to stay up to date on this jet setting show. Sutton Foster Talks Anything Goes , Joel Grey NYC Ballets Moves in Vail Last week I mentioned that NYCB was in Vail, Colorado, for the Vail International Dance Festival. This week, thanks to NYCB's Facebook feed ( like them !), I found these great photos taken ...

Broadway in Bryant Park If it's summer, it's Broadway in Bryant Park. Last week, the talented folks at Catch Me if You Can performed three songs from the show, "Jet Set," "Fly Fly Away" and (my favorite) "Goodbye." Broadwayworld.com has great photo coverage of the event, which also included performances from the casts Chicago , Newsical the Musical and Million Dollar Quartet . They also have video of Catch Me 's performance . Watch and enjoy! (And here's bonus video coverage, courtesy of Playbill.com!) Summer of Love! Hair is back, Hippies !!! Though the Tony-winning revival of Hair closed over a year ago, a Tribe has been out on tour and has decamped at Broadway's St James theatre for the Summer of Love. The limited run began previews on July 5 (I saw it on the 6th) and they celebrated their official opening last week, on July 14. To help you celebrate, here are some Hippie yips for you: Photos from the gypsy robe ceremony and the...

With the 2011 Oscars come and gone, we have yet another award show season behind us. Unlike any other year, this year I've seen all ten Best Picture nominees and a majority of the acting, directing and screenwriting nominees. (The count: All directors; all screenplay nominees except Original Screenplay nominee Mike Leigh's Anther Year ; all supporting acting nominees except Best Supporting Actress nominee Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom ; all Best Actor nominees except Javier Bardem in Biutiful ; and all Best Actress nominees except Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole . Not a bad record, huh?) This is all to say that, like the 2010 Tony Awards , I have a justified opinion of the winners and nominees, which I happily express below in the list of winners. Of course, we'll wait to get to the winners after we discuss the more important part: the fashion! A big trend this year seemed to be sparkles. And lots of them. Perhaps best exemplified by the lovely ladies above, Michelle Williams...