October 05, 2005
Brantley on Broadway: tourists want a 'theme park'
The BBC sits down with "America's leading theatre critic," Ben Brantley of the New York Times, for his thoughts on the state of Brodway. Some highlights from the interview: "On Broadway, I think reviews are less and less relevant. So much of the Broadway audience now is tourists, who want to approximate the experience of going to a theme park."
"Spamalot got very mixed reviews here," he adds. "But it still had a guaranteed audience. So much of what happens here is a repackaging of familiar material."
"For real creative vitality, you have to look in some of the darker side streets of Manhattan these days," says Mr Brantley - who cites Spirit, from the British ensemble Improbable Theatre, as one of his favourite shows of the moment.
"At the moment we are in the midst of 'the theatre of celebrity'. If you can get a star, preferably from TV or the movies, and especially if they are willing to take their clothes off - you are guaranteed a hit." You can read Brantley's reviews on the New York Times web site. His "critics picks" of current shows are "Spirit," "Avenue Q," "Hairspray," "Movin' Out" and, just added, "Poor Theatre."
October 5, 2005 09:58 AM in Broadway
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