Charolais NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (78)
See it if You're a fan of quirky, fringe-like, original shows. You appreciate intelligent writing and acting.
Don't see it if You're not a fan of one-person shows. You have an aversion to cows. Read more
See it if you want to experience the wonderful theater that Charolais is. Writer/ Performer Noni Stapleton expertly creates the characters & setting
Don't see it if bovine characters in plays upset you.
See it if Suspenseful, humorous, surprising play about a servant girl, farmer, farmer's mother, and cow... all played by one terrific actress.
Don't see it if You have trouble with Irish accents. You aren't in the mood for a silly yet edgy and touching experience. Read more
See it if You like innovative ways to play two completely different characters. you like clever storytelling
Don't see it if You don't like one woman plays on a small stage in a small theatre.
See it if Fascinating, touching and surprisingly relatable love story; each character brought to life with richness and ease; don't miss this gem!
Don't see it if Even if you don't like one-actor shows, with a runtime of under 70 minutes, give this show a chance. It does not disappoint!
See it if An exceptional one woman show (she also wrote it) with a fascinating story. Absolutely loved it! Such a treat! So well written & performed!
Don't see it if You don't like intimate or one person shows. (But get over it and see it.)
See it if You would like to see a virtuoso one-woman show weave a brilliant narrative while transforming into 4 characters (including the charolais).
Don't see it if An Irish accent puts you off.
See it if you enjoy beautifully written darkly comic one-woman shows with a fondness for bovine and agrarian themes and an offbeat love story.
Don't see it if you won't enjoy a cow as a romantic lead or Irish accents. Read more
Critic Reviews (21)
“The brilliantly twisted thing about ‘Charolais’ is that what Siobhan wants, ultimately, is a snug little nuclear family...The trouble with pitting Siobhan against the nameless Charolais, at least in Ms. Stapleton’s performance, is that the cow is by far the more charming of the two…Still, we feel glimmers of sympathy for Siobhan, an antiheroine too petty to inspire outright affection. When the play’s too-tidy ending gives her what she thinks she wants, we suspect the triumph is fleeting.”
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"The one-woman show cleverly captures passion, heartache, and feelings about motherhood from multiple perspectives...The play is captivating from the first minute to the last...Stapleton is a master storyteller and her talents are very well employed in 'Charolais'...It is a memorable, well-crafted and wonderfully performed piece of theatre."
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"This earthy, faintly macabre tale is delivered with remarkable skill by Stapleton...She transforms into the Charolais in all her hauteur—although I fear these passages represent her one misstep: They're the stuff of sketch comedy, a satirical conception that represents a jarring break from the story's naturalistically rendered human barnyard...Even so, I'm betting that Stapleton, who is equally adept as a writer and performer, will leave you spellbound."
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"You haven't lived until you've heard a lusty French Charolais heifer mooningly mooing a rendition of 'La Vie En Rose'...That is just one of the gloriously rich and comic moments in 'Charolais'...Stapleton is a marvel as she alternates between the roles of Siobhan and the cow. All it takes is whipping off the tie from her ponytail and going into a slouch to make the transformation...You are in for an evening that both delights and surprises, especially as it leads to an unexpected conclusion."
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"Engaging, flavorful, and suspenseful...Stapleton offers a richly detailed portrait of an ordinary person that revels in the mundane...Stapleton's gutsy performance is commanding. Her assured vocal delivery mines every laugh and bit of drama out of the events...Chaoimh’s accomplished staging hauntingly conveys the senses of reality and illusion with lightheartedness and tension."
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"The play is unexpectedly original, well written, acted, and directed. It’s off the wall, but in the best sense...Stapleton plays Siobhan with earthy freshness and honesty...And we buy it. All of it. The situation is pithy not whimsical, relatable (I swear), frustrating, infuriating, funny, and touching. You’ll never see anything like it. Director Ni Chaoimh conjures her characters with imagination and compassion, never losing sight of emotion in favor of flippancy."
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"It stars the wildly talented Noni Stapleton, who also wrote this charming, funny, and wicked little play...Smartly directed by Bairbre Ni Chaoimh, Ms. Stapleton plays all the parts...Performed in a fast-moving 65 minutes, the show is a remarkably honest exploration of love, lust, jealousy, and need. It is as funny as it is brutal. This is one of those special little shows that one hopes theater nominators from various committees will not overlook. But if they do, you shouldn’t."
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"Ms. Stapleton’s script has meat on its bones and serves up enough twists and turns, hints, and surprises to sate the appetite of the sophisticated theatregoer...Under director Bairbre Ní Chaoimh’s steady hand, 'Charolais' is a welcomed battle of wisdom and wits tempered by whimsy delivered with empathic grace throughout Noni Stapleton’s authentic and believable performance."
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