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

Spring ballet outing three of five was a success. The afternoon began with Peter Martins 's Barber Violin Concerto , a ballet I'd never seen before. Set to Samuel Barber 's "Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 14," this ballet dazzles not just because of the dancing but also because of the music. The ballet begins with the curtain down while the solo violinist ( Kurt Nikkanen on Saturday afternoon) playing a few beautiful bars, setting the stage for the aural experience ahead. His virtuosity becomes even more apparent as the piece continues, with fabulous aggressive sections matched by the choreography. Martins created a ballet for four dancers, a classical couple and a modern couple. When I looked at the casting and saw Megan Fairchild and Jared Angle as one couple and Sara Mearns and Russell Janzen as the other, I thought I knew which would be which. I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong. Mearns and Janzen enter first, playing...

Lucille Lortel Award Winners The Lortels honor excellence in off-Broadway, and winners were announced on Sunday, May 1. Rajiv Joseph 's Guards at the Taj was a big winner, taking home the Outstanding Play, Outstanding Scenic Design ( Timothy R. Mackabee ), Outstanding Lighting Design ( David Weiner ), and Outstanding Sound Design ( Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen ) awards. The Robber Bridegroom also won multiple awards: Outstanding Revival, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical ( Steven Pasquale ), and Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical ( Leslie Kritzer ). Other winners include: Liesl Tommy , Outstanding Director, Eclipsed , and Phylicia Rashad , Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play, Head of Passes . Visit Theater Mania for the full list of winners. Theatre World Awards The Theatre World Award recipients have been announced. (These awards honor performers making their Broadway or off-Broadway debut.) The honorees, who'll be celebrated May 23, are Danielle Brooks ...

Gloria Estefan was right: the rhythm is gonna get you. Though it's been open since November, I only just recently saw On Your Feet , which tells Emilio and Gloria Estefan 's story (using their music, of course). The show begins with a concert, which is a great way to immediately engage the audience. The incredible band, which includes actual members of Miami Sound Machine, get that rhythm going, and then Gloria ( Ana Villafane , making an impressive Broadway debut) kicks it up a notch. We're then taken back to Gloria's younger days in Miami, and watch as she meets Emilio (a charming Josh Segarra ) and takes up with Miami Sound Machine, much to the chagrin of her protective mother, played by the terrific Andrea Burns ( In the Heights , Songs for a New World ). Academy Award-winning writer Alexander Dinelaris ( Birdman ) is entrusted with the book. He takes care to hit the highlights/important moments in Gloria and Emilio's career, though it never feels like...

The nominees for the 2016 Tony Awards have been announced. Herein, the full list of nominees. Best Play Eclipsed , written by Danai Gurira The Father , written by Florian Zeller The Humans , written by Stephen Karam King Charles III , written by Mike Bartlett What a wonderfully competitive category. I could make arguments for each of the three plays I've seen. Eclipsed is a powerful recent history play, telling a story that hasn't been told (definitely not on Broadway and definitely not this way). King Charles III is an imaginative, fascinating, and possibly prophetic future history play; I mean, Bartlett created his own genre. And The Humans is so deeply felt and deceptively simple, yet it is actually layered and complex, and a statement of, well, humans. I'm not sure I could pick a favorite (my favorite, that is; not the odds-on favorite); if pressed, I'd probably go with The Humans Best Revival of a Play Blackbird The Crucible Long Day's ...

Spring ballet outing 2 of 5 was a wonderful afternoon. I got the chance to revisit three ballets, Estancia , Pictures at an Exhibition , and, one of my favorites, Everywhere We Go . The afternoon began with Christopher Wheeldon 's Estancia , which boasts a scenic design by the architect Santiago Calatrava . This is a narrative ballet, and it tells the story of a city boy romancing a country girl. As you might recall from previous reviews on Estancia , I was there for the premiere of this ballet (in May 2010), and what struck me then still strikes me now: this is a prime example of what narrative ballet can be. It does not have to be just graceful walking and pantomiming; narrative ballet can actually use dance to tell the story. On Saturday, Ana Sophia Scheller took on the role of the feisty country girl, and while she didn't dance the role with the zeal Tiler Peck does, she did bring a soulfulness that played well during the pas de deux. Said pas de deux was with Ad...