Posted: 4/7/21 at 6:44am
Apologies for the very stupid question but is there consensus on what publication constitutes the 2nd most important source for Broadway theatre reviews behind the NYtimes?
Posted: 4/7/21 at 10:23am
I don't know that there is any one outlet or critic I would put in that position. But Helen Shaw, NY Mag/Vulture; Peter Marks, Washington Post; Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune; David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter; Terry Teachout, Wall St. Journal and the several critics who rotate in the top slot at The New Yorker are all of importance.
Posted: 4/7/21 at 3:53pm
I agree about NY Magazine, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, and I will also add Variety and the Associated Press to this list.
Updated On: 4/7/21 at 03:53 PM
Posted: 4/7/21 at 4:05pm
Posted: 4/7/21 at 7:39pm
A tweet from Donald Trump comes in a very close second.
"I'm hearing from many, many people it's very very bad. Very bad. They say it's going to close tomorrow, it's so bad. A lot of money is going to be lost, a lot of jobs lost. That's how bad it is. Tens of millions of dollars is going to be lost. It's very very sad."
That's all I need to read to make up my mind. 
Posted: 4/7/21 at 8:22pm
I don't believe any other newspaper has make-or-break power over a show, so I'd say none.
Posted: 4/9/21 at 4:56am
I would say that it could depend on circulation of the news outlets themselves. USA Today carries theatre reviews and is one of the highest read news outlets world wide.
Posted: 4/10/21 at 1:49pm
In the context of New York, the plain and simple fact is that no reviewer or outlet is really make-or-break anymore, even the NYT. The critics smaxie listed are respected and known within the industry, and among those "in the know," but the average ticket-buyer has never heard of Helen Shaw. That said, critics at major regional newspapers (like Chris Jones in Chicago or Peter Marks, who writes about DC theater despite living in New York) have a greater influence among ticket-buyers within their markets and when it comes to booking out-of-town tryouts.
Posted: 4/10/21 at 2:31pm
I echo Smaxie –– it's not one publication (and the writer at that publication is irrelevant), but a consensus from the following publications bodes well whether or not the NYT loves it:
Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, NY Post, Washington Post, NY Magazine, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Entertainment Weekly
(I would leave the trades like THR and Variety out since those are mainly just read by industry folks and Very Online theatre fans)
Of course, genuine buzz and word of mouth is even more necessary to keep a show afloat; reviews just jumpstart that.
Posted: 4/10/21 at 4:23pm
LarryD2 said: "In the context of New York, the plain and simple fact is that no reviewer or outlet is really make-or-break anymore, even the NYT. The critics smaxie listed are respected and known within the industry, and among those "in the know," but the average ticket-buyer has never heard of Helen Shaw. That said, critics at major regional newspapers (like Chris Jones in Chicago or Peter Marks, who writes about DC theater despite living in New York) have a greater influence among ticket-buyers within their markets and when it comes to booking out-of-town tryouts."
I agree. The internet has pretty much made word-of-mouth the default critic of choice, though it's often simply people "it was really good" and "I loved it" and little to no analysis. Other than for pull quotes in a show's advertising, it seems to me that reviews might have some away over people who are "on the fence" of seeing a show, or by people trying to justify their own opinion of a show.
