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

Josh Charles in Character The Good Wife is off to a steamy start, and one of its sexy stars, Josh Charles (a.k.a., Dan Rydell, the fictitious love of my life ) recently posed for Vanity Fair 's Howard Schatz: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees for the next class of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers was announced this week. (Artists are eligible 25 years after the release of their first single or album.) New nominees include Guns 'n' Roses and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. And, since not every artist is selected for the honor in their first year of eligibility, return nominees include the Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Winning artists will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, located in ( oh me-o, oh my-o, oh ) Cleveland, Ohio, in April 2012. Visit rollingstone.com for the full list of nominees and stayed tuned to find out who will make up the next class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . Glee Scoop Well, it's been a while since I've brought you any sort of Gl...

Paul McCartney: Beatle. Icon. Ballet composer. On September 22, 2011, Sir Paul McCartney made his ballet debut with Ocean’s Kingdom , for which he is credited with writing the music and libretto. According to program notes, the collaboration between Sir Paul and New York City Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins (who choreographed Ocean’s Kingdom ) began at the School of America Ballet’s Winter Gala. “Being aware of McCartney’s interest in classical music,” the notes say, “Martins broached the idea of them one day collaborating on something.” And so McCartney and Martins began work on what would become Ocean’s Kingdom . The story is fairly simple, and, actually, is full of classic themes of love, betrayal and trust. The overall story reminded me a lot of Romeo and Juliet , and because there was music and dance involved, I, of course, couldn’t help but also think of Romeo and Juliet ’s musical theatre counterpart, West Side Story . We begin with two households, both alike in dignity, in...

“It’s good to know what you’re capable of.” That’s the lesson learned in The Submission , the new play by Jeff Talbott. Currently running at MCC Theater’s Lucille Lortel Theatre, The Submission is a fine new work that is thought provoking, relevant and necessary to our national dialogue. Danny (Jonathan Groff) is a gay, white, male playwright. He’s written what his boyfriend Pete (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and best friend Trevor (Will Rogers) consider to be an exceptional play. Tired of readings and workshops and eager to get a full-fledged production of one of his plays up on its feet, Danny submits this exceptional play, which is comprised of four black, down-trodden characters, to festivals under a pseudonym. But not just any pseudonym. He makes up a black woman’s name, Shaleeha G’ntamobi, and, lo-and-behold, gets accepted to the Humana Festival. Great, right? Yes, except that he’s not Shaleeha and the Humana folks need to meet with Shaleeha and have her in the room as they produce D...

City Ballet is back in full swing! (Actually, the season’s been up since September 13, but I just visited for the first time on Saturday.) On tap for Saturday were three ballets I had seen before, Apollo , La Sonnambula and Mercurial Manoeuvres . All three were enjoyable, but the most interesting thing about seeing each ballet on Saturday was that I was sitting in the orchestra. Usually, I sit in the fourth ring (think mezzanine or balcony), but because City Ballet changed its pricing schedule, sitting in the orchestra was actually more affordable! So this season, I’ll be up close and personal with the dancers, and will be able to bring you a different perspective on some of the same ballets. First up was Apollo , a Balanchine ballet. You may remember that the last time I saw Apollo , it was a See the Music piece, which meant that City Ballet Music Director Faycal Karoui gave a chat before the ballet, talking about the various elements at work in Stravinsky’s score. While I ...

Oh Well. Whatever. Nevermind . Nirvana's Nevermind turns 20 this year. (Is that possible?!? I remember when it came out!) Surviving Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, as well as Nevermind (and Wasting Light ) producer Butch Vig, recently spoke with AP about the iconic and influential album. A commemorative 20th Anniversary reissue will be released on Tuesday, September 27. Fans will have their choice of which super special reissue they want, whether just a remastered copy of the record, or a super deluxe edition featuring boombox recordings and alternate mixes. Rory O'Malley Talks Mormon and 8 As a co-founder of Broadway Impact , an organization that rallies the Broadway and theatre community at-large in support of marriage equality, The Book of Mormon 's Rory O'Malley has been busy getting ready for a starry benefit reading of 8 , a new play written by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black. 8 chronicles the Proposition 8 trial that overturned the California ...

Ryan Gosling can mess you up. In Drive , the new film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and adapted from James Sallis’s novel by Hossein Amini, Gosling plays a nameless driver who surprises everyone, including himself, when he discovers just how far he’ll go to protect the innocent. Gosling’s character is a Hollywood stunt driver by day and a get away driver for criminals by night. He takes a shine to his neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan), and offers to help her just-released-from-prison husband (Oscar Isaac) with a heist. But the heist goes wrong and the chase begins. Well, this chase begins. Gosling’s character is chasing something from the start. He’s not quite sure what. Maybe it’s Irene. Maybe it’s something else. But Gosling’s eyes never stop searching. And it’s a good thing that the talented actor’s face is so expressive. There is scant dialogue so words don’t have much of a role. (Though, when characters do speak, they speak with precision and intensity.) There’s a mome...

The Emmys are wrapped, dear readers. And just like that, another award season is under way. In a few months, Oscar buzz will kick into high gear, but before we look ahead, let’s look back at the festivities making up the 63rd Emmy Awards. As always, we begin with fashion. There was nothing too notable, on either end of the spectrum. (Even my worst dressed picks weren’t Bjork-wearing-a-swan bad!) So let’s start with some trends and who wore it better match ups. Ladies in Red Kate Winslet and Lea Michele showed up wearing stunning red gowns, as did several other women on the carpet. Winslet wore Elie Saab while Michele (who was super glamorous last year in Oscar de la Renta) chose Marchesa. Both looked great in perfectly fitted red power dresses, though I give a slight edge to the smoky-looking Winslet for glamming it up with a sparkly Cartier bracelet. The Family that Dresses Together… Modern Family stars Sofia Vergara and Sarah Hyland both wore coral-reddish, one-sh...