Terry Teachout, Drama Critic for The Wall Street Journal, Has Died

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 1/13/22 at 6:04pm

Sad news about a major voice in the world of theatrical criticism. He was only 65 and lost his wife last year. Nothing official in the press yet but reliable sources on Twitter are posting about it.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 1/13/22 at 6:49pm

WSJ has an obituary up.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/terry-teachout-wall-street-journal-drama-critic-dies-at-age-65-11642115600

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 1/13/22 at 9:13pm

A critic that I found I generally tended to agree with. I always looked forward to reading his reviews. RIP.

[BarnabyTucker]

Posted: 1/13/22 at 9:18pm

He always offered such thoughtful commentary on "Three on the Aisle", and I sincerely hope he is reunited with his beloved wife.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/13/22 at 9:28pm

His journey through grief over the past year and a half since his wife died was deeply moving (documented on FB and Twitter) and I was hoping he would write a book about it.

Sometimes critics become cynical about theatre. You knew Terry loved it, in an almost childlike way that always tickled me.

Also appreciated his commitment to traveling around the country to review regional theatre. 

Updated On: 1/13/22 at 09:28 PM

[MCfan2]

Posted: 1/13/22 at 10:07pm

I only met him on Twitter, never in person, but he was the nicest guy. And he had such a deep love for and knowledge of theater and music and movies. I'll miss him. R.I.P.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/13/22 at 11:20pm

I frequently disagreed with him, but appreciated his opinion nonetheless, and my heart broke for him last year when his wife passed away. I'll miss hearing him on "Three on the Aisle."

[LarryD2]

Posted: 1/14/22 at 8:08am

Among many other things, Terry was also the last major New York-based critic who really gave a damn about regional theater -- and I'm not just talking about starry productions in Chicago or LA or DC. I appreciate how he used his platform to draw attention to great smaller companies around the country. Our paths crossed somewhat over the years, and he was a charming, erudite person, even in the face of unspeakable tragedy like the illness and death of his first wife.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 1/14/22 at 9:42am

Damn, he was the last national theatre critic and a champion of regional theatres across the country.  What a terrible loss for the arts.  

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 1/14/22 at 9:48am

In all honesty, I came to know him through Theatre Talk on PBS. He always seemed to be bordering the line of snotty. His reviews of shows were usually a complete 180 from mine. However, I enjoy Three on the Aisle, and always welcome a different opinion. You can learn a lot from a disagreement. He was great at job, and hopefully there is someone new to follow in his footsteps. 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 1/14/22 at 9:57am

I knew Terry, had interviewed him at drama Book Shop, spent time with him. He was anything BUT snotty. A truly kind man.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/17/22 at 6:15pm

Nice obit in the NYT, though I wish it didn't focus so much on his conservative background. As anyone who follows him on Twitter knows, he has been vehemently anti-Trump and anti-modern conservatism. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/14/books/terry-teachout-dead.html

[goldenboy]

Posted: 1/18/22 at 5:00pm

I never met him but I always found his reviews the most insightful of all and found that most of the time I agreed with his criticism... He and hie writing will be missed.

[Larry6417]

Posted: 1/18/22 at 8:46pm

A theatre critic working at the WSJ. Go figure.