Hytner Retracts, Urges Critics to Get Out More???

When National Theatre artistic director Nicholas Hytner made those infamous comments last month in The Times (See News, 14 May 2007) – labelling some of Britain’s theatre critics misogynistic “dead white males” – little could he have predicted the furore he was unleashing. Now, in an opinion piece published in Sunday’s Observer newspaper, he’s attempted to make amends, admitting that he had “chatted idly and intemperately about male theatre critics” after being “caught off-guard by a skilled reporter”. Withdrawing the charge he made against those elder critics, he explains that the “spoken irony” of the telephone conversation with the Times reporter clearly didn’t translate into print. However, despite his retraction - praising elder reviewers as having the “priceless asset” of longevity and being able “to put everything they see in the context of decades of theatre-going” – Hytner has nevertheless questioned the changing role of the “super-critic” and made a suggestion that they take a break from their nightly routine of theatregoing and get out more to films, concerts, dance or the opera. He writes: “I wonder whether the concept of the super-critic who sees everything and knows everything is as useful as it was. There are critics whose experience spreads wide rather than deep … I've known theatre critics complain that they never get to see a movie. They should be given the chance - they're missing out on a lot that those who make theatre, and see it, refer to constantly.” Arts editors take note.

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