All stories by Charles McNulty on BroadwayStars

Friday, July 12, 2019

Review: How funny is ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’? Depends on your appetite for pranks and pratfalls by Charles McNulty

Olivier-winning British comedy "The Play That Goes Wrong" arrives at the Ahmanson Theatre as a comedy of blunders with a fringe-theater soul.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:00AM
Monday, July 1, 2019

Review: Kavanaugh hearings lend a new lens for Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s ‘Good Boys’ by Charles McNulty

Betsy Brandt stars in a new Pasadena Playhouse version of "Riverdale" creator Aguirre-Sacasa's 2008 work, which centers on a prep-school sex scandal.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 05:20PM
Thursday, June 13, 2019

Review: PBS documentary of playwright Terrence McNally celebrates a master of connection by Charles McNulty

PBS’ ‘American Masters’ explores the path-breaking gay writer Terrence McNally through interviews with Billy Porter, Nathan Lane, Rita Moreno and others.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 02:07PM
Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Tony Awards’ top races: A theater critic’s opinionated guide by Charles McNulty

Of the many cliffhangers the Tony Awards will resolve on Sunday, the story line that has me on the edge of my seat is whether “Hadestown” will be crowned best musical. Anaïs Mitchell is…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:05AM

Tony Awards: A critic celebrates Broadway’s unabashed idealism by Charles McNulty

At a time in America when lies are rampant in public life and alternative truth has been adopted as a winning political strategy, the 2018-19 Broadway season will be remembered for those gri…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:05AM

Why ‘Hadestown’ deserves the Tony Award for best musical of the year by Charles McNulty

It turned out not to be a horrendous year for new Broadway musicals, if you disqualify “King Kong,” lower your IQ for “The Cher Show” and bring earplugs to “Be More Chill.” “Th…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:05AM
Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Review: ‘Indecent’ at the Ahmanson pays haunting tribute to a daring Yiddish play by Charles McNulty

Rebecca Taichman won a Tony Award for directing a darkly enchanting production of the Paula Vogel play, now at the Ahmanson Theatre.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 02:11PM
Monday, June 10, 2019

Tony Awards: Broadway flaunts its idealism in inspiring celebration of the year’s best by Charles McNulty

The Tony Awards sort out a Broadway year divided between the impulse to innovate and the desire to maintain the status quo.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 12:15AM
Thursday, June 6, 2019

Tony Awards’ top races: A theater critic’s opinionated guide by Charles McNulty

Handicapping Sunday's Tony Awards: Can "Hadestown" beat "Tootsie"? Will Sorkin's "Mockingbird" be redeemed? And will the Tonys justly reward a female director?

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:00AM
Monday, June 3, 2019

Review: In Lucas Hnath's 'Dana H.,' a kidnapping survivor's truth hides in the shadows by Charles McNulty

The playwright gets personal in this documentary tale about his mother, a psych ward chaplain held captive by a suicidal convict. It's a sly, slippery tale.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 06:53PM

Why ‘Hadestown’ deserves the Tony Award for best musical of the year by Charles McNulty

Anaïs Mitchell's concept album-turned-folk opera is an exquisite marriage of story and song that advances the art of theater.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:30AM
Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Why 'Constitution' and not 'The Ferryman' should win the Tony for best play by Charles McNulty

Heidi Schreck's "What the Constitution Means to Me" is more than a performance piece: It's the most moving play of the year.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:00AM
Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Review: David Henry Hwang’s ‘M. Butterfly’ takes flight in a more gender-fluid era by Charles McNulty

Time passes, and even a contemporary classic can use a nip and tuck. David Henry Hwang, most famous for his Tony-winning 1988 play “M. Butterfly,” performed some not insignificant cosmet…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:14AM
Monday, May 20, 2019

Review: David Henry Hwang’s ‘M. Butterfly’ takes flight in a more gender-fluid era by Charles McNulty

The modern classic on gender roles and Orientalism gets an uneven revival at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa directed by Desdemona Chiang.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:26PM
Saturday, May 18, 2019

Review: Helder Guimarães brings his philosophical magic to the Geffen by Charles McNulty

Helder Guimarães is either a magician posing as a philosopher or a philosopher posing as a magician. But however you classify him, he’s excellent company in his new show, “Invisible Tan…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:05AM
Friday, May 17, 2019

Review: Helder Guimarães brings his philosophical magic to the Geffen by Charles McNulty

Directed by Frank Marshall and featuring music by Moby, "Invisible Tango" has tricks that astonish and a storytelling charm that's more than mere magic show.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 11:25AM
Wednesday, May 15, 2019

‘Hillary and Clinton’ playwright Lucas Hnath meticulously masters the messiness of life by Charles McNulty

Playwright Lucas Hnath is back on Broadway with “Hillary and Clinton,” a zesty drama on America’s most picked-apart political couple that finds Laurie Metcalf and John Lithgow in top f…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 06:35PM

‘Hillary and Clinton’ playwright Lucas Hnath meticulously masters the messiness of life by Charles McNulty

With an assist from actors Laurie Metcalf and John Lithgow, the new work is yet another way to hear the singular voice of this leading American playwright.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:16PM
Thursday, May 9, 2019

After two Oscars and and two Emmys, Dianne Wiest finds meaning in Beckett by Charles McNulty

“I just want to do Beckett’s ‘Happy Days’ over and over again,” Dianne Wiest declared between nibbles of a poached egg. “I don’t want to do anything else, because nothing else …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:50PM

After two Oscars and and two Emmys, Dianne Wiest finds meaning in Beckett by Charles McNulty

Wiest, in L.A. for Samuel Beckett's "Happy Days." talks theater, "Law & Order" and why she would work with Woody Allen again "in a second."

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 01:28PM
Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Review: Sweeney Todd, Sondheim's throat-cutting barber, sets up shop in South Coast Rep's entertaining revival by Charles McNulty

“Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd.” These lyrics, sung throughout Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s imperishable 1979 musical, are heeded assiduously by director Kent Nicholson in a s…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:52PM

Why Carol Channing was a Dolly for all seasons: Our critic's take by Charles McNulty

How old is Dolly Gallagher Levi? The question arises whenever “Hello, Dolly!” is performed. The character is described in Thornton Wilder’s “The Matchmaker,” the basis of the music…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:52PM

Review: In ‘Daniel's Husband,’ a gay couple debates marriage. Then Mom and fate arrive by Charles McNulty

“Daniel’s Husband,” an absorbing drama by Michael McKeever that was a hit off-Broadway, explores the debate on same-sex marriage from a less obvious angle. Set in the “perfectly appo…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:41PM

Review: In ‘Daniel's Husband,’ a gay couple debates marriage. Then Mom and fate arrive by Charles McNulty

Michael McKeever's poignant drama opens at Fountain Theatre with Bill Brochtrup, Tim Cummings and Jenny O’Hara in a moving, crowd-pleasing production.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 01:28PM
Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Tony nominations sort out an eclectic, erratic season — with mixed results by Charles McNulty

Long story short: It was a strange Broadway season — one in which old formulas proved unreliable and a few long-shot experiments yielded unexpected rewards. Rendering an up or down verdict…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:15AM

Aaron Sorkin talks ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and disavowing the white savior role by Charles McNulty

Interior. Restaurant at a Beverly Hills hotel, early March. Music spritzing luxuriously in the background. A publicist finishes her breakfast. In walks a frazzled middle-aged theater critic.…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:14AM
Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Tony nominations sort out an eclectic, erratic season — with mixed results by Charles McNulty

The Tony nominations send a message of support to artists with fresh sensibilities, but occasionally at the expense of worthier work.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:49PM

Aaron Sorkin talks ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and disavowing the white savior role by Charles McNulty

The writer gets snubbed Tuesday by the Tony Awards, but his "How to Kill a Mockingbird" does pick up nine nominations — tying "The Ferryman" for the most nods for any play.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 12:02PM
Monday, April 29, 2019

Laurie Metcalf in 'Doll's House, Part 2': An acting marvel in one of the year's best plays by Charles McNulty

“A Doll’s House, Part 2,” which is receiving its world premiere at South Coast Repertory, had its official opening on Thursday at Broadway’s Golden Theatre in a separate production c…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:48PM
Thursday, April 25, 2019

My brunch with Glenda Jackson: A critic goes another round with Broadway’s King Lear by Charles McNulty

After a disastrous tea last year, critic and actress meet again, this time to spar about "Lear." Jackson delves into disagreements with director Sam Gold, a powerful female cast including Ru…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:30AM

My brunch with Glenda Jackson: A critic goes another round with Broadway’s King Lear by Charles McNulty

“Gulp!” That was my initial reaction when a publicist asked if I’d like to interview Glenda Jackson to discuss her performance in the new Broadway production of “King Lear.” Our pr…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:30AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime