"7) How much do you think artists should be changing
their work or their creative direction based on
critics' feedback?
Well, if the quality of critics were high, I'd say
that they should. But generally, theater critics are
almost as irrelevant as theater is to the average TV
and film-addicted booby. My younger colleagues are
smart and talented, but the most influential critical
posts in this city are jealousy guarded by a wizened
knot of nostalgia-drenched mediocrities who have no
idea what the next generation is doing and can barely
stay on top of what's happening on Broadway. They are
advocates of nothing but their own pathetic memories
of musicals or plays in the 60s and 70s; they have
about as much vision as the bureaucratic philistines
we call artistic directors."
Hi Adam,
ReplyDeleteMuch thanks for linking through to our Q&A with David Cote. To see an established critic willing to pull back the curtain on the establishment is a rare treat. He does it here with grace. The passage you've selected should be mandatory reading for all theatre critics.
Regards,
Ian
Hi Ian,
ReplyDeleteIt's a great interview. Thanks for posting it! Best of luck with all your endeavors.
A