Is Brantley Feeling B*tchier than Usual?

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 3:01pm

One senses a revulsion has been brewing from having to withstand watching too many non-theatre and/or non-musical theatre actors who have lately trod the boards...
Theater Talkback: Stage Resuscitation for Career-Challenged Celebrities Updated On: 5/26/11 at 03:01 PM

[strummergirl]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 3:10pm

I don't read him regularly, though I did know he did not care for Radcliffe in How to Succeed, but really, the last Potter is not even out yet, nor is his first post-Potter film The Woman in Black- how can we judge his career at this point? Sure he may always be known as Harry Potter to some people but there have been many actors apart of franchise movies that moved on to bigger things.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 3:21pm

I wouldn't even take it seriously. If it's ostensibly about celebrities who need career resuscitation but makes Lady Gaga its closer (even while acknowledging there's no reason for her to be in the article), then it's really not saying all that much, except that it gives them a chance to have a picture of Lady Gaga accompany the article.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 3:31pm

That article reads like the bitchy ruminations that troll this board all too often.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 3:43pm

I'm pretty sure we're allowed to say "bitchier" here without asterisks.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 3:46pm

Oh, I thought we were going for "butchier." Like a French butcher.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 3:49pm

haha -- Mister Matt, that is hilarious. Has he been reading and comiserating with the vetching?

That must be one of the hardest things about being a theatre critic, that you have to go see shows you don't want to see, and then write something on the experience. It's seemed to me he sends Isherwood to shows he doesn't want to see, though I don't know as Brantley controls assignments.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 3:51pm

The first graph, where he talks about "our celebrities," sounds exactly like nomdeplume when she was in high dudgeon about how Spider-Man needed to be shut down to save "our actors."

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 3:52pm

You call having to see shows you don't want to see hard?
I know there are not-so fun aspects of the job, like meeting deadlines, sometimes traveling, etc. but I'd love to do it.

And LOL. I also get the feeling Isherwood gets Brantley's left overs.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 3:59pm

But then the French would be misspelt and the English improper grammar, so you're stuck with bitch.

A vetch by any other name would smell as sweet, or acrid, as may be.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 4:04pm

Um, what?

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 4:11pm

That Spiderman would shut down? AHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Damn, this crystal ball's worth money.

Sorry, not for sale.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 4:14pm

What year is this? Do you know who the president is? When you smile, are both sides of your mouth going up into the grin? I am seriously worried.

[julesboogie]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 4:18pm

OR, OR Mr. Brantley, and hear me out. Lets just put you on the stage. Your career seems to be down-spiraling daily with articles like this. You continue to try to stay relevant by being sensational. Like Lohan, this is clearly some form of acting out for lack of attention. So what role should we put you in?

Maybe Mack in Mack and Mable... you seem to be good at feeding others poison.

Pick a side sir. You blast most things that dont have a celeb (minus BBAJ), and go after shows that have them. Theatre cant seem to win when it comes to you. And that is sad due to the sway you have over ticket buyers. Maybe its time to retire since you seem to hate your gig so much.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 4:27pm

Yeah, Ben, maybe it's time to just take a pleasant vacation. See something avant garde in Scandinavia or some slavic country. Maybe even a nice break to a tropic isle in Southeast Asia, maybe Bali, to fill the cup. Wash the annoyances of the past seasons from memory, come back refreshed.

You might check out Siam Nirimit in Bangkok. Something major funky.

Or maybe what Lincoln Center has going on this summer will help.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 6:55pm

That article just highlights how out of the loop and irrelevant Brantley is. What a dinosaur. The article which clearly raises a good point is derailed by his moronic examples. Actually all of the actors/performers cited are very good.

Ben needs to retire, me thinks.

[Katia2]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 7:53pm

It reads like he started out angry then forgot what he was doing and came back to it in earnest... Christ.

[TimBaase]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 8:40pm

I rarely read Brantley's columns anymore because he seems to be so against everyone in the theatre these days - AND, I would rarely defend the man - but I do agree with him on one thing here: I would LOVE to see Lady Gaga come to the Broadway stage. Of course, she would sell tickets like mad, but she's also the kind of celebrity we want to come to the theatre: one who is dedicated to artistry, to people and can evoke emotions through song. Okay, so maybe mame isn't her show, but lets find something for mother monster :)

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 9:03pm

Not possible

He makes John Simon look like John Paul 2

[My Oh My]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 9:04pm

Hmm, I was expecting a real Bitchfest, but I'll have to disagree this time around and say I found nothing but lightheartedness in that article.

It's not comedic genius either and I doubt he was even going for that but I can agree it is a slow week for Mr. Brantley. Eh, we all have 'em.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 5/28/11 at 3:38pm

It may be an attempt at light-heartedness, but it sours.

Now Brantley can write some interesting stuff when he's interested in the subject matter. Take a look at these varied reviews of Shepard's Tooth of Crime:

1996 show version

http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9906E3DE1131F937A15751C1A960958260

2006 show version

http://theater.nytimes.com/2006/10/09/theater/reviews/09toot.html?pagewanted=1&sq=tooth%20of%20crime%20brantley&st=cse&scp=3

[spike3]

Posted: 5/28/11 at 4:00pm

it was Daniel Radcliff himself who thought it was a good idea to sing and dance. When he was here with Equus he started his vocal and dance training in earnest, in the hopes that he could and would do a musical-a form of theatre that he fell in love with and holds in high regard-that, Mr Brantley, is who thought it was a good idea

[Matt2]

Posted: 5/29/11 at 2:20am

Brantley really has it out for Radcliffe, doesn't he. I mean, I wasn't all that impressed with his performance, but I didn't think it warranted the kind of criticism Brantley has been doling out every chance he gets. If he wants an example of stunt casting gone wrong, he need look to Christie Brinkley in Chicago-- yeesh!

[julesboogie]

Posted: 5/29/11 at 2:51am

^ or gina gershon in bye bye birdie!

[madlibrarian]

Posted: 5/29/11 at 2:46pm

Didn't Brantley write an inexplicable rave for Melanie Griffith in Chicago? And now he cites her "pseudo-dancing"? I'm confused.