Critic unbound

The death of Betty White — a relatively minor TV star who appeared in a couple of popular sitcoms in the 1970s and ‘80s and managed to live nearly to 100 — was the lead story on all three network evening newscasts a couple of weeks ago. The death Friday of Sidney Poitier — an … Continue reading Sidney Poitier: The Jackie Robinson of Hollywood →

No theater genre inspires more disdain among critics and other guardians of Broadway’s “purity” than the movie-to-musical adaptation. Taking a popular old film, adding songs, and turning it into a family-friendly Broadway show? Too crass, too unoriginal, too nakedly commercial. Begone!  Mrs. Doubtfire, a new musical based on the 1993 Robin Williams film, has come to … Continue reading To the Critics of ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’: Lighten Up →

I attended a memorial service this morning for Chris Porterfield, the editor who, more than anyone else, shaped my writing and critical thinking at TIME Magazine for the better part of three decades. I wrote a little personal obituary for him after his death a few weeks ago, and wanted to share it — as … Continue reading Farewell to My Favorite Editor →

The big news of the new Broadway season — aside from the fact that there is a new Broadway season, albeit with masks and vaccination mandate — is its racial diversity. No fewer than six plays by Black authors have opened so far this fall— more than the entire number of straight plays that have opened in … Continue reading ‘Trouble in Mind’: A Gem Unearthed →

Ever since the beginning of the Trump presidency and the explosion of political satire that accompanied it, one question has nagged at me: Whatever happened to Jon Stewart?  As host of the Daily Show for 16 years, Stewart was the godfather of a new generation of late-night TV hosts, who infused their comedy with a pointed, often … Continue reading The Problem With Jon Stewart →

I’ve been a latecomer to many of the limited series that have inundated the TV streaming services over the past couple of years, monopolizing so much of our time during the pandemic. But I’ve now seen enough to offer one general observation-slash-warning. With a few obvious exceptions, these shows tend to go downhill after the … Continue reading ‘The Morning Show’ and the Sophomore Jinx →

My 18-month, pandemic-enforced hiatus from theatergoing is finally over. Ever since my last visit to a Broadway show (on March 11, 2019, the night before all New York theaters shut down), I have gone to no live, in-person performances, indoors or out — and even steered clear of most of the Zoom plays that popped … Continue reading Broadway is back. No cheering yet →

It was nice to see Simone Biles compete in at least one event at the Tokyo Olympics, after dropping out for most of the Games because of the stress. Just before her bronze-medal performance on the balance beam, I weighed in on NBC's hyperventilating Olympics coverage — and the whole media frenzy surrounding her — … Continue reading Is NBC to Blame for Simone Biles’ Meltdown? →

Like many liberal Democrats who had trouble sleeping during the Trump presidency, I found myself relying on MSNBC for nightly solace, shared outrage, and any signs of hope that the Trump nightmare might soon be over. Eventually it was. With the advent of the Biden administration, that nightly MSNBC fix began to seem less urgent. … Continue reading Fear Factor: A Game Plan for the Democrats →

Even the most woke readers of the New York Times, I suspect, may have blanched at the lead paragraph of a story in the Real Estate section a couple of Sundays ago. “They never wanted to call it retirement,” the article began, “but for Susan Farnsworth, Leigh Hough and Jean-Philippe Jomini, a throuple — a romantic … Continue reading Enslaved by the Style Watchdogs →