All stories by Charles McNulty on BroadwayStars

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Arthur Miller's 'The Price' bursts into meaning at Mark Taper Forum by Charles McNulty

Arthur Miller's "The Price" is an old-fashioned play that takes a fair amount of time to get going, but when it does — midway through the second act — it explodes with the thunderous mor…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:13PM
Friday, February 20, 2015

Debate heats up over proposed changes to L.A. 99-seat theater plan by Charles McNulty

Seismic tremors have been rocking the Los Angeles theater community after a proposal was floated by the Actors’ Equity Assn. regarding the 99-Seat Plan. A bureaucratic process is underway …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:59PM
Wednesday, February 18, 2015

'Cineastas' captures moviemaking endeavors in progress by Charles McNulty

It has become something of a commonplace since Hamlet first uttered the precept that the purpose of acting is "to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to nature."

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:00AM
Friday, February 13, 2015

Theater pulses in Alan Mandell's veins by Charles McNulty

Seated in the living room of his newly built architectural jewel of a home in Westwood, Alan Mandell had a confession to make.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 01:00PM
Thursday, February 12, 2015

Reaching toward the light in 'The Night Alive' by Charles McNulty

The decrepit state of Tommy's room, with its piles of rubbish and mildewy towels thrown all over the place, is a mirror into his life. Estranged from his wife, he has been renting a room in …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:25PM
Monday, February 9, 2015

'Darrell Hammond' traces SNL star's painful path to laughter by Charles McNulty

Darrell Hammond is dressed sharply in all black for "The Darrell Hammond Project," the world-premiere stage adaptation of his recovery memoir, "God, If You're Not Up There …" It's not exac…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:45PM
Thursday, February 5, 2015

'Chavez Ravine: An L.A. Revival' misplays the drama by Charles McNulty

It's hard to imagine Culture Clash's "Chavez Ravine: An L.A. Revival" receiving a more handsome production than the one directed by Lisa Peterson at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, a retooled vers…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:01PM

Conor McPherson, known for gritty immorality plays, shows tender side by Charles McNulty

No one would accuse Conor McPherson of going soft. As Ireland's preeminent playwright, he is renowned for his bruising, binge-drinking, invective-spewing immorality tales.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 06:30PM
Tuesday, February 3, 2015

For Dame Edna, a long, long goodbye by Charles McNulty

Now 80, Dame Edna's alter ego Barry Humphries has decided to bring her theatrical globe-trotting to an end with 'Dame Edna's Glorious Goodbye: The Farewell Tour,' which began two years ago i…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 02:51PM

Kneehigh's 'Tristan & Yseult' an alluring blend of myth, music by Charles McNulty

The delightful British theater troupe Kneehigh keeps finding ways of demonstrating that whimsicality on stage is perfectly compatible with emotional grace.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:00AM
Thursday, January 29, 2015

Dame Edna offers 'Glorious,' cheeky zaniness at Ahmanson by Charles McNulty

Dame Edna, the imperious suburban Melbourne, Australia, hausfrau with the purple wig and lacerating tongue, has never seen any connection between winning friends and influencing people.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 06:34PM
Wednesday, January 28, 2015

'Anna Christie' harbors but a spark of greatness by Charles McNulty

There's no shortage of acting in the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie." Accents are adorned like fake noses, illnesses resemble those found in 19th century…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:00PM
Friday, January 23, 2015

Though her purple hair shows no silver, Dame Edna prepares to retire by Charles McNulty

Theater critic Charles McNulty sits down with Barry Humphries, now launching the American leg of Dame Edna's farewell tour

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:54PM

Though her purple hair shows no silver, Dame Edna prepares to retire by Charles McNulty

Barry Humphries sat at a table overlooking the pool of his Beverly Hills hotel and blew his nose. He had just arrived from his home in London and was suffering with a common cold — somethi…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:00PM
Thursday, January 22, 2015

The Wooster Group finds grace in 'Shaker Songs' by Charles McNulty

Now that screen technology has overrun our lives, it makes sense that the Wooster Group would take a break from its multimedia revels and turn to the austere Shakers for inspiration.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:50PM
Tuesday, January 20, 2015

'Silent Witnesses' meets tales of horror with a quiet love by Charles McNulty

"Silent Witnesses," a modest and compassionate solo work written and performed by Stephanie Satie at the Odyssey Theatre, is based on interviews and conversations with child survivors of the…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:22PM
Friday, December 26, 2014

The arts become Earth-aware: Dawning age of what are known as eco-arts by Charles McNulty

In his most recent book, "The Meaning of Human Existence," Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson challenges the humanities to stop being in effect so darn man-crazy.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 12:00PM
Friday, December 19, 2014

The year in theater: Drama reigns in 2014 by Charles McNulty

The year isn't exactly ending on a high note. Rage over racial injustice, shocking reports of U.S. torture and the promise of even more governmental gridlock in 2015.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 12:00PM

Charles McNulty's best stage shows of 2014 by Charles McNulty

Here is Charles McNulty's look at the best of 2014 in theater in Southern California and beyond.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 12:00PM
Monday, December 15, 2014

Angela Lansbury keeps spirits high in 'Blithe Spirit' by Charles McNulty

When Angela Lansbury takes the stage as Madame Arcati, the lovably outlandish medium in Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit," a supernatural charge is instantly detectable. This five-time Tony winn…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:55PM
Friday, December 12, 2014

Four political dramas that play around with form by Charles McNulty

The words "political drama" may evoke finger-pointing lectures to some, but the subtlest works of dramatic literature have a political dimension, and the most enduring political dramas have …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 02:00PM
Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Holiday gift ideas for theater lovers by Charles McNulty

Still wondering what to get your theater-obsessed nearest and dearest? Theater critic Charles McNulty shares his gift ideas for those with the right kind of histrionic nature.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:45AM
Saturday, December 6, 2014

Angela Lansbury's spirit and star power burn as bright as ever by Charles McNulty

A conversation with Dame Angela on her legendary career and return to the stage with "Blithe Spirit"

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 12:23PM

Angela Lansbury's spirit and star power burn as bright as ever by Charles McNulty

As gracious and unpretentious as her Brentwood home, Angela Lansbury radiated hospitality as she ushered me into her living room, where her honorary Oscar sits as casually as a figurine plac…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 11:00AM
Thursday, December 4, 2014

Review:Can't think of a better holiday treat than this powerful "Into The Woods" where joy & sorrow are like old pals by Charles McNulty

This OSF production may not have the star power of the film coming out at Christmas, but it has the buoyancy & complexity of feeling that turned "Into the Woods" into a modern classic.

SOURCE: touch.latimes.com at 10:20PM

In powerful 'Into the Woods,' joy and sorrow are like old pals by Charles McNulty

The actors mingle with one another and audience members before the show as if what lies ahead is not an official performance but just another rehearsal. The casually dressed musicians take t…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:21PM
Wednesday, December 3, 2014

'Luna Gale' a grimly rich study of the fight to protect a child by Charles McNulty

Rebecca Gilman, the talented author of such plays as "Spinning Into Butter," "Boy Gets Girl" and "The Glory of Living," is known for confronting social problems head-on. Racism and white hyp…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:39PM
Monday, November 24, 2014

Epigrams and clothes fly in Taper's 'What the Butler Saw' by Charles McNulty

There are no household servants in Joe Orton's "What the Butler Saw," which is appropriately set in a psychiatric clinic. The title, once popular for blue movies, is a British phrase referri…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:28PM
Thursday, November 20, 2014

'Delicate Balance' teeters slightly but always fascinates by Charles McNulty

The setting for Edward Albee's "A Delicate Balance" is "the living room of a large and well-appointed suburban home," and scenic designer Santo Loquasto has conjured the scene so sumptuously…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:20PM

Mike Nichols' theater legacy: Laughter and tears with equal genius by Charles McNulty

Whenever Mike Nichols worked in the theater, it was inevitably an event, the focal point of the season — the show you simply had to get tickets to or be left in the conversational cold.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 02:53PM
Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Revivals turn 2 problem-child musicals into something special by Charles McNulty

When the newly reworked version of Bill Russell and Henry Krieger's "Side Show" opened at the La Jolla Playhouse last year, the production didn't fix all the musical's flaws, but it did reve…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:00PM

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
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