ZHIVAGO is Closing on Sunday — Page 2

Did you hear that from an actual source or just folks claiming it here?

To Broadway

I was being facetious in honor of all the Wildhorn haters on the board.

"To Broadway
I was being facetious in honor of all the Wildhorn haters on the board."

Don't forget the Jason Robert Brown celebratory failures.

Roxy, did you see the show? Did you find anything in it worthy of nurturing? If so, please clue me in because I saw it and though I was comped, I wore a freshly laundered shirt and the $2.75 I paid for that was more than the show was worth. As someone noted, it is not the job of critics to say nice things about Broadway shows that should never have been brought in, or to offer constructive criticism. When a show opens on Broadway, it is too late for that. What seems so preposterous about your posture on this subject is that it really has no other explanation other than that you are defending bad theatre. Is that really your shtick?

and there it is. Lasting a week longer that some were speculating earlier.

Fisherman, I am an eternal optimist that the human mind retains remarkable abilities to rehabilitate. I admit that there are a few world-class challenges to that optimism on this board. But I persevere.

Why shouldn't "constructive criticism" be a responsibility of a drama critic?

Notice I wrote "a", not "the". I'm certainly not saying a critic should have to pretend to like a show just because s/he doesn't know how to fix it. I find Wildhorn's (and most of Webber's) music bombastic and boring, but I'm not remotely qualified to discuss how it might be improved. On the other hand, I am trained in dramatic structure and might have a useful suggestion in that department.

And if s/he DOES know--or thinks s/he knows--how to fix something, why isn't that a more interesting use of column inches or TV time than lame attempts at new forms of insult?

To answer your question Hogan I did indeed see the show.

Fisherman, you made me laugh. But one thing I've learned (with apologies to AGBell) is that when one clown closes a door, some clown always shows up to open another one.

Gaveston, by the time a critic sees a show opening on Broadway, who is served by constructive criticism? Not the show and certainly not the reader. Ideally, criticism addresses its subject in its own context, and in the context of the broader culture. The function you describe (the making of useful suggestions) necessarily comes before. There are armies of dramaturgs, directors, producers who can and should make useful suggestions throughout the development of a play. When that process is dysfunctional-and regrettably it is in a lot of cases on Broadway-the criticism you call an insult is actually the only apt way of expressing the cultural context of a show that is unworthy of the platform it has been given. If you think there is too much being insulted, perhaps you should change perspective and ask whether we are being fed too much crap. Because these shows that are being castigated in criticism this season (and it is not unique to this season) are not noble efforts that failed; they are lazy achievements that moved forward notwithstanding obvious problems that just about anyone can see. Zhivago (and it is far from alone) is a poster child for properties that had no business reaching critics in the condition it was in. But writing a review telling the creatives what they need to improve, after the horse has reached the finish line, doesn't help anyone and certainly does not interest the audience for the criticism. In fact, in my experience, the last thing a creative wants to hear when his or her show just opened is what he or she should have done.

Roxy, that only answers my first question. How about taking a stab at the second one, which is the important one: did you honestly find anything worthy of applauding in what you saw? I'm all ears (or eyes, as the case may be). Because I have no stake in this, but I found it the nadir of the theatrical form-utterly lacking in worth. I love to love shows and I hate to hate shows, but why should I lie? I don't hate bad shows; they demonstrate that experiments are being made and risks are being taken. And that feeds a healthy theatre. But I hate lazy shows and that's precisely what is on display at the Broadway Theatre for another six days.

Hogan

I have no intention of getting into a pissing contest with you over any show .I have been seeing shows,good and bad, for over 50 years. Unlike you who has a high and mighty attitude about good and bad, I see a show and go in with an open mind. The important thing is if my wife and I like it. I now take the attitude if a show lasts great .If not that is life.You seem to feel that the actors should be punished for doing a show you deem unworthy.

I once thought (and told you so) you were reasonable and did not resort to sarcasm. Boy was I wrong there. Let's be like ships in the night and pass each other from now on.

Excuse me but I am going to bed now.Some medical tests I have tomorrow are a hell of a lot more important than beating my head against a wall here.

Have a nice night. Sorry our discussions will now be history.Further discussions between us will serve no purpose.

"The show is closing that quickly? This is becoming the Broadway version of CHESS of our generation. Too bad for the cast and crew."

Except the score of Chess is terrific (although the Broadway transfer added a lot of unnecessary new material).