Chicago Reader Joke of Critic!

Has anyone else out there put it together that Justin Hayford (theatre critic of the Chicago Reader) is also an actor/cabaret performer.

This seems like the most poor journalism decision in the theatre community?

So we have an "actor" reviewing other "actors"

Seems totally funky to me and very small town to me

Thoughts?

Actually, Hayford's not an actor--he was a director before becoming a critic.

The Reader has a long tradition of employing people with practical theater experience as critics, mostly playwrights but some other people on occasion. Megan Powell over at Time Out used to be the artistic director of Wing & Groove. Generally, if there's a conflict of interest, they won't cover a company--Hayford directed for Lookingglass so he won't review their shows.

What is more amusing to me is that the out-and-out Marxist Hayford, who has actually called in a review for Boystown to secede from the rest of Chicago, would be singing decadent capitalist bourgeois cabaret music in night spots with neon signs for evil capitalist corporate beer companies. Looks like the Hypocrites have another potential member.