All stories by Charles McNulty on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Obie-winning playwright María Irene Fornés, a transformative off-Broadway figure, dies at 88 by Charles McNulty

María Irene Fornés, a pivotal figure in the off-off Broadway movement, wrote diverse and profoundly humane plays that should be part of the American canon.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:15PM
Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Review: Eliza Clark's new comedy 'Quack' takes the temperature of the feverish wellness industry by Charles McNulty

'Quack,' Eliza Clark's comedy having its world premiere at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, takes the temperature of the feverish wellness industry.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:43PM

Review: Eliza Clark's new comedy 'Quack' takes the temperature of the feverish wellness industry by Charles McNulty

“Quack,” the lively, irritating and ultimately chilling new comedy by Eliza Clark about a TV medical guru in the mode of Dr. Oz, skips the introductory pleasantries and plunges straight …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:40PM
Saturday, October 27, 2018

Review: In 'Vietgone,' East West Players takes audiences on the wild ride of Qui Nguyen's rambunctious drama about refugees in love by Charles McNulty

Qui Nguyen's touted drama about refugees who fall in love in 1970s America after fleeing the Vietnam war, arrives in Los Angeles in an East West Players production

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:00AM

Review: In 'Vietgone,' East West Players takes audiences on the wild ride of Qui Nguyen's rambunctious drama about refugees in love by Charles McNulty

Reencountering Qui Nguyen’s “Vietgone” in the new East West Players production, I am struck once again by the originality of the playwriting. A quick synopsis of the play might yield t…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:00AM
Friday, October 26, 2018

Perspective: Why political pundits give drama critics a bad name - Los Angeles Times by Charles McNulty

Political pundits have long been giving drama critics a bad name. Inevitably, in the run-up to an election, some op-ed columnist will make a crack comparing recent political coverage to thea…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:59AM

Perspective: Why political pundits give drama critics a bad name by Charles McNulty

A critic's plan to rescue democracy, reclaim the power of theater and cast young artists as the leads in an extravaganza that turns voting into an act of performance.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:00AM

Perspective: Why political pundits give drama critics a bad name by Charles McNulty

Political pundits have long been giving drama critics a bad name. Inevitably, in the run-up to an election, some op-ed columnist will make a crack comparing recent political coverage to thea…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:00AM
Sunday, October 21, 2018

Review: A social media star is born in 'Dear Evan Hansen,' as the hit Broadway musical arrives in L.A. in tip-top form by Charles McNulty

There are many reasons “Dear Evan Hansen,” the Tony-winning musical that more than lived up to expectations at its glorious opening Friday at the Ahmanson Theatre, has become a cultural …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 05:33PM

Review: A social media star is born in 'Dear Evan Hansen,' as the hit Broadway musical arrives in L.A. in tip-top form by Charles McNulty

'Dear Evan Hansen,' the Tony-winning musical about a high school outcast who become a hero under false pretenses, arrives at the Ahmanson Theatre with Ben Levi Ross in the title role

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:51PM
Friday, October 19, 2018

Review: A shave and a haircut — and bonding time for African-heritage men in 'Barber Shop Chronicles' at Freud Playhouse by Charles McNulty

The critically acclaimed play by Nigerian playwright and poet Inua Ellams leaps from a barbershop in London to Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos and Accra, exploring the African immigrati…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:27PM

Review: A shave and a haircut — and bonding time for African-heritage men in 'Barber Shop Chronicles' at Freud Playhouse by Charles McNulty

“Barber Shop Chronicles” takes place in a series of barbershops, where men of African heritage gather for fellowship along with a trim in African countries still traumatized by coloniali…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:50AM
Monday, October 15, 2018

Review: Playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury daringly deconstructs the theater of black identity in 'Fairview' at Berkeley Rep by Charles McNulty

Jackie Sibblies Drury's drama, which riveted and riled New York audiences this summer at Soho Rep, sparks difficult conversations about race at Berkeley Rep.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:50PM

Review: Playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury daringly deconstructs the theater of black identity in 'Fairview' at Berkeley Rep by Charles McNulty

Something is intentionally askew about the opening scene of “Fairview,” Jackie Sibblies Drury’s blazingly inventive new play, which is now at Berkeley Rep after setting New York abuzz …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:45PM
Monday, October 8, 2018

Review: Tom Morton-Smith's drama 'Oppenheimer' dissects the conscience of the father of the atomic bomb by Charles McNulty

'Oppenheimer," Tom Morton-Smith's acclaimed play about "the father of the atomic bomb," has its American premiere courtesy of Rogue Machine Theatre.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 02:19PM

Review: Tom Morton-Smith's drama 'Oppenheimer' dissects the conscience of the father of the atomic bomb by Charles McNulty

The most gripping moments in “Oppenheimer,” the sprawling drama by British playwright Tom Morton-Smith about the man dubbed “the father of the atomic bomb,” are the brainstorming mee…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 02:15PM
Friday, October 5, 2018

'The Cake' returns to L.A., and Debra Jo Rupp is once again the icing by Charles McNulty

Bekah Brunstetter's "The Cake" returns to The Geffen Playhouse, a tasty confection to appeal to red and and blue state appetites alike.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:00AM

Actors Lucas Hedges and Michael Cera share what it's like to be onstage with Elaine May by Charles McNulty

Charles McNulty talks with Lucas Hedges and Michael Cera about starring in the Kenneth Lonergan play "The Waverly Gallery," now in previews on Broadway with Elaine May and Joan Allen. Hedges…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:00AM

Actors Lucas Hedges and Michael Cera share what it's like to be onstage with Elaine May by Charles McNulty

For Lucas Hedges, the first day of rehearsal is like the first day of the new school year. He was so keyed up before the company meet-and-greet for “The Waverly Gallery,” the Kenneth Lon…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:00AM

'The Cake' returns to L.A., and Debra Jo Rupp is once again the icing by Charles McNulty

Playwright Bekah Brunstetter’s “The Cake” was inspired by news reports about businesses that objected on religious grounds to providing their good and services to gay couples who were …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:00AM
Monday, September 24, 2018

Review: 'Nightwalk in the Chinese Garden' is a nocturnal journey at the Huntington that blurs the line between reality and illusion by Charles McNulty

'Nightwalk in the Chinese Garden': Playwright and director Stan Lai leads audiences on a nocturnal cultural journey at the Huntington's Chinese Garden.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 01:39PM

Review: 'Nightwalk in the Chinese Garden' is a nocturnal journey at the Huntington that blurs the line between reality and illusion by Charles McNulty

It would be hard to find a more enchanting setting for a play than the Huntington’s Chinese Garden in San Marino. This is the locale for playwright and director Stan Lai’s “Nightwalk i…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 01:35PM
Friday, September 21, 2018

Review: Hotel Modern's 'KAMP' is miniature re-creation of the stark horror of concentration camps by Charles McNulty

Hotel Modern returns to REDCAT with KAMP, a re-creation manipulated by Dutch visual and performing artists Pauline Kalker, Arléne Hoornweg and Herman Helle of the of the Auschwitz concentra…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:30PM

Review: Hotel Modern's 'KAMP' is miniature recreation of the stark horror of concentration camps by Charles McNulty

In “The Great War,” the Dutch theater company Hotel Modern simulated the reality of the World War I battlefield in all its muddy, body-mangled horror through the projection of toy soldie…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:30PM
Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Review: A workplace comedy turns unpredictably dark in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' 'Gloria' by Echo Theater Company by Charles McNulty

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' "Gloria," a workplace comedy set in a toxic Manhattan magazine office, receives its West Coast premiere in an Echo Theater Company production

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 01:36PM

Review: A workplace comedy turns unpredictably dark in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' 'Gloria' by Echo Theater Company by Charles McNulty

It’s a given in a work by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins that something startling will sooner or later occur that will have you rethinking everything you thought you understood about the play. In …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 01:35PM
Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Review: The Huey Lewis and the News jukebox musical 'The Heart of Rock & Roll' is more square than hip by Charles McNulty

"The Heart of Rock & Roll," a new jukebox musical inspired by the songs of Huey Lewis and the News, receives its world premiere at San Diego's Old Globe.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:00AM

Review: The Huey Lewis and the News jukebox musical 'The Heart of Rock & Roll' is more square than hip by Charles McNulty

Even when Huey Lewis was new, he was retro. More old way than new wave, his band, Huey Lewis & the News, is as much a part of the 1980s as the movie “Back to the Future” (which memorably…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:00AM
Thursday, September 13, 2018

Review: José Rivera's 'The Untranslatable Secrets of Nikki Corona' stumbles on the stairway to heaven by Charles McNulty

Geffen Playhouse presents the world premiere of Oscar-nominated screenwriter José Rivera's The Untranslatable Secrets of Nikki Corona"at the Geffen Playhouse, directed by Jo Bonney.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:17PM
Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Review: In 'Native Gardens,' bad fences make for a fun, formulaic comedy about bickering neighbors by Charles McNulty

Jason Alexander directs "Native Garden," Karen Zacarías' comedy about neighbors disputing property lines, horticulture and difference.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:00AM
Monday, September 10, 2018

Review: 'School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play' is a refreshing take on youthful rivalries and machinations by Charles McNulty

Jocelyn Bioh's 'School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play,' a tale about backbiting teenagers at Ghana's most exclusive boarding school, opens at the Kirk Douglas Theatre

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:08PM

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