tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post8515704558240138310..comments2024-03-22T05:48:33.690-07:00Comments on Uncensored John Simon: Spiderman BirthpainsJohn Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876490457067235124noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-42963721395937155432016-07-05T20:11:02.211-07:002016-07-05T20:11:02.211-07:00we saw it and jus loved !
had such a huge advance....we saw it and jus loved !<br />had such a huge advance...pity it never got it together ...fidobarkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10740663131804080856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-77371742382787018242011-01-13T19:37:56.804-08:002011-01-13T19:37:56.804-08:00John, the way you make the case for not reviewing ...John, the way you make the case for not reviewing seems to suggest that a critic owes his or her professional duties first to the industry, next to fellow critics, and only then (I assume) to the theater-going public. I can see the argument that a critic should render his or her definitive judgment on the finished work, and if a critic can't do that having seen a preview, then that's a good reason not to see one. But given that there is clearly a stronger than usual public interest in the show, and in particular, whether or not it is any good, I think a newspaper is more than entitled to provide its readers with an interim answer to that question. To say that they should not tell their readers whether a show they may pay a fortune to see is worth it out of obligation to the producers of the show or to other critics seems to me to misconceive the role of critics entirely.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12214174671028439942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-86379424656634392792011-01-13T19:05:50.722-08:002011-01-13T19:05:50.722-08:00I love it when the feathers fly! Thanks, John Sim...I love it when the feathers fly! Thanks, John Simon! Good luck with your blog! <br /><br />Thomas Brady (Scarriet)Thomas Bradyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15384833353243516237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-34540798586463738522011-01-13T16:37:56.443-08:002011-01-13T16:37:56.443-08:00"Whether you regard Jeremy Gerard as a genius..."Whether you regard Jeremy Gerard as a genius or an idiot really isn't the point. The point is this: John Simon left Bloomberg involuntarily, and may harbor some bitterness toward his previous editor and current successor. Ethical journalism would suggest that he at least acknowledge his relationship with Gerard. But Simon plays by his own rules, or makes them up as he trudges on."<br /><br />Learn to read, "critic." Simon indulged in full disclosure in an earlier blog post on the same page:<br /><br />"These are my views, quite irrespective of those of Jeremy Gerard, my former editor and now successor at Bloomberg News. If Bloomberg News wants to spend the money saved by firing me on buying tickets for shows, however distant, expensive or inexpensive, to be pre-reviewed by him, so be that too. I may judge it, but certainly not begrudge it."<br /><br />In other words, he was quite open and minced no words about his being fired. Your implication that Simon was hiding his true, nefarious motives or having a secret, vindictive agenda is false.Grothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08925298324243702690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-74783656954736909312011-01-12T16:58:18.185-08:002011-01-12T16:58:18.185-08:00Great site, Mr. Simon, thank you!Great site, Mr. Simon, thank you!noochinatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12584058407655395128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-26554943280008935312011-01-03T09:31:10.943-08:002011-01-03T09:31:10.943-08:00And another nope.And another nope.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13587812973839862671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-56856276397565694322011-01-03T08:12:37.914-08:002011-01-03T08:12:37.914-08:00Response to critic: Could it be that you are Jerem...Response to critic: Could it be that you are Jeremy Gerard?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01578470971101171178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-59415548430321411432011-01-03T07:57:35.206-08:002011-01-03T07:57:35.206-08:00Response to tomlogan: Whether you regard Jeremy Ge...Response to tomlogan: Whether you regard Jeremy Gerard as a genius or an idiot really isn't the point. The point is this: John Simon left Bloomberg involuntarily, and may harbor some bitterness toward his previous editor and current successor. Ethical journalism would suggest that he at least acknowledge his relationship with Gerard. But Simon plays by his own rules, or makes them up as he trudges on.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13587812973839862671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-80248693934842101802011-01-02T22:16:44.428-08:002011-01-02T22:16:44.428-08:00To claim that a Broadway musical is in "previ...To claim that a Broadway musical is in "previews" while its creators appear to be only halfway through writing and staging it, and its opening night is indefinitely postponed, is absurd. In the case of 'Spiderman', the decision to begin previews was purely economic: the producers direly needed ticket revenue to keep this budget-busting production afloat. Only a show with the pre-sold appeal and hype of 'Spiderman' could ever exploit the strategy of selling months of 'preview' tickets to a musical obviously not ready for public performance. Other shows don't have this luxury since they typically face limited demand for preview tickets. How many past Broadway failures might have been successfully 'fixed' if their creators could have delayed opening night indefinitely? 'Spiderman' has an unfair advantage in this respect. So it is entirely fair for critics to post interim reviews of 'Spiderman' since audiences attending month upon month of 'previews' should have the benefit of knowing what they can expect to experience along the way.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13813248830726732967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-72961286626255729932011-01-02T19:52:40.003-08:002011-01-02T19:52:40.003-08:00Bloomberg can have Jeremy Gerard. Who cares what h...Bloomberg can have Jeremy Gerard. Who cares what he thinks? Pandering rubbish and log rolling. He was an editor? Who is he anyhow?<br />Thank you John for your new blog, a constant ray of clarity in a morass of meaningless pop culture.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01578470971101171178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-29534951185681935952011-01-02T08:52:54.656-08:002011-01-02T08:52:54.656-08:00Thank God for 'fringe' theatre.Thank God for 'fringe' theatre.Ciboreumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12486809315366206293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-23007230496644555712011-01-02T00:44:11.508-08:002011-01-02T00:44:11.508-08:00Glad you're back! Of course, you never really...Glad you're back! Of course, you never really left. You're aesthetic sense is always a ray of reality.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15864043726977140667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-66778903740734778732011-01-01T18:24:49.063-08:002011-01-01T18:24:49.063-08:00So glad to be able read JS againSo glad to be able read JS againMelody Breyer-Grellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14982740390028071039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-31565368583861426572011-01-01T10:33:12.200-08:002011-01-01T10:33:12.200-08:00Ah, John John,
It's good to have you back.Ah, John John,<br />It's good to have you back.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10665317097522564620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-4449690505583214532011-01-01T07:20:18.576-08:002011-01-01T07:20:18.576-08:00Great to read your post, Mr. Simon! I shall be see...Great to read your post, Mr. Simon! I shall be seeing "Spider-man" this week...but I promise I will not be writing a review.fasted7https://www.blogger.com/profile/09367526971075090850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-23012668259875097182010-12-31T09:18:32.346-08:002010-12-31T09:18:32.346-08:00Could it be that your degradation of Jeremy Gerard...Could it be that your degradation of Jeremy Gerard has something to do with his being your former editor at Bloomberg, and is now your successor as critic? And do you really think it is appropriate/ethical for a critic to privately "advise" a producer and then review the production? Hmmm.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13587812973839862671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-49101476325430557482010-12-30T18:25:43.844-08:002010-12-30T18:25:43.844-08:00Your friend, Michael Reidel, has lead the mob in t...Your friend, Michael Reidel, has lead the mob in this appalling practice to which you refer in your wonderful article.Will you call him to account on your next appearance on Theater Talk?<br />He has become a latter day Addison DeWitt minus the wit. However, this kind of gossipy venom will sell plenty of tickets. The real tragedy is the precipitous degradation of genuine theater criticism.<br />God, we've missed you Mr. Simon.Buxtehude11https://www.blogger.com/profile/18054046050391821523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-73261190605650789862010-12-30T17:32:31.046-08:002010-12-30T17:32:31.046-08:00Great to see you back, Mr. Simon. I look forward t...Great to see you back, Mr. Simon. I look forward to reading your work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-38612375754009447102010-12-30T16:50:25.385-08:002010-12-30T16:50:25.385-08:00It must be some sort of historical distinction to ...It must be some sort of historical distinction to the be the second person in the whole wide world to comment on the brand new blog of the infamous John Simon. Welcome to the blogosphere. For the record, I say let Superman preview as long as it wants. If audiences don't like paying high prices for "previews" they can wait. Nobody's forced to buy a ticket to a Broadway musical.Ronnie Larsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16580642408334490576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-44936696787718499382010-12-30T16:27:16.736-08:002010-12-30T16:27:16.736-08:00Didn't Pauline Kael "pre-review" Rob...Didn't Pauline Kael "pre-review" Robert Altman's NASHVILLE back in the day in order to prevent the film from being trimmed by its producers? That kind of effort I can understand. In the theater, perhaps, a critic with some clout might help a besieged perfectionist like, say, a Jerome Robbins, if such talented geniuses are still permitted to work in the theater. <br /><br />At any rate, welcome to John Simon! Pretty good set of gams you're sporting -- lucky a giant tortoise didn't take a bite!Joe Carlsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10925042164233399553noreply@blogger.com