Longtime Charlotteans know Lawrence Toppman from the 40+ years he spent as a critic at The Charlotte Observer. Now, he writes reviews for The Charlotte Ledger several times a month in a column called “Larry At-Large.”
The Ledger has a partnership with The Sharon at South Park retirement community and hosted a Q&A session in December 2024 for residents. Lawrence shared his experiences as an arts critic, how he approaches his reviews and what he’s learned along the way. He also answers residents’ questions, like:
His thoughts on a wide range of movies, including “Ghost,” “Moana,” “Back to the Future,” “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “O Brother Where Art Thou?”
His take on the new film version of the popular Broadway musical “Wicked.”
How his approach to writing reviews has changed from his younger days to today, and whether it’s harder to write negative or positive reviews.
Why he opposes most standing ovations in Charlotte.
If he ever regretted a review or wishes to take one back. (Hint: The review was for a popular sci-fi film in the 1970s.)
His conversation with Ledger managing editor Cristina Bolling and Sharon residents was so good, we turned the recording into a podcast to share with you. Enjoy!
This is a recording of Lawrence Toppman’s talk at The Sharon on December 2, 2024.
Lindsey Banks produces the Charlotte Ledger Podcast.
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