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

I heard about the Deaf West production of Spring Awakening , and I thought, "That sounds interesting." Then I heard it was coming to Broadway. I was going to see Spring Awakening  on Broadway. Again. I was shocked. I saw Spring Awakening  ten times during its original Broadway run. At my age, it's uncommon for there to be a revival of a show I saw in its original run, but in what's becoming a trend, revivals are popping up within a decade of their original productions. (To wit, this season, we'll see a revival of The Color Purple , which debuted on Broadway in late 2005, and played through February 2008.) If you know how I feel about revivals, you might think I would have been skeptical of this Spring Awakening  revival, even more so because I loved the original Broadway production so much. But from the start, there was something different about this. Deaf West is a Los Angeles-based theatre company that, for the last 25 years, has been producing productio

Hamilton News The Hamilton original Broadway cast recording was released digitally this week. (CDs will be released October 16, and vinyls will be released in January 2016.) You can visit your favorite digital music retailer to purchase the album, and then head to the Atlantic Records website , where you can download the full lyrics and album credits. In addition, it was announced that the Hamilton book, which will feature annotated lyrics and many other goodies, is now available for pre-order. The title will be released on April 12, 2016. Visit Amazon or your favorite retailer to place your order. Lincoln Center Theater Announces Three New Productions Lincoln Center Theater has announced three show that will be part of its 2015-2016 season: The Royale , written by Marco Ramirez and directed by Rachel Chavkin , beginning February 11, 2016; Her Requiem , written by Greg Pierce and directed by Kate Whoriskey ( Tales from Red Vienna ), beginning February 6; and War , writte

The winners for the 67th annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced and honored on Sunday, September 20. Herein, winners in select categories. (Winners are notated with an asterisk and are in bold typeface.) Visit emmys.org for the full list of winners. Drama Series Outstanding Drama Series Better Call Saul Downton Abbey Game of Thrones* Homeland House of Cards Mad Men Orange is the New Black  Excellent.   Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul Kyle Chandler, Bloodline Kevin Spacey, House of Cards Jon Hamm, Mad Men* Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series   Taraji P. Henson, Empire Claire Danes, Homeland Robin Wright, House of Cards Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder* Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black  Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline Jim Carter, Downto

Casting News Off-Broadway —Thank Thespis, Michael Esper is back. The captivating performer has joined the cast of the upcoming Lazarus , a new musical written by David Bowie. ( Here's a reminder about the musical .) Esper ( American Idiot , The Last Ship ) is joining the previously announced Michael C. Hall. The two men will also be joined by Tony nominee Cristin Milioti ( Once , The Wolf of Wall Street ), Nicholas Christopher ( Whorl Inside a Loop ) and others. Previews begin November 18, with opening night of the New York Theatre Workshop production set for December 7. Broadway.com has the full cast list. Broadway —Initial casting has been announced for the Broadway bow of Tuck Everlasting . Among the cast are Andrew Keenan-Bolger ( Newsies ), Carolee Carmello ( Finding Neverland ), Terrence Mann ( Pippin ), Fred Applegate ( The Last Ship ) and more. (Mann, by the way, will be busy before then; see below.) Previews begin March 31, 2016, with opening night scheduled f

"I have a powerful urge to communicate, but I find the distance between us insurmountable." Pastor Paul tells his congregation that this is what he wrote on a note he passed to a woman on a plane in an attempt to woo her. (It worked, as the woman, Elizabeth ( Linda Powell ), later became his wife.) It's also a fitting epigraph to The Christians , Lucas Hnath 's new play, succinctly explaining the Christians' struggles. Paul ( Andrew Garman ) is the leader of a megachurch, and on this particular Sunday, the pastor is telling his flock about his new understanding of God's word, and what that means for his church. This new interpretation of the Holy Scripture doesn't sit well with others in the congregation, including the associate pastor, Joshua ( Larry Powell ). As the schism shows itself, Paul invites Joshua to leave the congregation. We later hear from the church elder, Jay ( Philip Kerr ), who expresses the board's concerns with the division. (

Robbie Fairchild Will (Briefly) Return to NYCB Tony nominee Robert Fairchild ( An American in Paris ) will return to New York City Ballet for three performances this fall. The NYCB principal dancer is on a year-long leave as he wows audiences in his Broadway debut, but he'll rejoin his Lincoln Center company for the Fall Gala on September 30, when he'll perform in Thou Swell , Peter Martins's homage to the Rodgers and Hart songbook, with some Rodgers and Hammerstein mixed in for good measure. (For the gala, Norm Lewis and Rebecca Luker will be on hand to provide vocals.) In October, Fairchild will perform in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue , hoofing his way through the Balanchine ballet from the Broadway musical, On Your Toes . He'll appear in that ballet on October 3 (matinee) and October 7. As Broadway.com notes , while making these guest appearances Fairchild will maintain his schedule with An American in Paris , as Garen Scribner regularly performs the role of Jerry

Stephen Colbert to Welcome An American in Paris , Senator Sanders, Carol Burnett and More Tony nominees Robert Fairchild  and Leanne Cope , as well as their Tony-winning choreographer, Christopher Wheeldon , will be on Late Show with Stephen Colbert  on September 18. The An American in Paris  stars will perform, and all three will be interviewed. Theater Mania has more about their appearance. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reports that Lupita Nyong'o and Senator Bernie Sanders will appear on the same episode. Leading up to the Friday night show, for his second week on the Late Show , Colbert will welcome Justice Stephen Breyer (September 14); Jake Gyllenhaal (September 15); Carol Burnett (September 16); and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon (September 17). Casting News Zachary Levi ( First Date , Chuck ) is joining the company of Roundabout's She Loves Me revival. Levi replaces the previously announced Josh Radnor, who pulled out due to "scheduling c