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

Emmy nominations were announced on July 18. Herein, a list of nominees in select categories. Visit emmys.com/nominations for the full list of nominees. Tune into CBS on Sunday, September 22 at 8pm for the award presentation, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. Drama Drama Series Breaking Bad Downton Abbey Game of Thrones Homeland House of Cards Mad Men Notice that perennial entry (at least since it's been on air) Boardwalk Empire  is not included. Notice, also, that the Netflix-exclusive series, House of Cards , from Beau Willimon ( The Ides of March ), is  included. Look for Netflix to emerge as a major player in original programming within the next few years. Lead Actress Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey Claire Danes, Homeland Robin Wright, House of Cards Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men Connie Britton, Nashville Kerry Washington, Scandal There are seven nominees in this category, one more than the typical six. While Danes has won thi...

Shortly before seeing Nobody Loves You , I was watching a reality program. ( The Next Food Network Star , to be exact. I was  Team Viet .) I had no idea what Nobody Love You would be about; I could barely keep in mind that I was going to see it. (It’s been a busy summer, so far.) But as I watched the Food Network hopefuls give their direct address testimonials, I thought, “Could you do reality TV on stage?” Apparently you can. This new, original musical from Itamar Moses (book and lyrics) and Gaby Alter (music and lyrics), conceives a reality dating show, "Nobody Loves You," and for 90 minutes explores whether or not one character’s assertion is true: “You can perform or you can connect; you can’t do both.” At rise, we meet Jeff (Bryan Fenkart), an academic who loathes reality TV. He is an ontology student trying to complete his thesis while his girlfriend tunes into the season finale of "Nobody Loves You." In short order, she deems them incompatible, brea...

Reviewing the Drama will be on a two-week Media Morsels hiatus beginning July 19, but will return on August 2. Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl Goes Off Camera The rocking muscian and music fan is on the cover of the current issue of Off Camera . In this penetrating interview, which you can read, watch or listen to here , Grohl talks about, what else, rock and roll, imparting wisdom like, " Sound City  was kind of a platform for me to talk about something that I really believe in, which is the sound of human beings playing music and people collaborating and the effect of the things that you don't necessarily take into consideration. ... Music's a big fucking deal, so I guess for me, it's important that everyone feels the way I feel about music, you know? It's such a luxury in life that everybody has music available to them..." along the way. I love the music this man makes and I love listening to him talk about music. This is why. Broadway Updates F...

Breaking Bad  at Lincoln Center Whether you're not yet caught up on Breaking Bad  or you just want to re-watch the series before the final season begins on August 11, Lincoln Center has you covered. Beginning July 26 and running through July 30, you'll have an opportunity to watch - for free - every episode. The marathon screening leads up to "The Perfect Batch: Breaking Bad  Cast Favorites," which is exactly what it sounds like. Creator Vince Gilligan and stars Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte and Bob Odenkirk will be on hand to present their favorite episodes to partake in a question and answer session. Visit The Wrap for a schedule and ticket details. Broadway Barks The line up for this year's  Broadway Barks  has been announced. (Broadway Barks is hosted by  Bernadette Peters  and  Mary Tyler Moore , and is a dog and cat adoption event attended (and therefore promoted) by stage veterans. This year's event will take pl...

“What do you fight for? You fight when you know you’re right,” says the protagonist (who, sometimes, is a bit antagonistic) in the new play with music, Choir Boy . Tarell Alvin McCraney’s coming-of-age play centers on five black students in an all-male, Christian boarding school. They are at various levels in their academic careers but what brings them all together is the involvement in the school’s choir. What breaks them apart is their fight over what is right. Pharus (Jeremy Pope), who asks the headmaster, “what do you fight for?” is the outlier of the group, gay and flamboyant. He loves being in the choir and respects and honors the traditions of the school (like not being a snitch, for example, even when your classmates are interrupting your commencement performance by slinging epithets at you). It’s those codes – those dogmatic teachings for how you’re supposed to live your life – that are explored throughout McCraney’s play. It’s enjoyable to watch, although it doesn’t ...