All stories by Charles McNulty on BroadwayStars

Friday, February 9, 2018

'Ironbound' at the Geffen Playhouse: An immigrant's portrait, painted with piercing realism by Charles McNulty

At a time when the issue of immigration is used like a political football, it's easy for some to distance themselves emotionally from the debate. Martyna Majok's drama pulls us back into rea…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:01PM[SHARE]

'Ironbound' at the Geffen Playhouse: An immigrant's portrait, painted with piercing realism by Charles McNulty

Darja, an immigrant from Poland who calls the industrial wastelands of New Jersey home, can regularly be found waiting for a bus near the factory where, until it was shut down, she was emplo…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 02:25PM[SHARE]
Monday, February 5, 2018

In 'Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue,' the silent pain of war echoes through three generations by Charles McNulty

Quiara Alegria Hudes' Pulitzer-nominated play centers on an Iraq-bound Marine whose story is interwoven with his father's Vietnam past and his grandfather's Korean War history. The result is…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:20PM[SHARE]
Sunday, February 4, 2018

In 'Doggie Hamlet,' a cast of canines, sheep and, yes, humans " ay, there's the rub by Charles McNulty

Artist and choreographer Ann Carlson calls upon a cast of two women, two men, one boy, three herding dogs and a flock of sheep to explore "instinct, sentience, attachment and loss."

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:25PM[SHARE]

In 'Doggie Hamlet,' a cast of canines, sheep and, yes, humans " ay, there's the rub by Charles McNulty

To bah or not to bah " that is not the question of "Doggie Hamlet," a site-specific performance work by choreographer and director Ann Carlson that involves a flock of sheep, three herding d…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:20PM[SHARE]
Monday, January 29, 2018

With 'West Wing' help, 'All the President's Men' gets a stirring, all-too-relevant revival by Charles McNulty

Critic Charles McNulty takes in the scene as Bradley Whitford, Joshua Malina and a starry cast lead a one-night-only reading organized by the Fountain Theatre at L.A. City Hall. The message:…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:44PM[SHARE]

With 'West Wing' help, 'All the President's Men' gets a stirring, all-too-relevant revival by Charles McNulty

At the electric reading of William Goldman's screenplay for "All the President's Men" at Los Angeles City Hall on Saturday night, Watergate once again had the freshness of current events. Co…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:40PM[SHARE]
Friday, January 26, 2018

'Pirates of Penzance,' with a piña colada: Gilbert & Sullivan plays as interactive party by Charles McNulty

The irreverent Chicago theater company the Hypocrites brings its adaptation of the Gilbert and Sullivan musical to Pasadena.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 05:20PM[SHARE]
Monday, January 22, 2018

The Bard, times two: 'Shakespeare in Love' at SCR, plus Shakespeare, the retirement years by Charles McNulty

"Shakespeare in Love" at South Coast Rep captures the rom-com spirit of Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard's Oscar-winning screenplay, while Philip Whitchurch's "Shakespeare his wife and the dog" …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 05:12PM[SHARE]

The Bard, times two: 'Shakespeare in Love' at SCR, plus Shakespeare, the retirement years by Charles McNulty

Welcome to the Shakespeare Emporium, your one-stop shopping choice for all your Shakespeare accessories. Tote bags and sweatshirts will advertise your love of the Bard. A Stratford-upon-Avon…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 05:10PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Billy Crudup in 'Harry Clarke': A deviously brilliant performance is reborn as an audiobook by Charles McNulty

One of the last performances I saw in 2017 was one of the sliest: Billy Crudup in David Cale's "Harry Clarke" at New York's Vineyard Theatre. I caught this off-Broadway solo work at the end …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:00PM[SHARE]
Sunday, January 14, 2018

'Small Mouth Sounds': Playwright Bess Wohl's off-Broadway sleeper arrives at the Broad Stage by Charles McNulty

Playwright Bess Wohl, who trained as an actor at the Yale School of Drama, has written a play that asks actors to do more than speak the speech trippingly on the tongue, as Hamlet advised th…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:00PM[SHARE]
Friday, January 12, 2018

Poor Dog's 'Group Therapy' is compelling but confused by Charles McNulty

A few years ago, Poor Dog Group, founded in 2008 by a group of young theater artists who met while studying at the California Institute of the Arts, brought in a licensed therapist to hold g…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:40PM[SHARE]
Friday, December 15, 2017

Best theater in 2017: Our critic's top picks, including Midler, Metcalf and Bruuuuce by Charles McNulty

The power of individual performers redeemed 2017, a theatrical year overrun with flotsam and jetsam but one that at least gave us Bette Midler and Bruce Springsteen in unforgettable form on …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:00AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, December 6, 2017

How 'The Band's Visit' turns song, speech and silence into stage poetry by Charles McNulty

Where do new musicals come from? For a while, the answer regularly seemed to be pop-music catalogs and movies guaranteed to put baby boomers in a nostalgic mood. Broadway became the great cu…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 06:20PM[SHARE]
Friday, December 1, 2017

Denise Gough: From feral brilliance in 'People, Places & Things' to a Broadway debut in 'Angels in America' by Charles McNulty

At the start of Duncan Macmillan's "People, Places & Things," which concludes its triumphant run at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn on Sunday, Emma, an actress with a serious substance abuse…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:55PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Amy Schumer and Keegan-Michael Key lend star power to 'Meteor Shower,' but it's still space junk by Charles McNulty

A fascinating experiment is underway on Broadway. A substandard comedy that received, let's just say, mixed reviews out of town has been recast with fashionably hip actors in a new productio…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:00PM[SHARE]
Monday, November 20, 2017

With 'Summer: The Donna Summer Musical,' heaven knows the Queen of Disco deserved better than this by Charles McNulty

Every season theater producers drop a wad of coins in the jukebox like gamblers pouring quarters into slot machines. Broadway jackpots might be rarer than Las Vegas windfalls, but the behemo…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:15PM[SHARE]
Friday, November 17, 2017

Tyne Daly valiantly swims the sea of sentimentality that is 'Chasing Mem'ries' by Charles McNulty

Is there a play-doctor in the house? A concerned onlooker would have reason to make this plea during "Chasing Mem'ries: A Different Kind of Musical." Unfortunately, there's not much anyone c…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 02:05PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Charles is king, Harry's in trouble and Kate's taking charge in Pasadena Playhouse's royal winner 'King Charles III' by Charles McNulty

"King Charles III," British playwright Mike Bartlett's "future history play" that was nominated for a Tony Award last year, begins with the funeral procession for Britain's longest ruling mo…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 05:40PM[SHARE]
Monday, November 13, 2017

'Spamilton': Musical spoof lands its punches softly, and with a smile by Charles McNulty

If you can't beat 'em, parody 'em. Gerard Alessandrini, the man behind the popular "Forbidden Broadway" series, has made his theatrical career spoofing his musical theater betters. He's turn…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 05:15PM[SHARE]
Friday, November 10, 2017

'Something Rotten!' delivers on fluffy, fizzy, frolicsome fun by Charles McNulty

Following in the audaciously silly footsteps of "The Book of Mormon" and "Spamalot," "Something Rotten!" is a Broadway musical that sets out to pinion you with laughter. Punchlines and pratf…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:45PM[SHARE]
Friday, October 27, 2017

Tyranny and resistance: Albert Camus' 1948 drama 'L'État de siège' carries new relevance by Charles McNulty

The theater excited Albert Camus' communal instincts as a writer, but the stage wasn't the ideal medium for his brand of political existentialism. "Caligula" is perhaps his most fully realiz…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 05:10PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, October 24, 2017

'Gem of the Ocean' at South Coast Rep: August Wilson provides ritual healing in a devastating revival by Charles McNulty

"Gem of the Ocean" may not rank at the top of August Wilson's plays, but anyone doubting the soul-shaking power of this drama should brave Orange County traffic to see this wrenching new rev…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:05PM[SHARE]
Monday, October 23, 2017

'Bright Star' at the Ahmanson: Bluegrass, tears and a big, vacuous smile by Charles McNulty

As one theatergoer's bliss is another theatergoer's cornball, let's accentuate the positive before delving into the negative of a show that reveals just how thin the line is between hokey an…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, October 20, 2017

Carrie Coon, at the top of her game, returns to the stage where it all began by Charles McNulty

After acclaim for HBO's "The Leftovers" and an Emmy nomination for FX's "Fargo," Carrie Coon talks about returning to the stage to star in Amy Herzog's "Mary Jane" off-Broadway at New York T…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 01:55PM[SHARE]
Monday, October 16, 2017

Joe Morton, 'Turn Me Loose' and the sly comic activism of Dick Gregory by Charles McNulty

Dick Gregory, the comedian and civil rights activist who died this year, played the role of the Shakespearean fool to white America, quipping subversive sentiments about race relations in a …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:10PM[SHARE]
Thursday, October 12, 2017

'Springsteen on Broadway': A rock-star confessional with heart by Charles McNulty

Bravo, Bruce. The star of Broadway's fall season delivers a piece of theater that few will forget - two hours of longing, loss, quiet melancholy and reflection, all from the man who was born…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:00PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Deaf West and Pasadena Playhouse populate 'Our Town' with fresh faces by Charles McNulty

"Our Town" has become such a chestnut that it's easy to forget just how innovative it was when the drama premiered in 1938. Thornton Wilder's style, so thoroughly absorbed by the 20th centur…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:50PM[SHARE]

The audience, under fire: Why survival of culture depends on protection from guns by Charles McNulty

The word "audience" comes from the Latin word "audientia," meaning a hearing. People gather to listen, and an individual or group is given the opportunity to be heard. It is a basic exercise…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 01:00PM[SHARE]

An actor transcends age: John Douglas Thompson melts away the years to play Hamlet at A.C.T. by Charles McNulty

John Douglas Thompson, the British-born actor of Jamaican heritage who trained in America and is now a citizen here, has carved out a reputation as one of our leading classical actors. His O…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:00AM[SHARE]

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