The met/moma thing was really just a throwaway on my part-not some seriously thought out barometer of anything. Likewise, I don't think we can generalize about on vs off-B, if for no other reason than because so much of the former arises from the latter. I do think that there is a somewhat broader and (somewhat) valid taste observation that has to do with how literal and "tight" a play is. And I think we see more of a collision on Broadway, because there is a smaller portion of the audience that is interested in what I called the relaxed approach to viewing theatre. I think, as an example, this is why people like Will Eno causes the sort of convulsive reactions we have seen. On Broadway, I think (without intending to be exclusive about it) he is close to the outer edge, whereas off and off-off B there is a lot of much more extreme and experimental work extending back to the Richard Foreman fever dream margin.
FWIW I do think it is worth talking about the roots of taste to the extent we can make sense of it. |
