A theater’s stage and its house are sacred spaces. Lives are lived for a precious amount of time each night before the seats are emptied and the ghostlight keeps a watchful eye until the next day’s performance routine begins again the following day. There is no other cast on television right now that understands that more than Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building since a lot of its cast has spent time trotting the boards. During showtime, though, there are other members of the company that keep the backstage running smoothly. For season three of John Hoffman’s irresistible comedy, Michael Cyril Creighton’s Howard steps center stage as a fierce protector of the Goosebury Theater while battling personal ghosts of his own.
Becoming part of a theater production automatically bonds you as a family, and no one wants that more than Howard. If you have ever done theater, you dread the closing performance because those relationships you’ve established will soon vanish or change. Even though Howard doesn’t get to step onto the Goosebury stage (damn you, Oliver Putnam!), he is a loyal member of the backstage company. Give this man a whistle, and he will remind you to sign in when you step into the theater!
Howard butts heads with Death Rattle Dazzle‘s stage manager, K. T., but then they share a moment on the stage when they get to act out their passions even if there isn’t a paid audience. He wants to act in the show, and K. T. is desperate to direct. Only Murders slyly incorporates some of Howard’s childhood insecurities about his physicality and his voice into the scene, and he takes on those things as a badge of honor. He and I talk about how we can’t and shouldn’t conform ourselves into a box in order to fit what a director or producer wants. You shine brightest when you are a singular star. Creighton continually proves that Howard’s huge and eager heart is an asset and never a hindrance. I love when Howard gets excited, his voice climbing towards a high pitch but then Creighton cools it down to a low simmer and embraces the drama in his tone.
The more Howards steps into his own light, the more confident he becomes, and Oliver will have no choice but to cast him in his next Broadway venture. Watch out, Loretta!
Only Murder in the Building is streaming now on Hulu.
