Honesty
The purpose of this site and the purpose of my affiliation with The Oklahoman is to inform readers, as accurately unbiased as I can, about the performance quality of a production. When a show is not up to par and violates all expectations, I must remember my obligation. My inclination is to be nice. My obligation is to be honest. Brutal honesty is not required, although it is supposed to be more fun. It is not. When the show is not up to reasonable standards of public performance all honesty is brutal and never fun. For anyone. And then the following evening comes a show that exceeds all expectations. Honesty has its own reward.
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Comments
Contrary to what touch feely types may tell us, there are times when we’re NOT all in this together, and when the product IS more important than the journey or the people involved.
The arts require a professionalism that can be very cruel, and even when they do not, they require us to be open to the possibility.
“Reasonable standards of public performance” are not all that reasonable to the people involved – only to the audience. If that audience is not your absolute master, you’re in the wrong line of work!
After each performance I ask the essential question–is this production worth the cost of the tickets and the evening? If the answer is yes that is reflected in the review that I write. If the answer is a resounding yes that is also reflected. If the answer is no that is also clear to the prospective audience and reader. That clarity is my obligation. I just don’t have to be mean about it. Incidentally, I have found a few occasions where a performance from a specific actor was inadequate, and I am gratified later that the same actor turns around and gives a remarkable performance in another instance.
Frank, I very much appreciate your comment and I look forward to receiving more from you because I agree that the arts require a cruel professionalism! As a critic, the audience is the absolute master for the actors and my readers are my master. Thank you.
Honestly!!!