All stories by Charles Isherwood on BroadwayStars

Friday, December 4, 2015

Review: In ‘Steel Hammer,’ a Man and a Train in a Race and a Legend by Charles Isherwood

Four playwrights, three vocalists, the troupe Siti Company and the Bang on a Can All Stars interpret the folk tale of John Henry in this production.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:09AM
Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Review: In ‘Invisible Thread,’ a Gay New Yorker Goes to Uganda by Charles Isherwood

Directed by Diane Paulus, this musical by Griffin Matthews and Matt Gould is drawn from Mr. Matthews’s real experiences working in Africa.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:22PM
Wednesday, November 25, 2015

The Week Ahead: ‘Invisible Thread,’ a New Musical at Second Stage by Charles Isherwood

The show, by Griffin Matthews, was inspired by his work at an orphanage in Uganda.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:15PM
Monday, November 23, 2015

Review: In ‘Important Hats of the Twentieth Century,’ Saggy Jeans and Sweatshirts Make a 1930s Incursion by Charles Isherwood

Neil Jones’s play at City Center focuses on warring fashion designers, including one who travels to the future for inspiration.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:22PM
Friday, November 20, 2015

Review: ‘The Illusionists’ Showcases Magicians and Stagecraft by Charles Isherwood

Simple feats by magicians, not the music and laser beams, are the most impressive part of this show at the Neil Simon Theater.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:10AM
Thursday, November 19, 2015

Review: Nick Offerman as a Giant of New Orleans, Resized by Charles Isherwood

Mr. Offerman plays Ignatius J. Reilly, the lead character in John Kennedy Toole’s comic novel, “A Confederacy of Dunces,” in Huntington Theater Company’s adaptation.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:44PM
Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Review: ‘Pike St.,’ Where One Woman Speaks for All by Charles Isherwood

In her new solo play, at the Abrons Arts Center, Nilaja Sun depicts a struggling Lower East Side family, as well as various friends and neighbors.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:34PM

Review: David Rabe’s ‘Good for Otto’ Introduces a World of Pain by Charles Isherwood

A tiny theater in Chicago is a showcase for a sweeping and deep new work by David Rabe, in powerful form.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:09AM
Sunday, November 15, 2015

Review: ‘Incident at Vichy,’ an Arthur Miller Tale Set in World War II by Charles Isherwood

This revival revolves around a group of Jewish men being rounded up in France under German occupation.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:40PM
Thursday, November 12, 2015

Review: In ‘Savannah Bay,’ a Family Tragedy, Hazily Recalled by Charles Isherwood

The play by Marguerite Duras, involving a grandmother and granddaughter, is being presented at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Fishman Space.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:51PM
Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Review: ‘Ride the Cyclone,’ About Teenagers, and Angst, in Purgatory by Charles Isherwood

Members of a school choir meet their deaths on a roller coaster and must compete for redemption in this musical at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:14PM
Monday, November 9, 2015

Review: ‘Dada Woof Papa Hot,’ About Gay Men and Parenthood by Charles Isherwood

In Peter Parnell’s new play at Lincoln Center, gay couples with children learn about having (or not having) it all.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:28PM
Sunday, November 8, 2015

Review: ‘Hir’ Sorts Through a Family in Transition by Charles Isherwood

A son comes home from war to a home in chaos in Taylor Mac’s work at Playwrights Horizons.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:22PM

Review: ‘Allegiance,’ a Musical History Lesson About Interned Japanese-Americans by Charles Isherwood

This Broadway musical with George Takei and Lea Salonga sets out to illuminate a dark passage in American history.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:22PM
Thursday, November 5, 2015

Review: ‘On Your Feet!’ Rides the Rhythm of the Estefans by Charles Isherwood

This musical about Emilio and Gloria Estefan tracks their career and marriage, including the accident that threatened her life.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:24PM
Friday, October 30, 2015

Review: In ‘Dear Elizabeth,’ Two Solitary Poets Commune by Charles Isherwood

Sarah Ruhl’s play, at the McGinn/Cazale Theater, follows the mostly epistolary friendship of Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:18PM
Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Review: ‘Songbird,’ a Honky-Tonk Take on Chekhov by Charles Isherwood

Michael Kimmel’s musical adaptation of “The Seagull,” at 59E59 Theaters, is powered by a country score by Lauren Pritchard.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:00PM

The Week Ahead: Coping With Real Life, in ‘Steve’ by Charles Isherwood

Mark Gerrard’s play, directed by Cynthia Nixon for the New Group, a Broadway chorus boy who never quite made it has settled into his role as a dad.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:08PM
Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Review: ‘Sylvia,’ in Which a Man Loves a Dog Too Much by Charles Isherwood

Matthew Broderick, Annaleigh Ashford and Julie White star in the first Broadway production of A.­R. Gurney’s 1995 comedy.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:33PM
Sunday, October 25, 2015

Review: ‘The Humans,’ a Family Thanksgiving for a Fearful Middle Class by Charles Isherwood

This comedy-drama by Stephen Karam traces the connections and tensions in a Pennsylvania clan that is assembling in Manhattan for a holiday dinner.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:54PM
Friday, October 23, 2015

Review: ‘Empanada Loca’: A Tough Life and a Special Ingredient by Charles Isherwood

Daphne Rubin-Vega stars in this meaty play about the ups and downs of a police officer’s daughter who becomes involved in an unappetizing scheme.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:45PM
Thursday, October 22, 2015

Review: ‘Dames at Sea’ Skips Onto Broadway by Charles Isherwood

This pert spoof of 1930s movie musicals, which first opened in 1966, still provides lively diversions for those in search of yesteryear’s delights.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:23PM
Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Review: ‘Futurity,’ in a Civil War Setting, Wishes for Today’s Technology by Charles Isherwood

This odd and often beguiling show written by César Alvarez with his band the Lisps is a show made for brainiacs.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:33PM
Monday, October 19, 2015

Review: ‘Kill Floor,’ a Drama About the Beef Dividing a Mother and Son by Charles Isherwood

This play by Abe Koogler at the Claire Tow Theater is about an ex-convict who works at a slaughterhouse as she tries to rebuild her relationship with her vegan son.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:22PM
Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Review: In ‘Eclipsed,’ Female Captives in Liberia’s Civil War Seek Sustenance by Charles Isherwood

In Danai Gurira’s drama, the female prisoners of a rebel leader strive to preserve their humanity in the face of constant sexual abuse.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:23PM

Review: James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson Shuffle Emotions in ‘The Gin Game’ by Charles Isherwood

D.­L. Coburn’s 1976 play, which opened on Broadway on Wednesday, showcases the talents of these long-established actors, who keep seeking further heights to scale.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:23PM

Review: ‘Ugly Lies the Bone,’ With Mamie Gummer as a Combat Veteran by Charles Isherwood

Mamie Gummer plays a veteran of combat in Afghanistan adjusting to life at home and the pain of her injuries, both physiological and psychological.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:28AM
Monday, October 12, 2015

Review: ‘Clever Little Lies,’ a Throwback to 1960s Broadway by Charles Isherwood

Joe DiPietro’s play at the Westside Theater, which stars Marlo Thomas, is a comedy-drama about infidelity and its consequences.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:28PM
Friday, October 9, 2015

Review: ‘Barbecue,’ an Intervention With Love, Insults and Whiskey by Charles Isherwood

This comedy by Robert O’Hara, at the Public Theater, gathers two versions of the same family — one white, one black — to wrestle a member of the clan into rehab.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:24AM
Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Critic's Notebook: Women’s Voices Theater Festival in Washington Is an Energizing Showcase by Charles Isherwood

The festival, which runs into November, will present more than 50 new plays and musicals by women in theaters across the city.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:28AM
Thursday, October 1, 2015

Review: ‘The Quare Land,’ a Tubcentric Comedy by Charles Isherwood

John McManus’s play tells of a developer who tries to make a deal with a gabby man in his bath.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:27PM

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 15, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic