Legendary arts critic Clive Barnes has died

81 years of age, after a battle with liver cancer.

He was still reviewing dance (http://www.nypost.com/seven/10312008/entertainment/theater/flames_hot__fling_not_136087.htm) and theater as of a few weeks ago. His last published theater piece was a 4-star review of SPEED-THE-PLOW (http://www.nypost.com/seven/10242008/entertainment/theater/speed_your_way_to_revival_of_mamets_plow_134979.htm).

It's a very sad day for the arts world and arts journalism.

Updated On: 11/19/08 at 10:10 AM

I hope not

This is very sad news

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http://www.playbill.com/news/article/123488.html

Updated On: 11/19/08 at 10:53 AM

This is so sad. He and his contributions to the theatre will be remembered.

Thought and prayers for him and his family.

My thoughts too are with his family.

I can seriously say, when I would travel to NYC, I always liked reading his positive quotes on a lot of the Theatre advertising.

He will be missed.

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Exactly my thoughts, Amalia.

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Sad? SAD? Are you kidding me? He nearly killed the theatre while he was at the Times! I can hardly say I am saddened by his loss, though my thoughts are with his family and friends.
All I can say to the Post is DO NOT make Michael Riedel critic!

Why? It seems pretty legit. Liver cancer? Was he a drinker?
BWW should add to their obituary that aside from his affiable smile (sp?) and grey hair, both true, he was also very fond of falling sleep at the theatre in recent years.
He WAS the only critic that outright loved Merrily We Roll Along. Let's give him credit for that.
I wonder what Hal Prince is thinking about all this. He and Barnes did not have the friendliest relationship. Barnes panned the first two Sondheim-Prince shows, loved Night Music, but simply loathed Pacific Overtures, a show Prince loved dearly and invested his own money in. He wrote Barnes a letter following the opening saying he had killed the show and how disapointed he was in his opinion. Barnes proceded to love On the Twentieth Century and Sweeney Todd, Prince's next two shows. Both were mighty entertaining, but I wonder if he felt badly about Pacific Overtures?
After he gave Light in the Piazza and Grey Gardens negative reviews in recent years, but proceeded to praise Spamalot, Young Frankentstein, Mamma Mia!, among other commercial, campy shows, I lost much respect for him. And he was also no great favorite of ANYONE'S in the 1960s. Until Hair came along, I don't think he gave any musical a possitive review simply because it did not have a rock score, which he felt all musicals should have had by that point. How wrong he was!

Just read the Playbill.com article. I have gained a little more respect for him after learning what he said about John Simon. When will that old crank die? I suppose the day Arthur Laurents does?

Clive Barnes was...is a brilliant man. He will be remembered forever.

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The New York Post is crap, his section was the only good thing about that newspaper, he will be missed. I agreed with him more than with any other critic.
Im happy for whoever takes over his job. A great thrill to take over such a legendary critic.

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Even though I disagreed with him many, many times over the years, this is very sad news.

I fondly remember a great discussion we had at the Edinburgh Airport (he was just leaving the festival, I was just arriving) when I walked up to him and introduced myself. We sat down in the coffee shop and chatted about the Festival for nearly half an hour until his flight was called. Later, I remember thinking that his suggestions on what to see and what to avoid were a lot more reliable than his NY reviews!

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