"Ranking" theater critics/publications- Page 2

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 12/6/17 at 8:07am

I liked Elysa Gardner who used to do reviews for USA Today but she left the paper in 2016.

[newintown]

Posted: 12/6/17 at 8:18am

I would caution against choosing what you see by the subjective opinion of theatre reviewers, most of whom know no more about the art than any enthusiastic audience member. Added to their lack of notable knowledge is the fact that most burn out from seeing too much theatre, and develop either a veiled hostility towards the form (Clive Barnes comes to mind) or bizarrely esoteric tastes (Isherwood).

Reviews can be helpful as a marketing tool, but only because most people seem to think that if something is written in a newspaper or said on television, it has more value than otherwise.

I would recommend choosing what you see by finding out what the content is, who wrote it, who is in it, and if you respond positively to any of those elements. But certainly not based on anyone else's aesthetic values.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 12/6/17 at 8:59am

" I would recommend choosing what you see by finding out what the content is, who wrote it, who is in it, and if you respond positively to any of those elements. But certainly not based on anyone else's aesthetic values."

Like the OP, I don't live in NY and I want to choose wisely on what shows I can see in a limited amount of time in NYC. I usually read a couple of reviews, check with friends and family who live in NY and have seen a particular show and maybe see a clip of the show. For example, I saw "Bandstand" which got mediocre reviews at best. I decided to see it because people I know that saw it really liked it, I enjoy the music of that era and I wanted to see the leads (Corey Cott & Laura Osnes). In other words, I agree with your point about not just depending on critics to make your decision.