The Critics Say...: 57 Theater Reviewers in New York and Beyond Discuss Their Craft and Its Future (44 page)

Matthew Murray:
Theater does not exist on the page. It exists on the stage, and that’s where you have to experience it. See professional (Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional) plays. See college and high school plays. See community theater. See everything you can, even if it’s not your favorite genre: plays, musicals, operas, dance shows, mime, circuses, performance art. See old plays: the Greeks, the Romans, Shakespeare. See new plays. If you are a serious theater critic, you won’t be able to pick and choose what you see, so you need to know as much as you can about everything that’s out there. And you can augment this by having at least a passing familiarity with other related disciplines: art, architecture, music, fashion, choreography. Eventually, they’ll all play a role in some theater you see.

Then, once you’ve done that, figure out what you think about what you’ve seen and how you can communicate that to others. Tell them who you are and why that’s important. Make them see the play through your eyes. Whatever you think about a play, you’ll bring to it something that no one else in the world possibly can. It’s scary at first, but don’t shy away from it. Embrace it. Embrace who you are and what you have to say, and don’t let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t be saying it. If you know your stuff and you’ve done your homework, your perspective is just as valuable as theirs, and maybe even more so.

Jason Zinoman:
In a way, it’s a better time than ever for people getting started. If you work hard, you can make a name for yourself pretty quickly. Don’t necessarily wait for institutions to give you a platform. Get out there. Write and get better. Freelance as much as possible. Doing some reporting is useful, too. To get really good, you need to do it a lot. And fail. And mess up. Just like an actor or a playwright, you have to focus on your craft. The fun thing about this job is that if you’re a curious person, there’s an endless amount of interesting things. You can never stop learning.

When you’re starting out and young, you have to balance the things that you want to do with the things that you have to do for money. You need to settle on a ratio for that in your mind and stick to it. That ratio can change as you develop in your career. For a long time, I thought, 50 percent of what I’m doing is what I want to do, and 50 percent of what I’m doing is what I need to do.

Hilton Als:
Please keep writing. Do it out of your love for the theater.

It is now February of 2016. Since I completed work on this book a few months ago, the
New York Daily News
and
New York Post
have severely reduced their theater coverage. Frank Rizzo (
Harford Courant
) and Christine Dolen (
Miami Herald
) have retired, and Richard Ouzounian (
Toronto Star
) is on the verge of retiring, which brings into question the future of theater criticism at all of those publications.

In the coming years, we will see more of the same. Mainstream publications will continue to cut back on theater criticism. Except for just a few writers at the
New York Times
and other major regional papers, theater criticism will die out as a full-time profession or even a part-time paying gig. But thanks to countless reviews on the Internet (of varying quality and credibility) theatergoers may not care or even notice.

The straw that would break the camel’s back would be if the
New York Times
scaled back its theater coverage. But barring any unforeseen circumstances, this seems unlikely to occur. As much as people may bemoan the overwhelming power of the
Times
, no other outlet publishes as many reviews of consistent quality. And if the
Times
did scale back, what other outlet would be capable of filling the void?

I am slowly becoming more optimistic about the role that non-paid reviewers on the Internet can have. If they regularly write about theater, and if they do it with knowledge, passion, and wit, they can conceivably establish themselves as legitimate critics. There are plenty of people out there who love theater and are willing to write reviews in exchange for press tickets, or for nothing whatsoever. By just posting a link to their reviews via
Facebook
or
Twitter,
they can peddle their reviews to their social media followers, who may be potential theatergoers. And if their writing is good enough, maybe they can find a way to get paid for their writing (via sponsors or advertising or getting hired by another party).

In a way, this makes theater criticism into more of a meritocracy. In the past, a critic got access to readers only by being published in a newspaper. The paper brought readers to the critic. Going forward, the critic will need to attract readers on his or her own. The critics who manage to stand out may be the best writers, if not those that skilled at self-publicity.

A fine example is the user Jesse21 on the discussion board
All That Chat
. Since 2008, Jesse21 has written a review of about 600 to 800 words for every new Broadway show, posting each review right before the show officially opens. Since he apparently does not receive complimentary press tickets, he is under no obligation to wait until the press embargo is lifted, and he can beat other critics to the punch. I, along with many others who check out
All That Chat
on a daily basis, look forward to his straightforward, well-developed reviews.

My own reviews are also part of the trend of non-professional theater criticism to a certain extent. I have never been a full-time theater critic, and at this point, I never expect to be one. I balance writing theater reviews with the demands of a full-time legal career. I go to a show virtually every night of my life and churn out countless reviews out of my love of seeing theater, just like many others out there.

Bottom line: the theater will change. Theater criticism will change. But regardless of the changes, we need to hold on to our journalistic standards and ethics. We need to turn out reviews that will earn the respect and attention of different kinds of readers. If we can manage that, there could be a meaningful future for theater criticism.

Abie’s Irish Rose

Act One

Actors’ Equity Association

After Dark

Agee, James

Al Hirschfeld Theatre

Albee, Edward

All About Eve

All That Chat

Als, Hilton

America
(magazine)

American Idol

American Place Theatre

American Theater Web

American Theatre
(magazine)

American Theatre Critics Association

American Theatre Wing

amNewYork

Angels in America

Anna in the Tropics

Annie

The Apple Family Plays

A.R.T. Institute

Associated Press

Atkinson, Brooks

Atkinson, Jayne

Aucoin, Don

August: Osage County

Austin Chronicle

Ayckbourn, Alan

Bacalzo, Dan

Backstage

Baldwin, Alec

Barnard Bulletin

Barnes, Clive

Bart, Peter

Benanti, Laura

Bennett, Michael

Bentley, Eric

Bergen County Record

Berger, Glen

Bergman, Ingmar

Bernard, Jami

Betrayal

Bezos, Jeff

Billy Rose Theatre Division

Bishop, Andre

Bishop, Kelly

Blanchett, Cate

The Blonde in the Thunderbird

Bloomberg

Bock, Jerry

Bono

The Book of Mormon

Boston After Dark

Boston Globe

Boublil, Alain

Bradshaw, Thomas

Brantley, Ben

Brecht, Bertolt

The Bridges of Madison County

The Broadway Association

Broadway.com

Broadway League

Broadway World

Broadway Yearbook

Brook, Peter

Brooklyn Academy of Music

Brown, Jason Robert

Brown, Scott

Brown, Tina

Brustein, Robert

Bucks County Playhouse

Burton, Richard

Buscemi, Steve

Cabaret

Camino Real

Canby, Vincent

Caroline, or Change

Cassidy, Claudia

Cats

CBC

Chapman, John

Chenoweth, Kristin

Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Theater Movement

Chicago Tribune

A Chorus Line

Christian Science Monitor

Christiansen, Richard

City Center

Clurman, Harold

Clyde Fitch Report

CNN

Coleman, Cy

Colin Quinn: Unconstitutional

Collins, Gail

Columbia Daily Spectator

Columbia University

Cote, David

Coward, Noel

Cox, Gordon

Craig, Daniel

Crain’s New York

Croce, Arlene

Cromer, David

Cruz, Nilo

Cunningham, Dennis

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Curtain Up

Daisey, Mike

Dale, Michael

Dallas Morning News

The Dance of Death

Davidson, Gordon

Deadline

Death of a Salesman

deBessonet, Lear

Denby, David

Denby, Edwin

Disney

Dogeaters

Dolen, Christine

Dorfman, Ariel

Doubt

Downtown News

Doyle, John

Drabinsky, Garth

Drama Desk

The Drowsy Chaperone

The Duck Variations

Dziemianowicz, Joe

Ebert, Roger

Edelstein, Gordon

Elle

The Empty Space

Encores!

Eno, Will

Entertainment Weekly

Eugene O’Neill Theater Center

Eustis, Oskar

Facebook

Feiffer, Jules

Feingold, Michael

Feldberg, Robert

Feldman, Adam

Felker, Clay

Fiddler on the Roof

Fifth Row Center

Filichia, Peter

Finkle, David

Fleming, Mike

Follies

Footloose

Foreman, Richard

Foster, Sutton

Foxwoods Theatre

Foy, Eddie, Jr.

Franco, James

Fun Home

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Gardner, Elysa

Geier, Thom

Genet, Jean

George Washington University

Gerard, Jeremy

Gerroll, Daniel

Ghosts

Giamatti, Paul

Gigot, Paul

Gilbert, Matthew

Gingold Theatrical Group

Girls in Trouble

Glass, Ira

The Glass Menagerie

Globe and Mail

Globe Theatre

Glory Days

Good People

Good Person of Szechwan

Goodman, John

Goodman Theatre

Grantland

Green, Jesse

Greenberg, Clement

Grode, Eric

Guardian

Guettel, Adam

Guider, Elizabeth

Gypsy

Haimes, Todd

Hair

Hamilton

Hamlet

Harrington, Eve

Harris, Leonard

Hart, Moss

Hartford Courant

Hartford Stage

Harvard Crimson

Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review

Hays, Charlotte

Hazlitt, William

Hedda Gabler

Heilpern, John

Henning, Doug

Henry, William A., III

Henry V   

Herman, Jerry

Hicklin, Aaron

Hilton, Perez

The History Boys

Hitchcock, Alfred

Hitchens, Heather

Hoelterhoff, Manuela

Holler If Ya Hear Me

Hollywood Reporter

Hot Seat

Hudson Review

Huffington, Arianna

Huffington Post

Huneker, James Gibbons

Hurwitt, Robert

Ibsen, Henrik

If/Then

Imus in the Morning

Inge, William

Instagram

Into the Woods

Irina’s Vow

Irving, Amy

Isherwood, Charles

It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman

Jackman, Hugh

Jacobs, Leonard

Jefferson, Margo

Jenkins, Jeffrey Eric

Jesse21

John, Elton

Johnson, Samuel

Jones, Chris

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Kael, Pauline

Kane, Sarah

Kansas City Star

Kauffmann, Stanley

Kaufman, George S.

Kelly, Kevin

Kennedy, Louise

The Kentucky Cycle

Kerr, Walter

Kilgallen, Dorothy

The King and I

King Lear

Kinky Boots

Kipness, Joseph

Kissel, Howard

Klein, Stewart

Krugman, Paul

Kushner, Jared

Kushner, Tony

La MaMa

LaBute, Neil

Labyrinth Theater Company

Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill

Lahr, Bert

Lahr, John

Lane, Anthony

Lane, Nathan

Lansbury, Angela

La Rocco, Claudia

Laurents, Arthur

Law, Jude

Leight, Warren

Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim

Lestat

Letterman, David

The Light in the Piazza

Lincoln Center

Lincoln Center Festival

Lindsay, Robert

Lindsay-Abaire, David

The Lion King

Lipton, Brian

“Little Man”

A Little Night Music