I've seen plays that are, objectively, total messes that move me in ways that their tidier brethren do not. That's the romantic mystery of great theater. Translating this ineffability into printable prose is a challenge that can never be fully… — Ben Brantley Copy Share Image
Theater criticism should be visceral, at least on some level, an articulation of that fierceness and passion. I usually do a fair amount of… — Ben Brantley Copy Share Image
I have received hostile voice mail messages and e-mails. They are often anonymous, I'm sad to say, as anonymous messages are delivered only by… — Ben Brantley Copy Share Image
Rage properly channeled can definitely give birth to good even great theater. Disgust, a more passive and distancing emotion, is far less likely to.… — Ben Brantley Copy Share Image
EVERY SINGLE DANCER, SINGER and BAND MEMBER is a BRILLIANT SOLO ARTIST — Ben Brantley Copy Share Image
I personally read criticism - at least by writers I enjoy - to stimulate a conversation in my own mind, and I like to… — Ben Brantley Copy Share Image
Whether you like it or not, a performance's triumphs and belly flops come to seem excruciatingly intimate, as if you were somehow partly responsible… — Ben Brantley Copy Share Image
What Mr. Kaufman and his team are after is less a portrait of any one person than one of the ethos of a place.… — Ben Brantley Copy Share Image
The cliche was always that 'everybody's a critic,' but it becomes truer every day. Long before reviews appear in the traditional outlets, you can… — Ben Brantley Copy Share Image
It's nowhere near as intense as what I imagine an actor experiences backstage, but I feel a fluttering nervousness before a curtain goes up… — Ben Brantley Copy Share Image
The power of the print reviewer is one of those urban myths. There have always been shows that slipped under the critical radar to… — Ben Brantley Copy Share Image
