Charles Isherwood is an American theater critic. He wrote for Back Stage West in Los Angeles. In 1993, he joined the staff of Variety, where he was promoted to the position of chief theatre critic in 1998. In 2004, Isherwood was hired by the New York Times.

He has been working at The Old Gray Lady for over a decade now, reviewing shows all over town (and the country). He sees hundreds of shows per year. Hundreds. You try that sometime . . . and then try to write a logical, coherent, and entertaining article about it. (What we forget about critics is that not only do they have to be super schooled in the theater . . . but they also have to be great writers – and whether you agree with Charles or not, no one can dispute his way with a few hundred words.)
Charles was generous enough to sit down with me and chat about the state of theatrical criticism and all sorts of other stuff, including:

Why we’ll never go back to making reviewers review the opening night performance.

What he thinks when he sees a quote from one of his reviews splashed an a marquee.

Why Writers should NOT read his reviews.

What he’s looking forward to this season.

How he responds to “hate mail.”

 
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