I’ve had the privilege of watching disabled actor-playwright Ryan J. Haddad’s work over the past decade, starting with Hi, Are You Single? His plays, drawn from his real-life experiences as a gay man with cerebral palsy, offer an unflinching portrayal of romance and resilience. But his style is also gentle, often addressing the audience directly, as if to say, “Come in, the water’s warm.” In many ways, his latest play, Good Time Charlie, is Haddad’s origin story, and it’s as joyous and heartfelt as a Golden Age musical.
Haddad, who grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, had not one but two queer mentors: his aunt Janice (Beth Malone) from his mother’s side, and Charlie (Jonathan Raviv), technically his father’s first cousin, but with an age gap that positions him as a role model for the cast-album-obsessed youth.
Coming out, two generations apart
Through decade-jumping storytelling, Haddad unpacks the familiar closet of coming out to parents who can only offer conditional love. Nael Nacer and Artemis Pebdani play both sets of parents, toggling between the two narratives as Charlie, a generation older, fights an uphill battle to earn his family’s acceptance.
While Charlie’s birth family may prove difficult, his long-term relationships with Lou (Tim Bagley), a modest film professor with a green thumb, and their friend Sheldon (Michael Cristofer), who runs a Cleveland repertory cinema, provide a deeply rooted family of choice.
Afsoon Pajoufar’s lush backyard scenic design creates a charming backdrop for Haddad’s narrative, sensitively staged by longtime collaborator Danny Sharron. What starts as Charlie’s story—told through Haddad’s deliciously dry humor—eventually loses steam as it hews closely to real-life circumstances, even as aging reshapes how these men care for one another.
Still, Good Time Charlie lives up to its name. In a theatrical season of angry incels and AIDS crisis surrealism, Haddad chooses joy.
“This is a play,” Haddad says to Charlie in a metatheatrical moment. “With a narrative. Not necessarily a plot, but certainly a narrative.” And sometimes, that’s just what we need.
It wants better content.
Is ‘Good Time Charlie’ worth seeing?
Every theater kid deserves a Charlie, and Ryan J. Haddad’s tribute to the gay dentist who taught him to dream in cast albums blooms with enough humor and heart to forgive a few overgrown scenes.
- The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St., New York City
- Notable performers: Ryan J. Haddad, Beth Malone, Jonathan Raviv, Tim Bagley, Michael Cristofer, Nael Nacer, Artemis Pebdani
- Running time: 2 hours and 15 minutes, including intermission
- Performances through Oct. 25, 2026
Have another minute?
Regional Theater – 5 regional theater productions worth the trip this October
Watch – $525,600 for ‘Rent’: Gates Foundation matches the livestream minute for minute
Review – Meet Anita Franco, the rapper formerly known as Anne Frank
