your post has a lot of "the lady doth protest too much" going on, but I'm just gonna ignore that.
nothing in my first item had to do with any industry status. No clue where you got that idea. It had to do with your thinking that shows need leniency because of how "brutal" it is to get a show up. That's just an invitation to mediocrity.
I have no idea if you are in the business or not-you said you were "close" whatever that means. You were the one who kept mentioning it. Lots of folks here are in the business, lots are not. I don't care if you are or not and dont think most people do. It's not about you, not about me. It is about ideas, opinions and facts. Are critics aware that their words can end up punishing a show (or helping it)? Sure. Do they sometimes really fucking hate some show (just like you or I do)? You bet. Do I think Brantley wrote what he wrote where he wrote it for the reason you suggested? Nope.
I am not a fan of critics "reporting" on audiences and wish Brantley hadn't and didn't. I think (as someone else wrote) we all come away with different impressions of audience reactions. Do I think Brantley made his up for the reason you state? No. I saw a different performance, and my sense was that the audience's attention ebbed and flowed. I would not have called it a stupor, but we can all focus on what we want, and take away from it what we want. And when a show is a deadly dull as I found this one, until the eleventh hour, I think it is easy to sense that feeling around you. If, instead, it excited you, you might feel that energy more.
Whatever you choose to do, have fun, and don't be sad.
|