Matt Trueman endorses the view that the theatre critic's job is to make way for the good by demolishing the bad.
Consider this a critic's credo: Nothing puts people off theatre like bad theatre.
Sometimes I think I'm harsher than a lot of other critics; less willing to let a show get away with loose ends. I'll often snap at a show that other critics let by, so that my Grinch-like two stars sit next to their three-with-caveats. A lot of the time, that's not simply down to taste. Our two reviews will pick up on the same problems, but differ as to how problematic they are. Do they make a show bad or do they just stop it being really good?
Consider this a critic's credo: Nothing puts people off theatre like bad theatre.
Sometimes I think I'm harsher than a lot of other critics; less willing to let a show get away with loose ends. I'll often snap at a show that other critics let by, so that my Grinch-like two stars sit next to their three-with-caveats. A lot of the time, that's not simply down to taste. Our two reviews will pick up on the same problems, but differ as to how problematic they are. Do they make a show bad or do they just stop it being really good?
In such cases, I'm often unforgiving - and, being honest, that's not fun... Keep reading on What's on Stage