The Critics Say...: 57 Theater Reviewers in New York and Beyond Discuss Their Craft and Its Future (2 page)

Rather than present each interview separately, I wanted to organize the book by topic, with each chapter containing responses from the various critics to the same questions. That way, readers could easily compare and contrast the conflicting positions taken by the critics on each issue. While one critic sees himself as a member of the theater community, another sees herself first and foremost as a journalist. One sees himself as a reviewer, another sees herself as a critic, and a third person thinks there’s no difference whatsoever between the two terms.

Whether you agree with the opinions expressed by critics such as John Simon or Ben Brantley, these are people who love the theater and who understand it just as well as—and maybe even better, or at least differently than—many actors, producers, directors, playwrights, designers, producers, press agents, and other prominent industry professionals. Although a critic may get press tickets to high-profile shows, he or she also has to endure plenty that are far less interesting or artistically successful, and the critic is expected to write about all of them. It’s part of the job. And many—if not most—theater critics working today are not getting paid for their writing. They’re doing it because they love the theater.

Even to this day, the theater critic maintains a unique, seemingly glamorous position—delivering a verdict-like final judgment on the work of trained, perhaps even famous actors, writers, and directors. Who are these people? Where do they get the right to say whether David Mamet’s new drama is a dud or whether a Hollywood star doesn’t have the chops to handle a Shakespeare comedy? I’ve got to imagine that anyone who’s ever been stung by a bad review would be interested in learning more about these people and where they’re coming from.

If the profession (is it even still considered a profession at this point, as opposed to a lucky gig for a select few?) continues to die out, if opportunities to be a professional critic continue to fall by the wayside, I believe that the theater will be very different—and most likely, not for the better. Without the support of critics, it’s hard to imagine
Hamilton
,
Fun Home
,
Spring Awakening
,
Doubt
, and so many other well-reviewed? Off-Broadway shows transferring to the Great White Way and enjoying mainstream success. The loss of critics could change which shows get to Broadway and, once there, which ones are able to enjoy healthy runs.

Then again, maybe theater criticism doesn’t need to be a professional gig anymore. After all, countless people on Internet message boards are more than willing to take the time to share their thoughts about new shows without any sort of financial compensation. Some of them write just as well as, if not better than, the so-called professional critics. But who are those people on the Internet message boards, who go by usernames rather than their real names? Can they be trusted? Do they work for the producer of the show they’re writing about—or perhaps a rival producer?

I think it’s best to imagine this book as the transcript from a massive symposium on theater criticism in which I act the moderator. In order to focus squarely on the critics I interviewed, I have refrained as much as possible from adding my own responses to the questions being posed. I hope that the book is coherent and readable from start to finish. However, feel free to skip around between chapters or to look for the responses from the critics you like the most.

Writing any book on this subject leads to the issue of how to spell it: “theater” or “theatre”? I flipped a coin and decided to go with “theater,” except when referring to any specific publications, venues, or companies that use the other spelling.

Thank you for picking up this book and taking the time to think about theater criticism—its past, present, and future. I do not claim to be an expert—only someone who has written theater reviews and who cares about theater criticism. If you have any feedback, feel free to email me at [email protected].

These identifications are current as of March 2016. Considering how unpredictable the publishing industry has become, at least some of them may have become outdated by the time this book is released.

Hilton Als
is the chief theater critic of the
New Yorker
. He was previously a staff writer at the
Village Voice
and editor-at-large at
Vibe
. He is the author of
The Women
,
Justin Bond/Jackie Curtis
, and
White Girls
. He has taught at the Yale School of Drama, Wesleyan University, Wellesley College, and Smith College. He received the 2002–03 George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism.

Don Aucoin
is the chief theater critic of the
Boston Globe
, where he was previously a political reporter and television critic. He is a co-author of
Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy
. He teaches writing at Boston College.

Dan Bacalzo
was the managing director of
TheaterMania.com
. He is now an assistant professor of theater at Florida Gulf Coast University. He has written for academic publications including
TDR
and
Theatre Journal
. He is a playwright, performer, and dramaturg.

Ben Brantley
is the chief theater critic of the
New York Times
. He has written for
Women’s Wear Daily
,
Elle
,
Vanity Fair
, and the
New Yorker
. He is the author of
The New York Times Book of Broadway: On the Aisle for the Unforgettable Plays of the Last Century
and
Broadway Musicals: From the Pages of The New York Times
. He received the 1996–97 George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism.

Scott Brown
was the theater critic for
New York
magazine from 2010 to 2013. He received the 2012–13 George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism. He has written for
Entertainment Weekly, Wired, GQ,
and
Time
. He is also the co-author/composer of
Gutenberg! The Musical!
He is currently a writer for the television drama
Manhattan
.

David Cote
is the theater editor and chief theater critic of
Time Out New York
and a contributing theater critic on NY1. He has written for the
Guardian
, the
New York Times
, and
Opera News
. He is also a playwright and opera librettist.

Gordon Cox
is the theater editor and reporter of
Variety
. He previously wrote for
Newsday
.

Michael Dale
is the news and features editor of
BroadwayWorld.com
. He has been reviewing for the website since 2002. Before then, he spent 20-odd years singing, dancing, and acting in summer stock and dinner theaters.

Christine Dolen
was the theater critic of the
Miami Herald
for 36 years. She was formerly a critic and editor with the
Detroit Free Press
.

Joe Dziemianowicz
is the theater critic and reporter of the
New York Daily News
.

Robert Faires
is the arts editor of the
Austin Chronicle
. He is also an actor, director, and playwright.

Robert Feldberg
is the theater critic and reporter of the
Bergen County Record
in New Jersey.

Adam Feldman
is a theater and cabaret critic for
Time Out New York
. He has served as president of the New York Drama Critics’ Circle since 2005.

Peter Filichia
is the New Jersey theater critic emeritus for the
Star-Ledger
. He currently writes online columns for Music Theatre International, MasterWorks Broadway, and Kritzerland. His books include
The Biggest Hit and the Biggest Flop of the Season
,
Broadway MVPs of the Past 50 Seasons
,
Strippers, Showgirls and Sharks
, and
The Great Parade
. He is chairman of the Theatre World Awards.

David Finkle
writes about theater for the
Clyde Fitch Report
and
Huffington Post
. He was the chief drama critic for
TheaterMania.com
for 12 years. He has written about theater for scores of publications including the
Village Voice
and the
New York Times
.

Elysa Gardner
is an entertainment critic and reporter at
USA Today
, where she writes about theater and pop music. She has also written for
Entertainment Weekly
, the
New Yorker
, the
Los Angeles Times
, and
Rolling Stone
.

Thom Geier
was a senior editor and theater critic at
Entertainment Weekly
. He is now the deputy managing editor at
TheWrap.com
and a writer for
CultureSauce.net
.

Jeremy Gerard
is the executive editor and theater critic of
Deadline.com
. He has written for
Bloomberg News
, the
New York Times
, and
Variety
. He is the author of
Wynn Place Show
.

Jesse Green
is the theater critic of
New York
magazine. He has also written for the
New York Times
. He is the author of
O Beautiful
and
The Velveteen Father: An Unexpected Journey to Parenthood
.

Eric Grode
was the theater critic of the
New York Sun
. He has written for the
New York Times
,
Broadway.com
, the
Village Voice
, and
New York
magazine. He is the author of
Hair: The Story of a Show That Defined a Generation
. He teaches at Syracuse University as part of the Goldring Arts Journalism Program.

Perez Hilton
is the entertainment blogger behind
PerezHilton.com
.

Robert Hurwitt
is the theater critic of the
San Francisco Chronicle
. He previously wrote for the
San Francisco Examiner
. He received the 1994–95 George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism.

Charles Isherwood
is a theater critic at the
New York Times
. He has written for
Variety
, the
Times of London
,
The Advocate
, and
Backstage West
. He received the 2005–06 George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism.

Leonard Jacobs
was the national theater editor and a critic at
Backstage
and a theater critic for
New York Press
. He founded the
Clyde Fitch Report
, a website on arts and politics, and authored
Historic Photos of Broadway: New York Theater, 1850–1970
. He is currently the Director of Cultural Institutions at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Chris Jones
is the chief theater critic of the
Chicago Tribune
. He previously covered Broadway and the road for
Variety
. A former academic and associate dean, he is also the director of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.

John Lahr
has been a contributor to the
New Yorker
since 1992. He was the magazine’s senior drama critic for 21 years. He has twice won the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism. His books include
Notes On a Cowardly Lion: The Biography of Bert Lahr
,
Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh
, and
Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton
. He has edited the diaries of Joe Orton and Kenneth Tynan. He is the first critic ever to win a Tony Award for co-authoring
Elaine Stritch at Liberty
.

Brian Lipton
was the editor-in-chief of
TheaterMania.com
. He currently writes for
IN New York
,
Cititour.com
, and
Theater Pizzazz
.

Peter Marks
is the chief theater critic of the
Washington Post
. He was previously a theater critic for the
New York Times
.

Matthew Murray
is the chief New York theater critic of
TalkinBroadway.com
. He has also served as an editor for
TheaterMania.com
and
Stage Directions
magazine and contributed to
Backstage
.

Michael Musto
writes the column “Musto! The Musical!” for
Out
magazine and pieces for the “Style” section of the
New York Times
. He wrote the entertainment column “La Dolce Musto” for the
Village Voice
. He is the author of
La Dolce Musto: Writings by the World’s Most Outrageous Columnist
and
Fork on the Left, Knife in the Back
.

Jesse Oxfeld
was the theater critic of the
New York Observer
. He has also been an editor of
Tablet
magazine and
New York
magazine.

Richard Ouzounian
was the theater critic of the
Toronto Star
. He has also worked as a director, lyricist, and playwright.

Michael Portantiere
has been a theater journalist and editor for more than 35 years. He is a panelist for the weekly Broadway Radio podcasts on
BroadwayStars.com
. He is also a theatrical photographer.

Andy Propst
is the founder of
AmericanTheaterWeb.com.
He has written for
TheaterMania.com
, the
Village Voice
, and
Backstage
. He is the author of
You Fascinate Me So: The Life and Times of Cy Coleman
.

Ronni Reich
was an arts reporter and critic for the
Star-Ledger
. She has also written for the
Washington Post
and
Backstage
.

Michael Riedel
is the theater columnist of the
New York Post
. He is also the co-host of
Theater Talk
on PBS. He is the author of
Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway
.

Frank Rizzo
is the theater critic and arts reporter of the
Hartford Courant
. He also writes for
Variety
,
American Theatre
magazine, and the
New York Times
.