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A Critic's QuandaryDateline: 28th March, 2004If you've read my review of Raising the Stakes at the South Shields Customs House, you'll know what I mean by the "critic's quandary". It's the same quandary which faced those who reviewed the Queen musical We Will Rock You. What do you say about a show which you know is not good but which the public obviously loves? If you go along with the majority verdict, then you are being untrue to yourself, your understanding and your standards - untrue to theatre, in fact - but if you state your real opinion, you are accused of being "élitist", "out of touch" or even "pretentious". Life is easier for the reviewer from a local paper: their job is to tell their readers if they'll enjoy the piece, and so all the local press was enthusiastic about Raising the Stakes. But if you're writing for a national newspaper or a theatre publication (like, obviously, the BTG), then you have a different function. You are writing for a different audience, one which is much more knowledgeable about theatre, has (generally) a wider experience and different standards and expectations. The critic is expected to write at that level, to see the piece in terms of that wider knowledge of theatre, to compare it to others of its type, and even make a judgement about its quality. Having said that, there are always going to be disagreements between critics. Take the production of Homage to Catalonia by West Yorkshire Playhouse et al: our reviewer J D Atkinson hated it and, in the Times, Benedict Nightingale described it as a "mind-bending bout of Spanish flu", but Michael Billington was reasonably enthusiastic. So personal taste also enters the equation. So what about the accusations of élitism etc.? If by élitism we mean having high standards, expecting the play's writing to be intellectually and emotionally rigorous, wanting it to have more than a fleeting impact, demanding more than an unthinking response, rising above the lowest common denominator, then I freely admit it: I am élitist. What's more, I'm proud to be so. Articles Indices:
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