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

Tony and Theatre Award Season Update The Tony Awards have a host, and it's a good one. Neil Patrick Harris will once again serve as host for Broadway's biggest night. (He (successfully, in my opinion) hosted the Tonys in 2009.) According to Playbill.com , Harris said of the gig, "I'm honored and stoked...we've got a fantastic mix of live performances, a few secret surprises and, since they're closed for retooling, we're using all the rigging equipment from Spider-Man . What could possibly go wrong?" Yes, dear readers, it's going to be a good show! (Although, I should note, that Spider-Man just resumed previews this week.) New York Drama Critics' Circle : The NYDCC announced their winners this week. They've named Good People best play; Jerusalem best foreign play (it's imported from London); and The Book of Mormon best musical. They have also bestowed special citations upon The Normal Heart ; Mark Rylance for his work in both La Bete...

“I’m trying to understand why nobody wants to hear we’re dying, why nobody wants to help…” This is the crux of the incredibly moving The Normal Heart , currently receiving its first Broadway production and, rightly, garnering much acclaim. Written by Larry Kramer in 1985, The Normal Heart follows Ned Weeks (Joe Mantello), who is more or less Kramer’s surrogate, as the AIDS plague hits New York in the early 80s. (The action of the play happens between July 1981 and May 1984.) Ned and Mickey (Patrick Breen) have been fighting for gay rights since Stonewall, with varying amounts of vigor and with varying results. By 1981, the gay culture was defined by sexual liberation, though that liberation may have a cost. Dr. Emma Brookner (Ellen Barkin) finds herself treating hundreds of gay men (at one point, she notes she’s seen 238 cases), all of whom have similar symptoms, but nothing identifiable. AIDS hasn’t been precisely discovered yet; there was no way to test for it; it wasn’t k...

Because I wasn’t born yesterday, you can’t fool me into thinking that Born Yesterday is some paragon of comedic theatre. It’s good, but there was nothing about the story or the production that I loved. The action of Born Yesterday is simple: It’s 1946 and a corrupt businessman, Harry Brock (Jim Belushi), comes to Washington, DC, to lobby some senators. With him is his long-time girlfriend, Billie Dawn (Nina Arianda, although I saw understudy Liv Rooth), who is blonde and beautiful but not too bright. Brock enlists Paul Verrall (Robert Sean Leonard) to “smarten up” Billie. Paul ends up opening Billie’s eyes to what else is out there and she turns on Harry and falls for Paul. On film, Born Yesterday made a star of Judy Holliday. In this Broadway revival, critics are raving over Arianda, bestowing upon her every superlative around. But, as I mentioned above, I didn’t see Arianda. I saw understudy Liv Rooth. I thought she did a very good job. I have no complaints or criticisms...

This Year in Jerusalem Playbill.com recently caught up with the talented John Gallagher, Jr ., to talk to him about his journey to Jerusalem . Eloquent and articulate as always, John talks about meeting with playwright Jez Butterworth and actor Mark Rylance, and rehearsing in London and meeting some Rooster-like folks. Don't forget that Jerusalem is a limited run so head over to the Music Box theatre by July 24 for your chance to watch both Gallagher and Rylance on stage. Michael Esper fills out Playbill.com's Cue&A Awesome things about Esper, original Will in American Idiot and current Eli in The Intelligent Homosexuals Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures : he loves The West Wing and playwright Annie Baker; he would be a record store owner if he wasn't a working actor; and he fences. Sort of. Esper with an epee. I like it! Catch Me Videos This week, the good folks at Catch Me if You Can released two videos: Their first commercial, a sexy ...

The 2011 Tony nominations have been announced, dear readers! While the committee did remember some of the shows from the fall, they failed to nominate a certain actor from this spring. Grr!!!! Anyway, without any further ado, here are the nominees, along with some commentary, of course. (Note: If I've seen the show, I've linked to my review at its first mention. I plan on doing some Tony prep/catch up in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more reviews.) The Musicals: Best Musical The Book of Mormon Catch Me if You Can The Scottsboro Boys Sister Act Well, obviously I would have preferred for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson to take Sister Act 's spot, but I'm happy with the other three nominees. Best Musical Revival Anything Goes How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying Since only two musical revivals opened on Broadway this season, there were no surprises one way or the other here. Leading Actor in a Musical Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me Josh Gad, The Book of Mormo...

David Ives’s The School for Lies is a freight train of funny rolling through the Classic Stage Company. Some laughs come thundering through at higher speeds than others, yet in this adaptation of Moliere’s classic The Misanthrope , regardless of the speed, the company always finds the funny, making for a wonderfully fun night of theatre. In The School for Lies , playwright Ives has taken a few liberties with the exact plot of The Misanthrope , but it is, no offense to Moliere, for the better. In production notes, Ives says that while he likes The Misanthrope , he has always felt it started in the middle, and Ives was more interested in how The Misanthrope ’s central lovers, Alceste and Celimene, came together, being, as they are, such opposites. So Ives changes a few things around, killing off Alceste and introducing Frank (Hamish Linklater), who is just that, and devises a way for Frank and Celimene (Mamie Gummer) to fall in love, thanks to a little trickery from Philante (Hoon Lee...