Ben Brantley Talks How He Prepares For Reviews, His Favorite Recent Productions, and More

Ben Brantley, the chief theatre critic at the New York Times, is one of the most well-known critics of today. He recently took part in a panel in his hometown at Arbor Acres Retirement Community where he talked about some of his favorite past productions, how he approaches shows he's going to review, and more.

Lynn Felder, a writer for JournalNow.com, worked on the panel with Brantley. She recalled some of the things he said in a recent essay.

Brantley noted on the panel that, "Most things come from elsewhere other than New York." He gave the example of the recent production of Moulin Rouge! in Boston, to which he gave a glowing review.

The critic said that when approaching a new production he is going to review, he doesn't read it in advance, and instead prefers to experience it in the same way the audience does. If he is reviewing a classic work, he will revisit the original, but never the movie, if there is one.

He also noted that he will never review a production if he personally knows the actors in it, so he can remain unbiased.

When asked about his recent favorites, Brantley mentioned "Dance Nation" at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater and "Fairview" at Soho Rep.

From last year's Broadway season, his favorites were "The Band's Visit," "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,", "Three Tall Women" and the revival of "Angels in America."

Read more on JournalNow.com.

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