Sometimes a good old-fashioned negative review is called for. But in smaller media markets where a lot of arts coverage is basically boosterism – either paid in the form of advertising or volunteer – the negative review is all but extinct. Small town arts blogs bestow five gold stars on every show, and everything is recommended.
When it comes to straight journalism, if the news is bad, citizens want the unvarnished skinny. We want the facts so we can assess what is happening and what it means. We don’t want positive spin, incomplete coverage or rambling diversions. We want the info. And we want the sharp opinions of trusted writers. The same is true for theatre criticism.
In small town arts coverage, however, the combination of dwindling mainstream media and scarcely surviving independent outlets have created an almost irresistible pressure to write positive reviews or even non reviews that basically recount what happened without passing any sort of judgement. This is not a good trend. A pronounced hesitancy to clearly state when something is simply not worth the audience’s time is a syndrome you’ll never see in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles. But you’ll definitely see it in Portland.
What does a real review look like? It leads with the key info the audience hungers for – whether the show is worth their time – from word one. It gets to the point, makes a case, and exits stage left. There’s no long discussion of peripheral issues to the play – like background on where it takes place. There’s no deafening hole in the review where a succint analysis should be.
If you want a good example, check out Charles McNulty’s piece in the Los Angeles Times on the world premiere of Theresa Reback’s ZEALOT at South Coast Rep. Warning: If you haven’t read a real review in a while – and particularly a negative one – you may want to batten down the hatches.
Or try this one from Ben Brantley on the revival of THE REAL THING, which opened tonight.
When merited, a negative review is a welcome and very necessary element of any healthy theatre ecosystem.
So here’s to better theatre and more negative reviews.
