Critics Are On Their Way To Extinction!

[Baileyboo]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 9:29pm

And, as a Spider-Man supporter, I couldn't be happier.

The mostly scathing reviews have had no effect on sales, much to the chagrin of the lame-duck lot of theater snobs posing as critics.

They should all be ashamed of themselves. To not find ANYTHING redeeming in a show still in previews smacks of agendas and desperation. Enjoy yourselves now, critics. Your days are numbered.
Very numbered.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 9:38pm

Thanks for dropping in, Jules!

Now go make yourself another martini!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 9:44pm

1. The reviews came out LESS than 24 hours ago: how much of an effect would you expect to know about?

2. I doubt their agenda is to close the show. They are reporting what they saw.

3. I saw the show. The lights were pretty. Some of the sets were. But that's not very interesting to talk about. Between this board and "real" friends, the vast majority have all agreed -- the show is subpar. The are seeing what I saw. And I saw it 6 weeks ago.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 9:45pm

The reviews were not ALL negative and mentioned the sets and lights several times.

You suck.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 9:46pm

[Baileyboo]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 10:00pm

I do NOT suck!

In all seriousness, I have been going to shows for 35 years, and often disagree with the critics, so this is nothing new for me. I admit it. I loved Hi Fidelity. I enjoyed Pirate Queen. I thoroughly enjoyed Spider-Man. I also enjoyed Next To Normal, Spring Awakening, and countless others. It makes me sick to see a quality show destroyed by the critics. I am NOT speaking of Spider-Man, since it is an obviously flawed production. I am speaking of good shows that get bad reviews, and bad shows that get good reviews. I am happy to see that the influence of the theater critic is getting less and less. Ben Brantley and his ilk be damned.

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 10:10pm

Baileyboo, I'm with you. But, I'm sure nobody is surprised about that.

I too have spent much of today thinking that the Internet is making much of newsprint obsolete. Sad actually, especially if we're replacing the Ben Brantley's with the likes of many of the posters here. Not sure which I loathe more.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 10:30pm

I enjoyed Pirate Queen but that didn't mean I didn't see that it was not going to be a hit and had a limited audience.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 10:52pm

It's not like Baileyboo just joined BWW today, claimed to have been a lurker for years yet never posted before, and asked everybody to think about how hard the cast is working on Spider-Man and how sick it is for people to want them to be out of work.

I also think Baileyboo hits on something with the critics asserting their relevancy in a world in which their form of media is DYING. They don't really care about protecting the public from the evil machinations of the Spidey crew; they obviously put aside whatever professional rivalries they have (and that no one particularly cares about) in order to reach the decision that they would review the show NOW. Otherwise, there's every chance the show would never "officially" open and they would be completely left out of the loop.

The only people who hate a critic-proof piece of merde more than me (I'm looking at the green girl and the Barbie doll) are the people whose column inches are shrinking as fast as circulation of their newspapers. For Taymor and Co to completely bypass them as people continued to come to the show whether the critics weighed in or not could have been their Alamo.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 10:57pm

Bailyboo....the thing is... audiences deserve to hear from critics. Critics, while they are there to tell the good and the bad, mostly focus on the bad. Audiences will go however, and see that there is alot of good too. This is what saved alot of shows that have gone on to be success stories...word of mouth.

Spider-Man reviews have been nothing but negative because the show is filled with nothing but crap! This has been said many times by not just people on here, but from people who have seen the show.
In the end, the critics wont have an effect on a show that is GOOD, and that has more better qualities then good. However, critics do tend to be correct about the bad stuff, and on Spidey, it seems as though they are. The audience will decide.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 11:03pm

There is more word of mouth today than there has ever been in the history of theater.

The horrible word of mouth has definitely been out about this show since before the first performance.

This doesn't change the fact that the critics who decided en masse that the show had to be reviewed TODAY were trying to squirt very pungent urine to claim their dwindling turf.

[blaxx]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 11:08pm

So obsolete and their opinion burns so bad, doesn't it?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 11:09pm

Squealing babies raise their voices when they're being ignored.

[After Eight]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 11:32pm

I didn't like the show, and agree with the critiques of the critics. That said, if it is true that the critics are becoming ever more irrelevant and are losing their power, I, for one, am glad. Because they don't deserve to have power, Nor do I believe their judgment, knowledge, or approach to the theatre anywhere equals that of the critics of yore. And their inflated sense of self importance is in direct disproprtion to their actual acumen. Let's face it. Was there anything in these reviews that wasn't voiced by the members of this very board who attended the first previews?

So really, wo needs 'em, if internet posters can be just as insightful or informative as they, and without their arrogance? So if they go the way of the
dinosaurs, well, that's ok by me.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/9/11 at 12:09am

Except Michael Feingold who is a treasure trove of historical knowledge that he connects to contemporary productions of all types.

[amoni]

Posted: 2/9/11 at 6:46am

It's true. It's not 1975 anymore. I've posted this before. In those days a full page ad in the Sunday New York Times and a mention in a newspaper column was all anyone had to go about a new show. You do realize the site we are are on right now will follow a show from announcement to closing show, don't you? People are now front in center to the very first rehearsal. People make up their minds now about whether they want to see a show on their own and don't rely on a complete strangers opinion of what they should see.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/9/11 at 8:15am

The "pile-on" of bad reviews only made me want to see it more.

[D2]

Posted: 2/9/11 at 8:20am

Me too, PJ.

[justafan2]

Posted: 2/9/11 at 8:57am

The critics were cool to "Wicked" when it opened and it hasn't hurt the box office. I haven't see "Spiderman" yet---so I can't give an opinion, but I think word-of-mouth and exciting potential disasters sell more tix than the critics words.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 2/9/11 at 8:57am

Don't fall for that trap PalJoey. Like I've said before...it's not "so bad it's good" it's just BAD.
Bailyboo...you know who I think should be ashamed? The producers of Spiderman. They should be ashamed for putting a show on for the paying public without having running through it first or even having the ending written.

[Baileyboo]

Posted: 2/9/11 at 9:32am

ErikJ-

I agree with you that this production should have been further along, given the time it has had to gestate. The "no out-of-town tryout" excuse only goes so far. Having said that, I think the show has much quality to it.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/9/11 at 9:39am

No, it doesn't.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 2/9/11 at 9:49am

I wonder if Baileyboo would have started this thread if the reviews were all positive?

Another friend of mine who works in the industry saw it this week, "Mind numbingly boring!" was the review.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/9/11 at 9:58am

There was no way the reviews weren't going to be negative if they coordinated a publishing day together. And also, if the show weren't bad.

[tazber]

Posted: 2/9/11 at 10:32am

The extinction of a species is very serious. I can't believe the flippancy with which we are discussing it.

I feel it is our responsibility to avoid Spider-Man, and in so doing validate the critics in order to help preserve their species.

Take a second and consider how worse off we would be if there were no more official review threads to keep us entertained for every opening.

It is truly a nightmare scenario. Won't you please do your part to help?