Ben Brantley was a good critic, Ben's review carried more weight because he was employed by the NYT - but ultimately it is just one person's opinion. Clive Barnes review carried a lot of weight, when at the NYT but got somewhat diluted when he moved to the Post.
A good example of this is The Woman in White, which Clive loved, but Ben was very negative about and the show closed very quickly. I wonder if Clive was still working for the NYT if the show would've gained legs?