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| The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L | |
| Posted by: Rightful 12:46 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| Good day theatre lovers! This is a first installment of THE BRICK of Broadway and Beyond (Inspired by our old friend M.R.) Words of choice around town from many quarters used to describe NYT A’n’L’s HELLER, based on interactive experiences are: Incompetent, Petty, Vindictive, Elusive, Unavailable, Non-Responsive, Passive-Aggressive, Uneducated, Ill-informed, and other less than charming portraits involving body parts, bodily functions and a grand buffet of delectable descriptions ripe for the PC Police. But what else could be expected from a smattering of sniveling little artists, producers, investors, publicity perverts (pub-pervs for short), et al, et al, et al, who preen and peacock about when Heller’s Bloviators justify their subjects’ right to breathe? Or who then fantasize about Heller’s Henchers’ morbid demise when the insults, misrepresentations, ‘ad-hominems,’ curses and death-wishes are paddled out with “aren’t I so very clever?” glee…? After all, that silly little smattering of “Doers,” really don’t risk very much at all, now do they? Not time, not money, not years of study and effort – no trial, no error, no loss, no (god perish the thought) looking for ways to entertain and even enlighten crowds of the ticket buying public, who Hell-man’s Hell-folks suggest can’t think for themselves, because of course crowds are only grubbing for ways to part with their hard-earned dollars. Dummies, such as they are. No, naturally not. The new “co-whatever, - true lover-of-art” who only seems to write about himself; the “shmattah critic” who one must wonder if he received the ‘calling’ to the theatre from a talking piece of wool; la Française a L’Italienne – for after all, ‘là-bas,’ they really do know from ‘de L’ART,’ or the mother who perhaps hasn’t taken into account that one day one’s own children may actually grow up and be able to read? Or how about ‘Il Editor’s Boston buddy…with her not much there-there, who was promised a berth aboard…? Or some of the newest additions who don’t have any experience in the field whatsoever? Of course there is the Boston Religion-man, also one would think an old friend of ‘Il Editor.’ If theatre is a religion, then one can suppose this God-Man has some experience? God only knows. Well, what in the good name of Art, has happened? What is it with this “let’s not be critical, let’s just be personal and criticize! Let’s be snappy, let’s be clever, let’s ZING-AWAY, good or bad!” Because when you ZING you get CLICKS and when you get CLICKS, you demonstrate your worth and if you are lucky, and the whole business doesn’t cannibalize itself, you may actually get to keep your job! ZING-ZING-RENT! But here’s the thing… who instigates such a hell? Is it the Hell-man himself? Or is it a result of the store not being minded at all – with all the little worker ants just grasping at whatever flecks of dust they think will keep them in business for one day more? The “doers” actually deserve a little better than that, wouldn’t one think? Well, guess what ? The Bloviating Bunch have taught their victims well. With all your click n'bait showboating, you too are very much in the Biz of Show. And when that happens, prepare for the literary and literate bricks. They'll come, and they'll likely come hard, and you will get to know the Biz in a way you've never known it before. And it won't be in the "commenter's section" where it seems that damning criticism is repressed. Now there's something that's worth a look from the Powers up above. And of course, there are a few other words on the street – the very uncomfortable connection between editorial and advertising $$$. Think it doesn’t exist? Think again. But then there’s ‘this’ little fetid bit that has to make one wonder, that if true, and there is reason to believe it is, that there is an underlying problem that is much more serious than at first glance: Hell-man was at another paper of record, and left that joint for our once beloved Lady. Just a few months after his arrival, the Hell-ster was given walking papers. Just a wee bit of pink to enhance the wardrobe. Was it incompetence? Elusiveness? Passive-Aggressive behavior? Or, and… or…? Whatever it was, there was a threat of a lawsuit. Wrongful termination? Embarrassment? Lost income? The threat was a real Rain (Reign) of Hell. And our Lady, our dear lady, it seems she said: “It’s just the arts, (with not even a capital ‘A.”) Is it even worth it?" And so Heller was re-instated, and the Hell-man remained. Now ‘there’ is a conflict of interest, wouldn’t one think? And so for years, this is what has minded our beloved store - a shop now about Zingers – in a style far too “itchingly” reminiscent of an ‘administration’ that our once beloved Lady seems very much to despise. Now what does that say about the state of affairs? The incompetent spend time figuring out ways to keep jobs, largely, as we can only imagine, because they can’t actually do them. And if a threatened lawsuit is part of the game, and the threat actually worked – then the power to abuse is there. And how much of it is “counting the clicks to keep my job, and my friends' jobs as well?” And if any of this is true…then the whole of it is fetid, fetid, very fetid indeed. Heller, bend down, and pick up your brick. |
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| re: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L | |
| Posted by: MW101 02:53 pm EST 11/30/18 | |
| In reply to: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L - Rightful 12:46 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| Trouble is, I'm reading this with M.R.'s voice in my head, and I'm not buying it. Nice try. Love it or hate it, the paper of record still helps sell or sink major and minor shows across the city. |
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| re: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L | |
| Posted by: ryhog 04:12 pm EST 11/30/18 | |
| In reply to: re: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L - MW101 02:53 pm EST 11/30/18 | |
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| and one might also say that if a paper can do something that gets the producer of garbage dyspeptic, they are doing something right. | |
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| Genius! | |
| Posted by: Genealley 10:06 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L - Rightful 12:46 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| Michael Riedel Rants? | |
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| re: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L | |
| Posted by: jconnors 06:25 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L - Rightful 12:46 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| This is revolting, defamatory, and should be deleted. | |
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| re: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L | |
| Posted by: writerkev 07:06 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: re: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L - jconnors 06:25 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| How can you tell?? It’s practically indecipherable. And only the first installment, oh joy. | |
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| TL;DR | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 06:13 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L - Rightful 12:46 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| Brevity is the soul of wit. (And some basic comprehensiveness wouldn't come amiss, either.) | |
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| Can someone translate for the uninitiated? | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 05:14 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L - Rightful 12:46 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| I'm genuinely confused as to what this post is about. | |
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| re: Can someone translate for the uninitiated? | |
| Posted by: sirpupnyc 05:25 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: Can someone translate for the uninitiated? - Singapore/Fling 05:14 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| Scott Heller is the theater editor and deputy editor of Arts and Leisure at the Times. Formerly arts editor at the Boston Globe. Beyond that, you're on your own. |
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| re: Can someone translate for the uninitiated? | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 07:41 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Can someone translate for the uninitiated? - sirpupnyc 05:25 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| Thanks, that context clue, alongside other references/gossip on this board, did help me understand the thrust of the post. I certainly agree that the all-white-and-middle-aged critical team at the Times are rewarding a fairly narrow band of expression in the theater today, a problem reflected by the larger (and dwindling) slate of critics in town. As for whether Heller should be (or has been) fired... that's perhaps a bit much. |
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| re: Can someone translate for the uninitiated? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 09:13 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Can someone translate for the uninitiated? - Singapore/Fling 07:41 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| "I certainly agree that the all-white-and-middle-aged critical team at the Times are rewarding a fairly narrow band of expression in the theater today." In my opinion, this statement is not supported by the facts, and it can be classified as race baiting. And I doubt you would post something like this under your own name. |
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| Which NYT Theater Critics Are POC? | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 10:57 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Can someone translate for the uninitiated? - Michael_Portantiere 09:13 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| What facts don't support the observation that the Times theater reviewers are all white and (at least) middle aged? Their regular reviewers are Brantley, Green, Soloski, Vincentelli, and Collins-Hughes. Am I missing someone? If we can't talk about the racial lens of a critical body without being accused of race baiting, we'll never dismantle white supremacy. |
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| Please delete | |
| Last Edit: Singapore/Fling 11:51 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 11:50 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: Which NYT Theater Critics Are POC? - Singapore/Fling 10:57 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| Reposting below, to keep this in the thread. | |
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| re: Which NYT Theater Critics Are POC? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 11:36 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: Which NYT Theater Critics Are POC? - Singapore/Fling 10:57 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| The facts (i.e., the reviews) don't support your offensive, inaccurate, reactionary contention that the NEW YORK TIMES critics you are referring to -- the ones you insist on identifying as "white" -- are "rewarding a fairly narrow band of expression in the theater today." Can you imagine if the NYT had one or more theater critics of color, and a white person posting here identified those critics by race and then suggested they were "rewarding a fairly narrow band of expression in the theater today?" By the way, although I don't expect you to have the nerve to identify yourself by name, please feel free to tell us your race and your age, so people can inject that into the argument if they choose to. Your post was race baiting, and you should apologize for it. |
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| re: Which NYT Theater Critics Are POC? | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 12:12 am EST 11/30/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Which NYT Theater Critics Are POC? - Michael_Portantiere 11:36 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| Well, first of all, the reviewers that I "insist on calling 'white'" are all white. You haven't refuted that fact. How would you refer to them? As for myself, I am white and either approaching or already at middle-aged (and a cis male), something I have acknowledged often when entering into these conversations. My statements on this topic come from my own experience of understanding my own privilege and cultural lens. I have learned from the emotional labor of POC, and I commit myself to carrying on the work to engage with my fellow white folks in dominant culture spaces such as this chat board. Your suggestion that we might call out an individual reviewer of color misses the point of my statement, which is that having the entire review staff be from the same culture limits the expression that is rewarded. This staff limits the cultural conversation to one that exists firmly within a white space, and it limits the cultural gaze to that of whiteness (or a Western, European, colonialist mentality, if you object to the word white). Your statement itself points to the limitations of the Times by having us imagine that the Times has one (or more!) critics of color - right now we have to imagine that, because it seems unlikely that they will have one anytime soon. Having produced theater by writers of color who have been reviewed almost exclusively by white writers, I have been amazed and disappointed by how these reviewers often lack the tools to properly discuss what they are seeing - even when they like the work. Acknowledging this is simply to accept that people have expectations and reference points for writers, and those often exist along color lines, and that can limit what they support from POC voices, often unconsciously. There's a valuable conversation to be had about the ways that culture and our lived experiences influence and limit our perspectives, and I'd be very happy to engage you in that conversation. But we can't do that if you're going to come into the space defensive and on the attack. I only apologize when I realize that I have misread someone's intentions. By calling my original post race baiting, you not only misread mine, but you possibly spare yourself a hard look into how our cultural lenses can make it difficult for diverse voices to be heard. |
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| re: Which NYT Theater Critics Are POC? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 10:04 am EST 11/30/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Which NYT Theater Critics Are POC? - Singapore/Fling 12:12 am EST 11/30/18 | |
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| "Well, first of all, the reviewers that I 'insist on calling 'white' are all white. You haven't refuted that fact. How would you refer to them?" I'm not refuting that fact, I'm refuting the following opinion you expressed: "Having the entire review staff be from the same culture limits the expression that is rewarded." In MY opinion, that is an offensive statement in that it exhibits revere racism. "There's a valuable conversation to be had about the ways that culture and our lived experiences influence and limit our perspectives, and I'd be very happy to engage you in that conversation. But we can't do that if you're going to come into the space defensive and on the attack. " In my perspective, your original post was an attack on the NY TIMES critics along racial lines. Also, I don't want to continue a discussion with anyone who has chosen to express anything less than total revulsion at the OP in this thread, so thanks for the offer, but I'm out. |
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| re: Which NYT Theater Critics Are POC? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 10:25 am EST 11/30/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Which NYT Theater Critics Are POC? - Michael_Portantiere 10:04 am EST 11/30/18 | |
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| I meant "reverse racism." | |
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| YES, Singapore/Fling! | |
| Posted by: HadriansMall 02:14 am EST 11/30/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Which NYT Theater Critics Are POC? - Singapore/Fling 12:12 am EST 11/30/18 | |
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| Perfectly articulated. | |
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| Yes, thank you! | |
| Last Edit: DistantDrumming 09:57 pm EST 11/30/18 | |
| Posted by: DistantDrumming 09:54 pm EST 11/30/18 | |
| In reply to: YES, Singapore/Fling! - HadriansMall 02:14 am EST 11/30/18 | |
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| Singapore - I'm a big fan of yours. I'm an infrequent poster, but I am always amazed at your willingness to speak up and speak out -- articulately and artfully -- about race and identity in the arts and our culture. When someone trots out a misnomer like "reverse racism" I just shut down. I'm done. The culture is moving on without them and I just don't have the patience to EXPLAIN it all over again. As Barney Frank once told a belligerent constituent, I'm not going to debate them, because it would be like getting into an argument with a dining room table. It's pointless. But, you do. And although you often get heat for it on this site -- for which I can guess what the demos are on race and age -- you do so uncompromisingly, but thoughtfully. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know it's noticed and I'm sure I'm not the only one on here who has taken notice and who appreciates your efforts. Keep fighting the good fight. To be clear, my praise is solely for Singapore. I can't make heads or tails out of the rambling OP. And, now, I'll make way for all the clamoring about "reverse racism" and the "PC police" and "delicate snowflakes"... |
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| re: Yes, thank you! | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 12:01 am EST 12/01/18 | |
| In reply to: Yes, thank you! - DistantDrumming 09:54 pm EST 11/30/18 | |
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| "When someone trots out a misnomer like 'reverse racism' I just shut down. I'm done. " And I'm done -- at least for the moment -- with all of you wonderfully honest people who don't have the courage to put your real names on your posts in which you disparage or belittle the opinions of others. The statement in question was: "The all-white-and-middle-aged critical team at the Times are rewarding a fairly narrow band of expression in the theater today." What I meant by describing that statement is "reverse racist" is that it's racist but in the opposite direction than what we hear most often. But you are probably right that it's a misnomer and possibly confusing, so I should have labeled it racist, pure and simple. Oh, and I didn't mention that it's obviously also ageist. But if you want to go on record as defending that statement, that is your choice. |
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| re: Yes, thank you! | |
| Last Edit: DistantDrumming 02:21 pm EST 12/01/18 | |
| Posted by: DistantDrumming 02:20 pm EST 12/01/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Yes, thank you! - Michael_Portantiere 12:01 am EST 12/01/18 | |
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| Michael, "Reverse racism" is a bit of a dog whistle, even if you, in your heart, don't intend to use it that way. My issue with the term is not grammatical -- I'm not one of the pedantic grammar nerds of ATC. I'd encourage you to just google the term and then see if you really want to be associated with the greatest proponents of "reverse racism". And, I won't speak for Singapore, but I read their post as simply pointing out that having an all white, male lineup of bylines is going to, unavoidably, limit the lens by which the Times can approach culture journalism. I did not read it as a slight on any of them individually. Of course a white journalist can still enjoy and champion the work of minority artists. But, there is a lived experience that only members of those communities can truly and authoritatively explore and express and we should be open to having those expressions, world views and voices at the table. Yours truly, Oprah Winfrey |
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| My nominee for best complimentary close of 2018 nm | |
| Posted by: ryhog 07:52 pm EST 12/01/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Yes, thank you! - DistantDrumming 02:20 pm EST 12/01/18 | |
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| re: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L | |
| Posted by: theaterisok 03:46 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L - Rightful 12:46 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| Did you just get fired? | |
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| re: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L | |
| Posted by: schlepper 01:41 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L - Rightful 12:46 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| What on earth are you talking about? Is this a chemically induced stream of (un)consciousness rant of some kind? Is it a Howard Beale, NETWORK - type sort of mental breakdown? | |
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| Consider cutting back on coffee. (NM) | |
| Posted by: Seth Christenfeld (tabula-rasa@verizon.net) 01:40 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L - Rightful 12:46 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| Seth, or cocaine | |
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| Oh dear... | |
| Posted by: ryhog 01:22 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
| In reply to: The Hell that is Heller at NYT A'n'L - Rightful 12:46 pm EST 11/29/18 | |
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| hmmm. | |
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