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Post by lt on Jun 4, 2024 13:59:17 GMT
It's interesting, I always read theatre reviews avidly, but yet, I have less and less faith in their opinion. If a performance has universally bad reviews, that usually does tell me something.
But where the reviews are positive, I find it much hard to judge if I'm going to like a production or not. I used to find that there were certain critics I was more likely to find helpful but recently I've found that not so much to be the case. In fact, it's one of the reasons I joined Theatre Board, because I wanted to get another independent perspective.
So wondered how reliable others find professional reviewers?
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Post by shownut on Jun 5, 2024 6:37:30 GMT
There are few critics whose opinions I admire other than David Benedict who occasionally reviews for both Variety and Whats On Stage. He knows the craft quite well, especially musical theatre, and is able to write critiques that dig beneath the surface and offer full explanation as to why something does or does not work (in his opinion).
I occasionally do not agree with his reviews, but I admire his perpective and style of writing.
I can think of no other London critics that I currently find reliable in terms of their critiques.
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Post by jojo on Jun 5, 2024 9:28:57 GMT
I'm always wary of reviews that are overly gushing or overly harsh. I like to see a bit of objectivity in a review, and a good reviewer can explain what they think did and didn't work well in a production without telling the reader they'll feel the same way. Not all theatre goers enjoy the same things, but some reviewers forget that and seem to treat is as an opportunity to convince us how we should react. IMO the most important aspect of a review is being able to work out if it's something I might enjoy even if the reviewer didn't and vice versa.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jun 5, 2024 11:57:50 GMT
I miss Billington, didn't always a agree but they were well written. I find Africa akaba a really puzzlement and I have stopped reading them.
Edit: Arifa
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Post by blamerobots on Jun 5, 2024 14:22:55 GMT
I like to read reviews, but more because I find it more interesting to think of what the person writing it is like. There's so many artistic elements coming together at the same time in big shows I feel it's hard to truly condense opinion down into something like a star rating. If I don't know this reviewer personally, I'm expecting them to be fully honest and justify themselves..! Fully fleshed out and fully realised reviews focusing more on subjective dramatic, emotional value matters a lot more to me. I'm a very dramatic, emotional person  I do often just go and see the show myself in most cases. I'm really annoyed I missed Opening Night due to illness because that show was completely enigmatic to me. |
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Post by cavocado on Jun 5, 2024 15:09:40 GMT
I miss Billington, didn't always a agree but they were well written. I find Africa akaba a really puzzlement and I have stopped reading them. I agree about Billington. He writes really well and has a huge knowledge and love of theatre and its history, so his Guardian reviews were always worth reading even if I disagreed with him or wasn't interested in the show. But news sources have changed, it's not just that Arifa Akbar is a lesser writer, but that she is expected to write for clicks and for people who are dipping into a range of sources and will already have seen audience members' social media posts. I think there's less room for a thoughtful, intelligent critique of the arts from a single source when people can easily share views with a wider range of people on places like this. |
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Post by alessia on Jun 6, 2024 8:31:30 GMT
I still read them but usually after I've seen the show to avoid spoilers. I like to just see what most reviewers think in terms of stars given...and from that I decide if I want to buy a ticket, but don't read the full reviews before. Lately I've disagreed with a few critics I usually found reliable like the Timeout guy, but generally when something is consistently getting 5 stars or 2 stars, then it tells me that it's worth seeing or not.
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Post by ceebee on Jun 6, 2024 8:34:12 GMT
I enjoy reading other people's opinions (I guess that's why I'm on here too) but I don't think reviews influence my purchasing choices - I tend to get in early on most productions anyway so if I enjoy them I have the chance to go again.
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Post by lt on Jun 6, 2024 11:15:35 GMT
It's a weird thing but I tend to believe in newspaper critics reviews - whether good or bad - but never "bloggers" - although I did stop reading the Sunday Times when Quentin Letts became its theatre critic.I find I trust that the "written word" ones to be more honest in their reviews whereas bloggers I feel don't want to to give a bad review in case it spoils their chances of another freebie in the future or as my granny used to say "Piss on their chips!". Sadly, I think I have lost faith in a lot of newspaper critics and not sure I find them more reliable. I think one of the issues perhaps for a newspaper critic is that they will have seen classic productions - such as say Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams - performed many times and therefore are more indulgent towards shows that "reinterpret" the classics, and are perhaps desperate for a bit of novelty! That said, I did love the recent new modern production of The Glass Menagerie. |
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Post by lt on Jun 6, 2024 11:22:15 GMT
I enjoy reading other people's opinions (I guess that's why I'm on here too) but I don't think reviews influence my purchasing choices - I tend to get in early on most productions anyway so if I enjoy them I have the chance to go again. I think reviews influence my decisions a bit, I would have got tickets for Dorian Gray because of the reviews, but that proved impossible, certainly at a price I was prepared to pay.
But I've probably been more influenced by opinions on this forum, I have seen People, Places and Things; Machinal; and Blizzard because of reviews I've read here.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2024 16:57:50 GMT
I don't put any faith in reviews. Just because a critic likes / dislikes a show, it doesn't mean that I will. I tend to pick what I see based on cast, creative team or if the show intrigues me. Plus, in a world of pre-sales, I tend to buy before any reviewers have had a chance to see and review the show.
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Post by Phantom of London on Jun 6, 2024 23:05:20 GMT
Where to start?
I don’t look at critics, as I find them too self serving, they tend to have gone to the correct schools, same applies to other genres of criticism. I have gone and seen a show, because of people on here have said it is good, plus I can get a reasonably priced ticket which helps.
A pertinent examples would be Cinderella which got 5 star reviews across the board, there is no bigger Webber fan boy than me and I found that show so bad, Webber’s worst show. It got to New York where it tanked with universal 1 star review. The revival I saw tonight at the sold out Dominion being Sister Act, got bad reviews at the London Palladium, Michael Billington gave it 2 stars - which he very seldom gave. Sister Act is a fun show, that doesn’t take itself seriously and has a brilliant score.
However The Daily Telegraph’s Charles Spencer had a great nose for a show, he was better than the incumbent.
FWIW Les Miserable got panned and that is the greatest musical ever written, every aspect of it is 5 stars, it is theatrical perfection!
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Post by Phantom of London on Jun 6, 2024 23:09:58 GMT
Also the phenomenon being Six and Operation Mincemeat, which I would say is purely more down to social media, than mainstream media.
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Jun 7, 2024 9:30:39 GMT
Does Nicholas still post on this board? Best in the business
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Post by BVM on Jun 8, 2024 10:51:16 GMT
Almost zero these days am afraid.
That said I have a long history of loving stuff critics thought was dreadful and being underwhelmed by their raves.
At the end of a day I just see them as someone's personal opinion.
I trust the people on here who I know enjoy similar things to me way more :-)
I'd even trust MJT more than most paper based critics. Don't always agree with his likes, but he describes the elements of shows very well, enabling you to form a vague opinion.
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