Broadway Reviews Should be Less Toxic
Graphics by Claire Arveson
Broadway reviews have been part of the ecosystem since the early 1900s. Over the years, they have become more impactful, with reviews in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and a few other outlets. These are able to influence a show’s success , both financially and critically.
In the famous words of Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben, “With great power there must also come great responsibility.” Recently, reviewers have seemed to take great pride in being toxic rather than uplifting. Rather than focusing on what is good or exciting about a production, they focus instead on unprofessional, petty schoolyard insults. The toxicity is so high it appears the reviewers have a personal agenda to harm a producer, production or actor.
I think the goal should be on uplifting and making theatregoers aware of what is special about each show. My perspective is informed after seeing a few hundred Broadway shows. There’s always so much to be taken in , starting with the talent , music, staging, costumes and story. I am always in awe and never disappointed.
The trend of toxicity is not victimless.Toxic reviews have proven powerful enough to influence how a show performs at the box office and with the all important Tony Awards. This creates a vicious cycle where toxic reviews can lead to early closures, damage to professional reputations and the loss of jobs for cast and crew.
A few recent high profile examples include Andrew Lloyd Webber’s” Bad Cinderella”, Broadway’s” King Kong” and Elton John’s “Tammy Faye”. “Bad Cinderella”, a modernized take on the classic “Cinderella”, recasts Cinderella as an edgy, powerful woman seeking her own path in life and not waiting for a man to save her. The cast featured multi-Tony Award nominee Caroloee Carmello and breakout actress Linedy Genao. The colorful costumes, irreverent attitude and show-stopping ballads made this one of my favorite shows. Reviewers seemed to take personal joy in trying to knock down Andrew Lloyd Webber , one of the most successful and influential composers ever, with brutal, scathing posts. The New York Post gave the show one star out of four, and called it "a mess with multiple personality disorder.” The piling on became too much and the show closed after only 33 regular performances. To put this in perspective, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera logged 13,981 regular performances on Broadway over 35 years.
Reviews for Elton John’s ‘Tammy Faye” were so toxic the show closed after only 29 regular performances, despite a warm reception in London. The producers announced the show would close five days after it officially opened making this even more shocking. Elton John told Entertainment Weekly, “It was too political for America. They don't really get irony.”
Finally, “King Kong”, a musical that seemed to have it all ,including a breathtaking, 20 foot tall animatronic that took a team of 15 people to operate. This one had a more respectable 324 performance run over nearly 10 months. But the limited success came despite some of the most toxic reviews ever, including one from The New York Times that the harsh backlash required the reviewers to publish a follow-up to explain why they were so mean. It was unfortunate because “King Kong” was truly memorable. The centerpiece animatronic was historical in its scale and realistic movements. The song score was moving and the special effects were phenomenal. The cast was talented and made this a very entertaining experience that should have been rewarded with a longer run and more positive reception.
These are just a few examples. I would like to call a time out and have reviewers go back to being sources that inform theatergoers about what is positive and why to go see a new show. It could be a memorable song, actor’s dramatic portrayal, a great story, stunning costumes or set. Knocking people and productions down doesn’t help anyone. Let’s focus on the positive.