If being an artist inherently exposes one to scrutiny, then being a critic means being the target of artistic ego. Given the ever-dire state of theatre, being a theater critic is regarded as criticizing a burning residential building while the families inside plead for help. I know all about theatre and theatre criticism, having been on both sides of that equation. I say now what I’ve said for years to people who sarcastically ask: The purpose of criticism is to hold art to a standard. Even if an artist doesn’t reach that standard, we critics remain hopeful that they one day will, rather than fall back on their worst instincts because they have wide appeal.
(As I write these words, I’ve recently been unofficially blacklisted from a well-known SF theater that didn’t like how I—one of the few BIPoC art critics left in the Bay Area—talked about race in my review of their show. Go figure.)
As such, one is tempted to think that Center Rep’s season opener—featuring a bumbling theatre critic who pans shows just because—is the company making a grand statement illustrating their feelings about theater criticism in general. But I am a critic and am trained to think analytically. As such, I can chalk up their choice in show to just wanting to start off with something silly…