All stories by Charles McNulty on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Director Michael Arden is no longer Broadway's best kept secret by Charles McNulty

Michael Arden could follow his Tony win for directing 'Parade' with another Tony this year for 'Maybe Happy Ending.' Coming next: 'The Queen of Versailles' with Kristin Chenoweth and 'The Lo…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:42PM
Sunday, May 25, 2025

The playwright who cracked open 'The Crucible' with 'John Proctor Is the Villain' by Charles McNulty

Playwright Kimberly Belflower and director Danya Taymor reveal how the Tony-nominated play 'John Proctor Is the Villain' made it to Broadway, with help from 'Stranger Things' star Sadie Sink…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:25PM

Simply impeccable: This musical at A Noise Within in Pasadena shines with understated excellence by Charles McNulty

The tale of a Dublin bus conductor with a yen for Oscar Wilde drives this fantastic revival of 'A Man of No Importance,' from the 'Ragtime' team of Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lyn…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:25PM
Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Ibsen's 1879 play left audiences shocked. Now in Pasadena, the door opens to 'A Doll's House, Part 2' by Charles McNulty

Elizabeth Reaser and Jason Butler Harner star in the Pasadena Playhouse production of 'A Doll's House, Part 2,' the clever Lucas Hnath comedy that earned Laurie Metcalf a Tony on Broadway.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:42PM
Friday, May 16, 2025

In 'Lessons From My Teachers,' playwright Sarah Ruhl finds wisdom in art, motherhood, even grief by Charles McNulty

Sarah Ruhl treats the world as her classroom, deriving spiritual lessons along with practical wisdom about life and art in a compelling new book.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:01PM
Saturday, May 10, 2025

'Life of Pi' at the Ahmanson: An enchanting journey on the high seas by Charles McNulty

Yann Martel's 2002 novel, also made into a 2012 Ang Lee film, gets a stage adaptation that is wondrously dreamy and profound. As the tale's shipwrecked teen, Taha Mandviwala is mesmerizing.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 12:39PM
Friday, May 2, 2025

Tony nominations reward audacious risk-taking on Broadway by Charles McNulty

'Maybe Happy Ending,' 'Dead Outlaw,' Cole Escola's 'Oh, Mary!' and 'John Proctor Is the Villain' lead the competition for best musical and best play, with Audra McDonald in 'Gypsy' and Nicol…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:16PM
Monday, April 28, 2025

'Furlough's Paradise' imagines utopia for two Black cousins on a quest for liberty by Charles McNulty

a.k. payne's 'Furlough's Paradise,' winner of the 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, opens at the Geffen Playhouse under the direction of Tinashe Kajese-Bolden.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:13PM
Sunday, April 27, 2025

'Dead Outlaw,' a musical about a famous corpse discovered in Long Beach, makes its way to Broadway by Charles McNulty

"Dead Outlaw," a Broadway musical about a famous corpse discovered in Long Beach from the team behind the Tony-winning musical "The Band's Visit," opens on Broadway.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:05PM
Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Netflix and 'Stranger Things' take on Broadway. Enter at your own peril by Charles McNulty

'Stranger Things: The First Shadow,' a prequel to the hit streaming series, opens at the Marquis Theatre, bringing Netflix branding to Broadway.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:32AM
Thursday, April 17, 2025

Playwright Keiko Green invites audiences to party like it's the apocalypse by Charles McNulty

Keiko Green's 'You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World,' a comedy about family, loss and environmental destruction, has its world premiere at South Coast Repertory in a production …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:32AM
Monday, April 14, 2025

In the new musical 'Regency Girls,' young women in trouble discover empowerment on a road trip by Charles McNulty

"Regency Girls," a musical comedy about young women on a wild road trip in the Jane Austen-era, has its world premiere at the Old Globe in a production directed by Josh Rhodes.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:09PM
Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Who's afraid of James Joyce? Elevator Repair Service takes a tour of 'Ulysses' by Charles McNulty

Elevator Repair Service's stage adaptation of 'Ulysses,' presented by UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance, inspires a rereading of the James Joyce classic. Years later, the takeaways ar…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:36AM
Monday, March 31, 2025

In Broadway's latest 'Gypsy,' Audra McDonald takes our critic from doubt to spiritual epiphany by Charles McNulty

George C. Wolfe directs the new Broadway revival of "Gypsy" starring six-time Tony-winner Audra McDonald.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 12:18PM
Wednesday, March 26, 2025

All's unfair in love and identity politics in Echo Theater Company's 'One Jewish Boy' by Charles McNulty

Echo Theater Company artistic director Chris Fields directs the West Coast premiere of 'One Jewish Boy,' Stephen Laughton's two-hander starring Sharae Foxie and Zeke Goodman

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:42PM
Thursday, March 20, 2025

Hugh Bonneville stars in an impressively poised revival of 'Uncle Vanya' at Berkeley Rep by Charles McNulty

Hugh Bonneville stars in 'Uncle Vanya,' a co-production between Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Washington, D.C.'s Shakespeare Theatre Company, directed by Simon Godwin.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:42AM
Sunday, March 16, 2025

Now streaming, Irish Rep's 'Beckett Briefs,' headlined by F. Murray Abraham, asks the essential questions by Charles McNulty

Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham stars in 'Krapp's Last Tape,' one of three short Samuel Beckett plays on offer in 'Beckett Briefs,' an Irish Rep production now available for streaming via the…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:25PM
Saturday, March 15, 2025

How a photo of Nazis eating blueberries inspired Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich's Holocaust play by Charles McNulty

'Here There Are Blueberries' tells the story of an album of historical photos documenting the lives of ordinary Germans who were part of the bureaucracy of the Holocaust. Authors Moisés Kau…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 06:50PM
Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Paul Mescal and Patsy Ferran deliver 'A Streetcar Named Desire' for the ages by Charles McNulty

Paul Mescal and Patsy Ferran star in Rebecca Frecknall's production of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:38PM
Monday, March 10, 2025

Appreciation: Playwright Athol Fugard proved the pen could be mightier than the sword by Charles McNulty

An appreciation of South African playwright Athol Fugard, whose plays that bore witness to the cruelty of apartheid, including 'Blood Knot,' 'Boesman and Lena,' 'A Lesson From Aloes' and 'My…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 06:34PM
Wednesday, March 5, 2025

A new revival of Suzan-Lori Parks' 'Topdog/Underdog' misses the beat at Pasadena Playhouse by Charles McNulty

Pasadena Playhouse revival of 'Topdog/Underdog,' Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, stars Brandon Gill and Brandon Micheal Hall in a production directed by Gregg T. Daniel.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 05:06PM
Sunday, March 2, 2025

Review: '44,' a musical satire about Barack Obama by one of his campaign insiders, cuts up at the Kirk Douglas by Charles McNulty

Written, composed and directed by Eli Bauman, a former Obama campaign organizer, '44,' about Barack Obama's presidency, returns to L.A. at Kirk Douglas Theatre.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 06:26PM
Friday, February 21, 2025

Review: 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' brings authentic magic to the Hollywood Pantages by Charles McNulty

The Tony-winning play 'Harry Potter and Cursed Child' has its Los Angeles premiere at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 11:17AM
Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Commentary: Shakespeare's portrait of an insecure, paranoid tyrant makes this the perfect time for 'Macbeth' by Charles McNulty

David Tennant and Cush Jumbo deliver a 'Macbeth' for the ages, but the curse of Shakespeare's tragedy isn't easy to avoid.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 11:44AM
Saturday, February 15, 2025

Review: 'Old Friends' pay tribute to Sondheim in a luxurious pre-Broadway celebration at the Ahmanson by Charles McNulty

Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga star in 'Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends' in a pre-Broadway run at the Ahmanson Theatre.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:52AM
Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Review: 'Bacon' treads the line between love and abuse for teenage boys in a Rogue Machine powerhouse by Charles McNulty

Rogue Machine Theatre presents the West Coast premiere of Sophie Swithinbank's 'Bacon,' a two-hander directed by Michael Matthews that explores masculinity, bullying, sexuality and trauma.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:50AM
Monday, February 10, 2025

Review: 'Noises Off,' Michael Frayn's ingenious farce, doesn't have to be perfect to succeed by Charles McNulty

Tony winner Anna D. Shapiro directs a revival of Michael Frayn's backstage farce at the Geffen Playhouse in a co-production with Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:33PM
Saturday, February 8, 2025

Review: Larissa FastHorse's 'Fake It Until You Make It' has its historic premiere at the Taper by Charles McNulty

'Fake It Until You Make It,' a satiric farce by Larissa FastHorse ('The Thanksgiving Play'), has its world premiere at the Mark Taper Forum, in a production directed by Michael John Garcés.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 12:58PM
Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Review: Sanaz Toossi's 'Wish You Were Here' at South Coast Rep traces the faltering dreams of young Iranian women by Charles McNulty

Pulitzer Prize-winner Sanaz Toossi, who grew up in Orange County, has a homecoming of sorts with the West Coast premiere of "Wish You Were Here" at South Coast Repertory.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:22PM
Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' illuminates an existential truth revealed by the Los Angeles fires by Charles McNulty

Theater critic Charles McNulty writes on how Shakespeare, and 'The Tempest' in particular, is helping him bear witness to the scale of loss caused by the Los Angeles wildfires.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:25AM
Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Appreciation: Richard Foreman, an auteur of consciousness, did things his way by Charles McNulty

Playwright and director Richard Foreman, one of the pillars of New York's downtown theater scene, dies at 87.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:12AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Nov 17, 2024: Elf - Marquis 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