Charolais NYC Reviews and Tickets

“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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“This darkly comic…monologue of sex, jealousy, childbirth, and death amidst the human and bovine residents of a hardscrabble Irish farm…stands out mainly for Stapleton's striking performance as she navigates the humorous and serious peaks and valleys of this rural terrain where everyone speaks in such bog-thick accents you can literally see the mud dripping off their vowels. Stapleton…remains completely invested in her dramatic world,…heaving her heifer's heftiness about with polished grace.”
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"'Charolais' is a rare thing, a whip-smart play masquerading as a simple story. Sweetly written and performed by Noni Stapleton, 'Charolais' is the tale of a love triangle of an Irish lass, a Charolais cow and the sweet farm boy that loves them both. What is a woman to do when faced with a bovine competitor and an overbearing almost-mother-in-law? Writer Noni Stapleton has some ideas that are funny, touching and a little scary."
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“Directed with a sure hand by Barbre Ní Chaoimh that favors simplicity over showboating, Stapleton is a master of the bemused eye roll, winning sympathy with a frankness that recalls Richard III’s ability to turn spectators into accomplices. The play kicks into comic high gear, however, when Stapleton lets her own blond hair down and becomes Charolais…The funny, ultimately moving play has much more on its mind than drawing easy parallels between the two.”
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"Love is messy, and Stapleton does a great job of showing us exactly how absurd the nature of who we fall for is...Stapleton creates a character that is both funny and heartbreaking...This is an impressive production. Every part is essential, and every aspect is in capable hands...Fishamble creates theatrical experiences that push the boundaries of what’s accepted as the norm, and I can only be so grateful for that."
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"The Charolais is surprisingly well-heeled and emotive. It’s a funny and charming counterpoint to the rest of the story...Stapleton’s writing is full of personality and good humor. It’s wonderful to listen to her brogue as she passes her judgments...She can be captivating when the story turns serious, but it doesn’t stay that way long...There’s a lot of character and a surprising amount of story in a deceptively small package. Stapleton’s script and her performance are both top-notch."
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“A dark comedy overflowing with laughter and tears, built around a stunning, one-woman performance…Ni Chaoimh directs with a light but definite touch, letting Stapleton display her considerable talent while ensuring pace never falters, marrying dramatic urgency to an exquisite sense of comic timing...A tragically funny tale, ‘Charolais’ will have you laughing out loud while breaking your heart. Throughout it all Stapleton is irresistible, delivering a tour-de-force performance not to be missed.”
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“Digging up the dark pastures of rural Ireland, Stapleton conveys the fears of isolation and repressed emotion that sometimes makes romance difficult…Stapleton's themes of lust and loneliness have so imaginative a range as to cross species…After the action reaches a striking and violent conclusion, there is a sense of new life in a depraved place. Artfully, Stapleton's play is just as pastoral in bringing land and people together.”
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“Stapleton has created a splendid script…Noni Stapleton as performer and writer has created a triumph. She is entitled to be very proud of ‘Charolais,’ but also the direction of Bairbre ni Caoimh is to be lauded as it energizes the entire script…‘Charolais’ is great theatre, no more need be said.”
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“Noni Stapleton's hilarious take on rural life and love is a paradox: superficially crude, it's full of wisdom and tenderness, and manages to throw in a fair sprinkling of compassion and forgiveness along the way…It is intended as a high compliment when I write that Stapleton is utterly convincing as both the sturdy Siobhan and the Charolais.”
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“A hilarious and uplifting comedy…Stapleton is completely comfortable onstage, and the audience in turn allows the story to wash over them, and everyone is in a constant state of laughter…‘Charolais’ works but has been done better before…It would have been interesting to be treated to something new...Stapleton is a joy to watch and she knows her audience. Love, family, and loss all combine at the finish to create a charming piece of theatre. Well worth the venture. A truly enjoyable show.”
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“A darkly witty tale…The play is full of unexpected twists and turns and Stapleton’s ability to make lightning shifts in tone...is skilled and hilarious…Stapleton’s cow is superb…We care about her almost as much as we do about Siobhan. For all the witty lines and hilarity there is also a sense of the hardships of a farming life in rural Ireland…All of which adds a sense of depth and contributes to the dramatic climax of the play…This is a delicious and witty piece of lunchtime theatre."
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“Stapleton’s hour-long monologue invites the audience into the lonely world of a young pregnant woman, desperate for the affection of the father of her child...In a comedic performance that jumps between a resentful, distressed woman and an overtly sexual French cow, Stapleton succeeds in drawing the audience into a world of desire, lust and intense loneliness. This is a fast-paced, witty, and intensely emotional tale filled with laughter, loss and despair.”
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“It is a sweet treat of a script, both affectionate and grounded…Stapleton’s performance is really good. Yes, in many respects it is a humorous monologue – for woman and cow – but it is also wholesome and generous…I was especially taken by the way Stapleton makes her space her own and looks astonishingly ‘at home’ – in wellies – just a few feet from her audience…It’s all heart.”
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