All stories by Charles Isherwood on BroadwayStars

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Review: ‘The Fever’ Finds That Friendliness Can Be Contagious by Charles Isherwood

The play, by the company 600 Highwaymen, incorporates audience members to deliver a meditation on human connection.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:36PM
Tuesday, January 3, 2017

5 Must-See Shows if You’re in New York This Month by Charles Isherwood

The theater critic Charles Isherwood offers a look at outstanding Broadway and Off Broadway offerings in January.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:04PM
Thursday, December 29, 2016

Review: In ‘God of Vengeance,’ a Nice Jewish Family Lives Above a Brothel by Charles Isherwood

The New Yiddish Rep presents a revival of the 1907 Sholem Asch play that scandalized New York with its portrayal of prostitution and same-sex romance.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:48PM
Wednesday, December 28, 2016

2016: A Memory to Keep: In ‘Falsettos,’ an Affecting Echo of AIDS Anxiety by Charles Isherwood

This revival features a scene that can take away the breath of anyone who was touched by an illness that started claiming mainly gay men.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:33PM
Tuesday, December 27, 2016

A New Day for Gay Plays? by Charles Isherwood

Old themes are still explored, but the context has changed.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:48PM
Wednesday, December 21, 2016

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ Revival Has Its Final Notes by Charles Isherwood

This classic musical, directed by Bartlett Sher, is timely and shines on all fronts. It closes on New Year’s Eve.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:24PM
Monday, December 19, 2016

Review: The Wedding Guest as Hot Mess in ‘Bright Colors and Bold Patterns’ by Charles Isherwood

In his hilarious new solo show, Drew Droege stars as an opinionated guest at a same-sex wedding.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:36PM
Sunday, December 18, 2016

Review: The Songs of Noël Coward, With Lightness and Bite by Charles Isherwood

“Life Is for Living,” a tribute from Simon Green and David Shrubsole, combines songs with snippets of Coward’s letters and diaries, and some verse.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:24PM
Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Review: ‘The Bodyguard’ Is Shadowed by a Stalker, and a Superstar by Charles Isherwood

This stage adaptation of the 1992 Whitney Houston film, at Paper Mill Playhouse, features lots of Houston hits but characters of minimal dimensions.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:33PM
Friday, December 9, 2016

Review: Transgender ‘Street Children,’ Out on a Pier by Charles Isherwood

Pia Scala-Zankel’s play, a Vertigo Theater production at the New Ohio Theater, follows youths living on the streets of New York in the 1980s.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:04PM
Thursday, December 8, 2016

Review: ‘The Dead, 1904’ Brings Existential Unease to the Party by Charles Isherwood

An opulent setting, tinkling crystal and perfectly cooked beef is on tap for guests of this intimate production based on a James Joyce Story.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:18PM

Review: Beat a New Path Down a Familiar Yellow Brick Road in ‘Elements of Oz’ by Charles Isherwood

This loose, loopy and enjoyable seminar on the making of “The Wizard of Oz” combines live video and performance.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:31PM

Review: ‘Can I Get a Witness?’ Takes James Baldwin’s Message to Church by Charles Isherwood

In Meshell Ndegeocello’s show at Harlem Stage, “The Fire Next Time” might as well be the Bible. And the big question is, “How are you surviving 2016?”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:24PM
Tuesday, December 6, 2016

The Best Theater of 2016 by Ben Brantley and Charles Isherwood

Selections by Ben Brantley and Charles Isherwood.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:54AM
Monday, December 5, 2016

Review: Too Many Cupcake Shops, Says Penny Arcade by Charles Isherwood

“Longing Lasts Longer,” Ms. Arcade’s solo show at St. Ann’s Warehouse, laments a changed New York and frets about group-mind control.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:06PM
Sunday, December 4, 2016

Review: In ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’ a Lonely Teenager, a Viral Lie and a Breakout Star by Charles Isherwood

This gorgeous heartbreaker of a musical, starring Ben Platt and directed by Michael Greif, has tragedy at its core but is anything but a downer.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:24PM
Thursday, December 1, 2016

Review: ‘A Bronx Tale’ Explores the Struggle for a Boy’s Soul by Charles Isherwood

The music freshens the material in this show at the Longacre Theater, with a book by Chazz Palminteri, who also wrote and starred in the original solo play.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:36PM
Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Review: Teenagers Sing to Survive in ‘Ride the Cyclone’ by Charles Isherwood

In this delightful musical, members of a school choir compete for one spot in the land of the living after they are killed when the title contraption malfunctions.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:18PM
Wednesday, November 23, 2016

‘Ride the Cyclone’ Takes the Kids Up and Down and Into Purgatory by Charles Isherwood

On the heels of an extended run in Chicago, this musical about the afterlife of a school choir, comes to the Lucille Lortel Theater.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:18PM
Friday, November 18, 2016

Review: ‘Memory Rings.’ Forget About It. by Charles Isherwood

This whimsical dance-theater work from Phantom Limb, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, is part of a trilogy focused on “environmental concerns.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:36PM
Thursday, November 17, 2016

Review: Molly Ringwald Now Plays a Granny in ‘Terms of Endearment’ by Charles Isherwood

At 59E59 Theaters, a stage version of the novel and its Oscar-winning 1980s movie version includes most of the film’s memorable moments and more sexual frankness.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:54PM
Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Review: ‘The Servant of Two Masters,’ and His Misfortunes by Charles Isherwood

This Theater for a New Audience production of Carlo Goldoni’s 18th-century farce struggles as it tries to employ contemporary humor.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:36PM

Review: ‘Othello’ Goes Hip-Hop. There’s Humor, Too. by Charles Isherwood

The Q Brothers have concocted another mash-up of rap and Shakespeare. And the laughter grows, right along with the stack of corpses.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:24PM
Monday, November 14, 2016

Review: ‘Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,’ on the Heels of ‘Hamilton’ by Charles Isherwood

Dave Malloy’s pop opera is both the most innovative and the best new musical to open on Broadway since the hit musical about one founding father.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:36PM
Monday, November 7, 2016

Review: ‘“Master Harold” … and the Boys,’ a Searing Indictment of Racism by Charles Isherwood

Athol Fugard has directed his own masterwork at the Signature Theater, which returns to the stage at a time when it feels painfully pertinent.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:24PM
Sunday, November 6, 2016

Review: ‘Homos, or Everyone in America,’ Urban Gay Life in Bittersweet Focus by Charles Isherwood

Jordan Seavey’s play follows a couple who comes together, breaks apart and just about everything in between.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:06PM
Friday, November 4, 2016

Review: Kristin Chenoweth, That Perky Performer With the Powerhouse Pipes by Charles Isherwood

Kristin Chenoweth’s concert show, “My Love Letter to Broadway,” displayed her enthusiasm, playfulness, superb voice and entertaining choice of material.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:36PM
Thursday, November 3, 2016

Review: The Jobs Are Gone in ‘Sweat.’ So Are People’s Hopes. by Charles Isherwood

In Lynn Nottage’s latest play, the bonds among working-class friends and family unravel as the local economy falls apart.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:36PM
Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Review: ‘Kingdom Come,’ About Meeting (but Not Cute) Online by Charles Isherwood

In this comedy-drama by Jenny Rachel Weiner, two women in Carson, Nev., establish an internet bond, though one of them has assumed the guise of a man.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:42PM
Tuesday, November 1, 2016

5 Must-See Shows if You’re in New York This Month by Charles Isherwood

The theater critic Charles Isherwood offers a look at adventurous new musicals, a revival he calls nearly “perfect,” Sutton Foster, and Shakespeare.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:06PM
Sunday, October 30, 2016

Review: In ‘Coriolanus,’ a Politician for a Campaign Season by Charles Isherwood

Red Bull Theater’s impressive production of Shakespeare’s late tragedy doesn’t skimp on the election metaphors.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:48PM

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