Ben Brantley: Second Helpings

I think what he says rings true. I remember when I saw Memphis in previews I thought "How great to see a musical that requires the actors to actually act and not just stand and be pretty." Then I saw the PBS taping and couldn't even get through it. It was so poorly written and the acting had become so "showy" that I just couldn't get on board.

Yup -- I agree with so much he has to say:
Sometimes outraged readers, disagreeing with a review Ive
written, will send me e-mails that begin with a rhetorical
question: Did we see the same production? My answer is
always, No, we didnt. We probably attended different
performances and sat in different seats and brought
entirely different personal histories to bear on what
unfolded before us.

And the following should be required reading around here:
Thats why no one should read any kind of criticism  and
especially theater criticism  as gospel. Its not the last
word. Its the beginning of a conversation.

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Woha... That is one awesome piece (and this is coming from someone who pretty much can't stand Brantley). I love the comment he made about a show never truly being frozen. It is different every time for every different audience member.

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