Live or Die by the Pen

I can’t decide – is it better to tell a friend what you really thought after seeing their play or to lie to them?

This question is even more confusing for me, as I also review theatre professionally so my opinion is often sought out post-production by my actor friends. I try to tell them I’m there to relax and ‘I know nothing’ in a mock Italian accent, but despite my protests – I always end up on the spot and feeling quite awful about anything I say.

I only ask this because I have been to a number of Edinburgh previews lately and, well…they’ve been interesting.

So I tried to tell the truth after one of the more out-there shows I attended, but when I opened my mouth? Silence. I stood there opening and shutting my paralysed trap like a confused fish. How could I slate any part of what my friend had been working on for the last year? How could I tell him I failed to understand or connect with anything he has spent his life crafting? So I smiled and told him it needed more structure and it was like Marmite – people will either love it or hate it.

I now feel like a terrible friend and an even worse critic. I’ve had to review some really awful things in the past but I think the key to a good appraisal is to recognise some skill or effort that will be in there, regardless of how deep sometimes. I have issues even being a critic half the time. What gives me the eye? What gives me the right to trash or praise a piece of work that has taken months, in mere seconds?

But then it comes down to the fact that I care too and will do my utmost to ensure it is a fair reflection of what the audience can expect. Because at the end of the day, theatre is a commercial transaction like anything else and those customers have a right to know how their money and time is going to be spent. But as it’s all so incredibly objective, reviewers have a duty to ensure their copy is as balanced as possible so there is room for a difference of opinion and the play doesn’t face instant ruin.

In the age of the blogger, (slightly ironic in light of where I am writing right now), there is an argument that professional critics are less necessary, but I honestly think they are more essential now than ever before. Professional criticism carries a great deal of responsibility with it. An actor or director’s project can live or die by your words – so reviewers better choose them carefully and not just gape like a confused fish.