Has the New York Times sent shockwaves through the theatre world?

Does it matter that a critic knows something about the subject on which they are writing? And that the reader knows the critic and their taste?

WhatsOnStage lead critic Sarah Crompton and editor-in-chief Alex Wood pick up the debate about the role of criticism triggered by the New York Times’ decision to take three critics off their customary beat. Plus, they apply the lessons to the extraordinary range of reactions to Burlesque, and Alex reports back from Jesus Christ Superstar at the Watermill and Top Hat at Chichester.

Crompton and Wood present a weekly series on all things theatrical. News, views, frank exchanges and lists offer an unmissable guide to what’s happening on stage (and in film and on television) now, in the past and in future.

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