Hey everyone , it's my 50th post!!!!! How bout that? Who knew we would last so long???Thanks to all of you regulars who come to share thoughts and ideas daily...keep it up!
Anyhoo...my last comment actually got ME to thinking...perhaps I was too harsh, and spoke out of turn, so you tell me, theatre folk. DO you read your own reviews? Many folks say that don't- that's always struck me as the kind of thing we're SUPPOSED to say...but in my head, I just don't think most who say it are sincere. I'm not intimating that we all live and die by them. I certainly don't: A good review is nice, and it's also useful to me (we teachers need such things for our doissiers- they're very helpful for tenure and promotion purposes and for use in our CV's) and sure: I'll man up and say it...I LIKE gettiing good press! It ain't gonna kill me if I don't , but it's nice when I do...so you tell me. Yes or no, and why?
Points for the reference...BUT...not the original. Most will know this comes from A DAY IN THE LIFE by the Beatles, BUT...what British artist paraphrased this line in one of his own tunes in the mid-70's? SIXTY NINE points for the answer!!!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
Im guessing David Bowie?
All performers like a good review. What most cant stand is NOT being mentioned at all. Whether good or bad, they like to at least be noticed enough to be acknowledged.
At least that what ive noticed from being around those types.
I'll be taking my 69 points now.
Hmmm...comin right up, honey!
I don't hunt down the reviews in the paper. Almost always someone else does and there will be a paper around and I'll check it out when it is convenient. I like good reviews and consider the bad ones briefly.
The first time I read a review (a short, but complimentary one) of my work , it was ingraved in my brain for the longest time and had a deep impact. That's when I decided that I shouldn't make it a habit to read reviews and not to take them too much to heart. That type of emotional whiplash is not healthy for my already-stoked neurosis.
I've memorized every review I've ever gotten by heart. I have also photocopied them all and created a mural on my living room wall. If I get a good review I copy it and pass it out to everyone I see on the street. If I get a bad one, I don't leave my house for three weeks.
I read the reviews of all the plays in the area. A bad review doesn't keep me from seeing a show, but a good one certainly encourages me to buy a ticket. I cringe when an actor gets a pan, and I'm happy to see somebody I know get praised. I'd be lying if I said I didn't look to see if I get a mention, but it doesn't wreck or make my day either way--well, maybe for a few minutes. Like Steve said, it's only one person's opinion. I do think it's a little wierd that our local critics get assigned to write a feature article about a show one day, and then have to review it the next. I suspect it's wierd for them, too. And if you've been in Lex long enough, you can almost predict, based on who's writing the review, whether it's going to be favorable or not. It's a small town, baby.
I hear THAT!
-AL
I read 'em. I have been fortunate to have more good than bad...thankfully. (see.... it matters to me) I won't lie. I've gotten up at the crack of dawn to read them on line. I am not sure why I find them interesting. I think it is because it is cool to hear someone other than a friend or loved one comment on the show. I also know the impact it has on box office...and if I feel the show is good, I want folks to see it.
What about some of your wackier reviews. I remember one review from AGL in which the reviewer complained she couldn't see...then went on to mention she was PMSing and maybe that's why she didn't enjoy the show...
Or the how one reviewer stated that he was glad I didt hop on the hokey bus like the rest of the cast!!!
Or the review from CRIMES OF THE HEART in which I played "Meg" and the reviewer didn't mention me at all.....
Reviewers....smooo-ers...can't live with em...can't not read 'em
You mean a book of Ascar Wilde's poetry, right?
heh.
Ascar Wilde...didn't he write THE INCONTANENCE OF BEING EARNEST???
I have a very philosophical view about reviews. The reviewers who liked me know what they're talking about; the ones who didn't, don't.
Seriously, I read 'em; I save 'em. Got boxes teeming with 'em. Actually those who have excoriated some of the films made (supposedly) from scripts of mine, I've often wholeheartedly agreed with. In fact, I've often been harder in my own public critiques on the end result of that work than they have.
I think serious criticism is a valuable and important resource to the theatre and I've never believed actors who say they don't read their reviews. And if there are those who don't; they should. What are they afraid of? Can a bad review undermine confidence in their work? Are they actually not going to take advantage of something that might be a serious insight and improve their work or production?
A critic's work has to be judged pretty much the same way a theatre practitioner's work is. What are they trying to say (or accomplish) and how well did they say it (or do it).
And at least a drama critic usually signs his work, so you have a body of his/her opinions to evaluate his/her work by. And you can decide...Is this a critic whose opinion I agree or disagree with more often than not?
Post a Comment