tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post196745263553666022..comments2023-10-20T08:55:42.757-04:00Comments on Critic-O-Meter: What the Fringe?Rob Weinert-Kendthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04015688507553252146noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-59082631194132292282009-08-29T10:16:10.812-04:002009-08-29T10:16:10.812-04:00Thanks for all the hard work getting the word out ...Thanks for all the hard work getting the word out on the Fringe shows this year.<br /><br />Here is an entirely self-serving take on the quality of criticism I received for my show:<br /><br />http://daddyrunsfast.blogspot.com/2009/08/criticism.htmlpengohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06159516848217178336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-20383343395023078382009-08-26T13:49:11.491-04:002009-08-26T13:49:11.491-04:00It must be hard to keep up with everything.
Here...It must be hard to keep up with everything. <br /><br />Here are other reviews for AND SOPHIE COMES TOO<br /><br />http://newyork.timeout.com/events/fringe-festival/298315/and-sophie-comes-too<br /><br />FRINGEFODDER_TONY.pdf<br /><br />http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/review_fest.php?p=100128Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-21717730141140035942009-08-26T11:52:52.038-04:002009-08-26T11:52:52.038-04:00This is a great service to the New York Theatre un...This is a great service to the New York Theatre universe. I know you must be struggling to keep up, but FYI, Candide Americana was also reviewed by Backstage and Broadway World. Here are the links:<br /><br />http://www.backstage.com/bso/reviews-ny-theatre-off-off-broadway/candide-americana-1004006000.story<br /><br />http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Fringe_Candide_Americana_Optimism_20090823Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-91397815432474455772009-08-25T12:19:56.499-04:002009-08-25T12:19:56.499-04:00I wanted to know the consensus for Zipperface but ...I wanted to know the consensus for Zipperface but you guys don't have it. I read a couple of reviews on TimeOut and CurtainUp and they seemed pretty good and it has sold out all its performances but the premise just sounds so ridiculous.<br /><br />Could you average them up to see if there are any more detailed reviews I missed?Max Jordannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-59357309806546316142009-08-25T10:34:03.053-04:002009-08-25T10:34:03.053-04:00Rich, that's a good point re: Time Out vs. NYT...Rich, that's a good point re: Time Out vs. NYTheatre; I've got no idea why that line was drawn. (For the record, I don't work for Critic-O-Meter; I'm just a commenting critic.) <br /><br />I don't know what the NYTheatre editorial process is, and I'm not sure how unbiased some of the writers are (I tend to take their reviews with a grain of salt). However, based on my experience with Time Out (and the Fringe Binge editor, Adam Feldman), I doubt that any of these are actually written in anywhere close to five minutes, even if they seem that way.<br /><br />Like I said, all I can hope for is that the wealth of coverage from all sources (including comments) will help encourage people to check out the Fringe.Aaron Ricciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05003634532469211190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-55854425132987275442009-08-24T21:21:18.852-04:002009-08-24T21:21:18.852-04:00Aaron, I actually thought about what you just said...Aaron, I actually thought about what you just said right after I clicked "publish your comment!" Maybe they should have a button that says, "think this through before publishing your comment." I agree with you, I mean I'm basically a clerk or sales person or a teacher or an editor (I do all those) or whatever it is I do at my day job too. I have been involved in theater for most of my life. But what does qualify someone to critique a live performance? I guess I feel burned by TONY because some of the reviews seem like they were written in about 5 minutes by people who don't seem to have a lot at stake in the matter. I'm not sure it's such a great idea to review every single show in the festival. If people read the TONY review they are not going to want to see my show. So that's my personal take, it takes people away from our work. The TONY guy and the nytheatre.com guy were there on the same night. So two different opinions. But you said you weren't weighing in the nytheatre.com reviews because they are reviewing every show, is that right, but isn't TONY reviewing every show as well? The bottom line for me is that if you are writing for a mass audience in a publication that has as high a profile as TONY, then you should put a bit more thought into it than our reviewer did. Thanks for your comments! I do realize I went overboard on the first comment.<br /><br />RichRJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12907102705900327466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-59387494117082438832009-08-24T17:09:54.208-04:002009-08-24T17:09:54.208-04:00Rich, I hear where you're coming from, but wha...Rich, I hear where you're coming from, but what do you mean by "theater critics"? What is it--aside from the fact that he wrote a positive review--that makes Joe Beaudin and his four reviews (in the last three years) more of a "theater critic"? Would Noah Tarnow become more of a theater critic if, in addition to his day job at TONY, he also ran an improv group? If he were an avid theatergoer? (I'm also not quite sure what you aimed to prove by quoting an anonymous blogger.)<br /><br />What you can take it as, Rich--what the Fringe Binge "serves as"--is a valuable sampling of opinions, both from theatergoers and non-theatergoers. Perhaps that will help illuminate what people ARE looking for, and help companies figure out what new audiences may be looking for. <br /><br />You know what else you can take it as? As a place to start up discussions: every review on the TONY site has an embedded option to add a comment.Aaron Ricciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05003634532469211190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-91615081251618038582009-08-23T16:41:04.936-04:002009-08-23T16:41:04.936-04:00I was hoping Critic-O-Meter would be critiquing th...I was hoping Critic-O-Meter would be critiquing the critics rather than the shows! Do you think Time Out NY really serves anyone by sending out non theater critics to review Fringe shows? How does anyone else feel about this? A lot of work goes into all these shows and to send someone from the copy editing department or an administrative assistant or whatever non theater related department is like a sucker punch! My show, "Fancy Footwork," was reviewed by Noah Tarnow who lists himself as "copy chief" at Time Out, I guess that means he is a copy editor. Using the oldest cop out in the book he says "beware bad Irish accents," hmmm... the lead actor here is from Dubin, Ireland! Mr. Tarnow's "review" isn't really a review at all as it says almost nothing about the play. I think Mr. Tarnow just needed to say something bad to make himself feel better. For someone who makes his living with words Mr. Tarnow's "review" is, in my opinion, a muddled piece by a muddled person. You can say "sour grapes" if you want, but I defy anyone who sees our show to say the fight scene "lacked pep." Here is an excerpt from the nytheatre.com review by, Joe Beaudin: "What is most intriguing about this character is his passion in describing the art of boxing, and the character's use of imagery to convey that passion. Byrne captures the intensity and fire of the character (as well as a perfect Irish accent) and does a nice job of inhabiting a dual role—during a boxing scene, he portrays both referee and commentator all at once, simultaneously playing each part with specificity.<br />Another highlight is the fight choreography of Frank Shattuck. I was a little skeptical at first as to how they would truthfully convey a boxing match, but in the end I was impressed. This production may not have the budget of even one of the six Rocky movies (that's right, there were six), but Shattuck is able to create a genuine boxing match with live sound effects and all." <br /><br />The blog "PinkGrapefruit" had this to say, "45 minutes feels like 25 in this fast paced packs an emotional punch 1 act play written by Irish playwright Miriam Gallagher and directed by American Rich Johnson." <br />Here is a link to the nytheatre.com review: www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/review_fest.php?p=100183<br /><br />Rich JohnsonRJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12907102705900327466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-86557212182723611432009-08-22T18:22:41.762-04:002009-08-22T18:22:41.762-04:00Dear Anonymous:
Specifics, please. I'm curiou...Dear Anonymous:<br /><br />Specifics, please. I'm curious how exactly you think we could be playing favorites with 200 shows. Seriously, if there are any oversights or glitches in our grading or inclusion of sources, it's entirely due to the sheer, eye-crossing quantity of reviews we're trying to plow through. Constructive comments are helpful and most welcome!Rob Weinert-Kendthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015688507553252146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-43153635005040600312009-08-22T17:49:32.473-04:002009-08-22T17:49:32.473-04:00Most of these pull-quotes are pretty inaccurate of...Most of these pull-quotes are pretty inaccurate of their full reviews. Many of the plays and musicals that faired well overall are given strangely lower ratings than their reviews, while others that faied terribly are given A ratings. Turly bizarre. Somebody's playing favorites here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-1957630136348947252009-08-22T03:07:14.294-04:002009-08-22T03:07:14.294-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-80098339361955136922009-08-21T17:12:30.077-04:002009-08-21T17:12:30.077-04:00Duly noted...we're a little backed up here, an...Duly noted...we're a little backed up here, and while we do check out nytheatre.com, we're not sure we're going to get to all of their reviews...Bear with us, and in the meantime, please keep sending links. Thanks!Rob Weinert-Kendthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015688507553252146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-36383328728305730472009-08-21T17:08:37.665-04:002009-08-21T17:08:37.665-04:00Note: Abraham Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party a...Note: Abraham Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party also got a glowing review in NYTHEATER.COM.<br /><br />Link is here:<br /><br />http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/review_fest.php?p=100121<br /><br />Quote: ". . . there aren't enough words in this review to describe how much I recommend it."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-70842977600061518742009-08-21T10:59:33.565-04:002009-08-21T10:59:33.565-04:00thanks for including Jack and the Soy Beanstalk in...thanks for including Jack and the Soy Beanstalk in your article. The show recieved four reviews - here are three not sighted above:<br /><br />" does not disappoint on any level. " " fast-paced and energetic " -- NYTheatre.com<br /><br />"a rip-roaring good time musical with a light-hearted green message. This is a must see masterpiece for all ages." -- TheaterOnline.com<br /><br />"wonderfully entertaining for both the kids and the adults" -- StageBuzz.comJerrod Bogardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300395900787148509.post-14891362758292340092009-08-21T10:18:45.680-04:002009-08-21T10:18:45.680-04:00Those reviews of Baking with Bertha are a lot kind...Those reviews of Baking with Bertha are a lot kinder than mine was. I felt the character Bertha and the comedian playing her were both totally charming, but that the show she inhabits wasn't very strong.joshcon80https://www.blogger.com/profile/13493227172042089467noreply@blogger.com