"Your impression of the WOM seems at odds with the non-critic score on show-score (88 across a sample size of 395), which is a metric I think most people would be inclined to believe."
I don't doubt you about the Show Score numbers, but I haven't looked at those.
When I first saw this production of TORCH SONG Off-Broadway and disliked almost everything about it, I thought and acknowledged that my opinion seemed to be in the vast minority, based on the largely rave reviews. But, at that time, I knew relatively few people who had seen the show yet, so I could get no real idea of word of mouth through actual word of mouth. Later, after the show opened on Broadway and lots more people (though obviously not enough!) had a chance to see it, that's when I began to hear many very negative comments about the performances, the direction, and the production in my direct conversations with friends, acquaintances, and colleagues.
So my assessment that there was ultimately quite a lot of bad word of mouth on the show is based on that, and I'm sticking with it. Of course, I do recognize that it depends on who you talk to :-) But, in my perception, bad worth of mouth was a significant factor in the show closing so quickly that it didn't even play out its scheduled limited engagement. |
