John Simon let go!

[wildcat]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 8:12am

Did anyone notice that John Simon has been let go from New York magazine effective June 1st?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 8:16am

He won't be missed.

From the NY Times:

"Yesterday afternoon, ADAM MOSS, the editor of New York magazine, called JOHN SIMON, the magazine's theater critic, into his office and, according to Mr. Simon, said he wanted to go in a different direction. In other words, thanks and see you later.

"What can I say?" Mr. Simon asked. "They want a fresh point of view."

Mr. Simon, 79, who has been at the magazine for "37 and two-thirds years," said that he is now willing to consider any offers.

"My last review is 'Sweet Charity,' " he added. "Which is ironic."

Mr. Moss declined to comment."


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/10/nyregion/10bold.html?

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 8:19am

Mr. Simon, 79, who has been at the magazine for "37 and two-thirds years," said that he is now willing to consider any offers.

SEVENTY NINE???????????? Jesus Christ man, how about considering retirement?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 8:24am

Clive Barnes is also 79 and there are a few others in their late 60s and early to mid-70s.

This is the reason I've advocated a mandatory retirement age for critics for several years. They all need to be put out to pasture. I really couldn't be happier that the racist, homophobic, misogynist Simon has FINALLY been let go.

One down and about a dozen to go.......

[Corine2]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 8:31am

Wow. He is not exactly loved in the theater community.
And to quote from one of my favorite musicals:
So long. Farewell! Goodbye!
I will never forget my meeting with Simon. I met him at a Theater Talk benefit. It was a few years ago.
I went over to him and introduced myself. In a nice manner, I asked him what shows he liked during that season.
His reply: (SHOUTING)
WHAT? DON'T YOU READ MY COLUMN!!!!!!!!!
My reply: Yes, and what shows do you like Mr Simon.
He laughed and stopped screaming but he is a very scary man.
SCARY!
So Boris will take over? Harvey better be nicer to BORIS.

Updated On: 5/10/05 at 08:31 AM

[morosco]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 11:23am

THAT"S GREAT NEWS! Goodbye to bad rubbish.
Updated On: 5/10/05 at 11:23 AM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 11:47am

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 11:47am

John Simon is a nasty man, but he along with Michael Riedel are just about the only "must reads" in the theatre community. He may not be missed by some of the people he has reviewed, but he will be missed by those who like to be entertained.

[robbiej]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 11:52am

'I really couldn't be happier that the racist, homophobic, misogynist Simon has FINALLY been let go.'

Sure ya can, Margo! Cause someday he'll be dead!

[Plum]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 12:27pm

How on earth does Simon qualify as a "must-read"? He sometimes has a way with words, but his opinions- dear lord. I hope the man has a happy retirement.

[Corine2]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 12:29pm

Updated On: 5/10/05 at 12:29 PM

[robbiej]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 12:40pm

'I hope the man has a happy retirement.'

And I personally hope he has to have his diapers changed by a black, Jewish lesbian who makes Nurse Ratched look like Mother Theresa.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 12:41pm

Plum -- John Simon is a must read precisely because of the reasons Margo complains about above. His reviews are anything but politically correct and his viscious opinions are legendary.

[Corine2]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 12:41pm

RJ,
Thanks for making me spit up my ice coffee.

[Luke0827]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 1:12pm

In my opinion, John Simon's reviews are the most insightful, interesting, finely written theatrical writings in print today. Why NEW YORK would dismiss a man of his knowledge, intellect, and skill is a mystery and a big mistake. So what if he offended people? He's a genius, with insights and a talent for expressing them that no other critic in New York can rival. I would be pleased to a New York newspaper sign him, for I simply cannot imagine not reading his column each week.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 1:14pm

Michael Bennett, I don't even know you and I love you.
Tell me, do you read Ann Coulter, too? I do...call me, we'll talk.

Oh, and bye bye, Mr. Simon!

[Lamc16]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 1:25pm

I say good ridence. He trashed "virginia woolf," not to mention practically every other show this season.

[morosco]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 1:30pm

Perhaps he's finally gone mad. Did you guys read his uncharacteristically RAVE REVIEW for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?
John Simon's CCBB review

[leomaxfrank]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 2:02pm

I just welcome the idea of reading a different reviewer's opinion. Simon indeed NEEDED to be relieved of his duties.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 2:14pm

This is the best news...better than Victoria Clark finally having a role that will make her the star she is and taking a tony...

Robbiej, you made me laugh out loud and my boss is going to get suspicious!

[NYFINCH2]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 2:30pm

Everyone hates John Simon, myself included. It's understandable. He is mean, stubborn, stuck in his ways and, as has been mentioned before in the thread, misogynistic. But he has become a fixture of the critical scene. While I personally rarely agree with him and am often furious about his vituperative darts at specific performers, he nevertheless is a good writer (much more so than Barnes or Kissel) and that to me is the only way to really judge a critic. I can't say that his opinions aren't valid; indeed they probably represent many (older) people who are frequent Broadway patrons. I would much rather see those other two critics I mentioned go than Simon. A diversity of opinion is never a bad thing in criticism.

NYFINCH2

On the other hand I am glad the bastard got his comeuppance!

[twogaab2]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 2:34pm

Believe it or Not! He used to be a LOT worse. He has actually mellowed in the last 25 years.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 2:43pm

From Theatremania:

"Jeremy McCarter, currently chief theater critic for The New York Sun, has been named to replace John Simon as chief theater critic for New York magazine, effective June 1. Simon was let go yesterday afternoon by New York's editor-in-chief, Adam Moss.

The 79-year-old Simon has been the magazine's theater critic for 37 years. "I am, and have always been, a great admirer of John Simon's courage as a critic and of his powerful prose," stated Moss. "John has outlasted every critic in the long and illustrious line of cultural writers for this magazine -- and almost every other critic in this business. It has been an incredible ride. He will be missed."

Throughout Simon's tenure at the magazine, his reviews were controversial due to the often scathing way in which he expressed his opinions and his attacks on the physical appearance of many performers. As quoted by The New York Times, Simon said that Moss said he was looking to take New York in a younger direction. McCarter is 28.

In addition to his job at The New York Sun, McCarter is a contributing editor at The New Republic, which he joined after graduating from Harvard in 1998. From 1999 to 2002, he was editor of The New Republic Online. In addition to his work as a journalist, he has directed full productions and readings of plays by Tony Kushner, Tennessee Williams, and others.

According to Moss, "Jeremy McCarter has enormous shoes to fill, so he will have to forge a fresh path at New York magazine while doing justice to the space that, for 37 years, has been occupied by a cultural legend. Jeremy is that rare critic who appears to have been born with a confident voice and a discerning eye, and I am sure that our readers will be excited and impressed by him as I am."

[leomaxfrank]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 2:48pm

28 years young. I love it

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 5/10/05 at 4:26pm

I agree that he has definitely mellowed over the years...in the early 80's he was merciless, which is fine if something was really bad...but calling an actress "unpleasantly fat?" Come on! He's a pig...great writer or not, he's a pig (I generally disagreed with him anyway...)