Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
Ben Brantley, we need to talk. Respectfully, it's time to discuss your retirement.
The American theatre is inundated with the privileged opinions of cisgender white men, and yours is the loudest of them all. That in itself is not the problem. The problem is that your reign has harmed productions seeking to empower voices that you don't care to understand, and damaged the careers of performers who dedicate themselves to telling new stories from new perspectives--perspectives which you consistently disregard as unimportant and irrelevant to the way you interpret a piece of theater. Instead, your amplified voice spouts tone-deaf snark and uncalled-for rudeness. To be a critic is to critique--not merely to mock and dismiss from a high perch of infinite aloofness.
A couple of things stood out lately: most recently, a fairly unprofessional and moderately inexplicable transcript of a bitch session with a friend, billed as your review of King Kong, and before that, the punching-down at gender identity and inclusive pronouns (as well as the generally condescending tone) of your Head Over Heels review. (The latter you edited and declawed post-publication, a fact that isn't as exculpatory as you'd probably like it to be; it mostly just shows that even you didn't see much value in your original take).
You are of course under no obligation (nor is any critic, nor any theater-goer) to enjoy what you see. But if your whole beat, on balance, seems unworthy of engaging on some deeper level, and if you have nothing to champion but your own peerless taste, then the most valuable thing you could do would be, simply, to clear a space.
Mr. Brantley, you have a platform and a position of unrivaled power, unlike any other in the the theater industry. With that power, you have a chance to lead the charge to change the American theatre for the better. Very often the most powerful act of solidarity can be an act of stepping aside, and listening.
To any other theater critics working for major newspapers in centers of the industry to whom this applies--did Chris Jones ever figure out that the play wasn't about a whale?--please consider this a petition to you as well.
Signed,
The Possible Inclusive Future of the American Theatre
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Updates
November 10, 2018
I have been reading through the messages you all are sending about the impact of these reviews on your own work. It is deeply painful to see how many brilliant artists have felt their voices silenced by the same dismissive tone I am fighting against. We are not just criticizing a single person because we deserve a theater culture that actually respects the stories we tell.
November 10, 2018
Seeing this momentum grow confirms that I am far from alone in feeling exhausted by the gatekeeping in our theater community. Your stories about how these dismissive reviews have personally impacted your own work fuel my determination to keep this conversation going.
24 Comments
Your job is to inspire people to see theater not to use creative language to tear a community you supposedly are a fan of apart. Take Jesse Greene with you when you go.
Being a critic certainly doesn't mean one must like and be completely positive about everything they see. Heck, I didn't really care for King Kong, but I saw the hard work and craft that went into making it. One can be critical in a thoughtful, insightful and kind manner. The snark and cattiness of this mean girl style "review" did nothing constructive for anyone involved. Mr Brantley seems to be more interested in attempting to entertain and trying to sound clever with his "reviews" than in actually putting out a thoughtful, thought provoking review. He is playing to the lowest common denominator for effect rather than actually doing his job as a critic.
I thought this review whether you liked or disliked the show was irresponsible and highly unprofessional. Any show deserves the respect for thoughtful analysis, and I'd expect better from a publication such as the NY Times. A disgraceful indulgent display of arrogance
Shame on you for being so catty and dismissive. You’re responsible for how investors give to productions bc of the perceived weight of your words. This could put hundreds of people out of work for a really cool and innovative show, just because your lens is blurry.
The damage you are doing to the future of American theater is inexcusable. As an actor, an Equity member, and a transgender person, I feel your inability to see past your own privilege is hurting folks in communities that are already under-represented, and we are done standing for it. Your time is done here.
He needs to go. That Kong "review" was the most unprofessional immature thing I've ever read in any newspaper. They both should have been fired immediately for that.
Be kind, be respectful.
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Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
Ben Brantley, we need to talk. Respectfully, it's time to discuss your retirement.
The American theatre is inundated with the privileged opinions of cisgender white men, and yours is the loudest of them all. That in itself is not the problem. The problem is that your reign has harmed productions seeking to empower voices that you don't care to understand, and damaged the careers of performers who dedicate themselves to telling new stories from new perspectives--perspectives which you consistently disregard as unimportant and irrelevant to the way you interpret a piece of theater. Instead, your amplified voice spouts tone-deaf snark and uncalled-for rudeness. To be a critic is to critique--not merely to mock and dismiss from a high perch of infinite aloofness.
A couple of things stood out lately: most recently, a fairly unprofessional and moderately inexplicable transcript of a bitch session with a friend, billed as your review of King Kong, and before that, the punching-down at gender identity and inclusive pronouns (as well as the generally condescending tone) of your Head Over Heels review. (The latter you edited and declawed post-publication, a fact that isn't as exculpatory as you'd probably like it to be; it mostly just shows that even you didn't see much value in your original take).
You are of course under no obligation (nor is any critic, nor any theater-goer) to enjoy what you see. But if your whole beat, on balance, seems unworthy of engaging on some deeper level, and if you have nothing to champion but your own peerless taste, then the most valuable thing you could do would be, simply, to clear a space.
Mr. Brantley, you have a platform and a position of unrivaled power, unlike any other in the the theater industry. With that power, you have a chance to lead the charge to change the American theatre for the better. Very often the most powerful act of solidarity can be an act of stepping aside, and listening.
To any other theater critics working for major newspapers in centers of the industry to whom this applies--did Chris Jones ever figure out that the play wasn't about a whale?--please consider this a petition to you as well.
Signed,
The Possible Inclusive Future of the American Theatre
Updates
November 10, 2018
I have been reading through the messages you all are sending about the impact of these reviews on your own work. It is deeply painful to see how many brilliant artists have felt their voices silenced by the same dismissive tone I am fighting against. We are not just criticizing a single person because we deserve a theater culture that actually respects the stories we tell.
November 10, 2018
Seeing this momentum grow confirms that I am far from alone in feeling exhausted by the gatekeeping in our theater community. Your stories about how these dismissive reviews have personally impacted your own work fuel my determination to keep this conversation going.
24 Comments
Critical assessment of the hard working actors and technicians in what is arguably the highest level of achievement in the art deserves more respect than Mr. Brantley is capable of. His vitriol isnt warranted and it certainly isn’t relevant.
Your job is to inspire people to see theater not to use creative language to tear a community you supposedly are a fan of apart. Take Jesse Greene with you when you go.
Being a critic certainly doesn't mean one must like and be completely positive about everything they see. Heck, I didn't really care for King Kong, but I saw the hard work and craft that went into making it. One can be critical in a thoughtful, insightful and kind manner. The snark and cattiness of this mean girl style "review" did nothing constructive for anyone involved. Mr Brantley seems to be more interested in attempting to entertain and trying to sound clever with his "reviews" than in actually putting out a thoughtful, thought provoking review. He is playing to the lowest common denominator for effect rather than actually doing his job as a critic.
I thought this review whether you liked or disliked the show was irresponsible and highly unprofessional. Any show deserves the respect for thoughtful analysis, and I'd expect better from a publication such as the NY Times. A disgraceful indulgent display of arrogance
Shame on you for being so catty and dismissive. You’re responsible for how investors give to productions bc of the perceived weight of your words. This could put hundreds of people out of work for a really cool and innovative show, just because your lens is blurry.
The damage you are doing to the future of American theater is inexcusable. As an actor, an Equity member, and a transgender person, I feel your inability to see past your own privilege is hurting folks in communities that are already under-represented, and we are done standing for it. Your time is done here.
He needs to go. That Kong "review" was the most unprofessional immature thing I've ever read in any newspaper. They both should have been fired immediately for that.
Be kind, be respectful.
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Critical assessment of the hard working actors and technicians in what is arguably the highest level of achievement in the art deserves more respect than Mr. Brantley is capable of. His vitriol isnt warranted and it certainly isn’t relevant.