In our Western cultural narrative of artmaking, the critic and the creator are set across the table from each other, situationally poised enemies. Our Tabithas, à la Birdman, and Anton Egos, à la Ratatouille, are manifestations of an ongoing cultural narrative that paints the critic as inept, prejudiced, and bitter. At best, critics are unsympathetic; at worst, actively antagonistic to our artistic hero’s journey.
Despite this universally cruel portrait of their writers, reviews are an essential and often overlooked part of the American theatremaking ecosystem. They attempt to gauge a show’s success and reflect a production’s strengths and pitfalls back to the creative team. Glowing reviews certainly bolster the success of individual productions, and they connect audience members to plays, writers, librettists, and performers. But a review can also shutter doors early, as many artists know well. A show deemed unsuccessful with panned, ho-hum reviews can limit its longevity and future production prospects.
The last decade has seen sustained interest and movements committed to breaking down barriers in the artistic production arena. Equity, diversity, and inclusion programs have appeared in operations and mission statements of theatres nationwide; many theatres have accepted the challenge of the JUBILEE, which encourages American theatres to commit to producing work by “women, people of color, artists of varied physical and cognitive ability, and/or LGBTQIA artists” in their 2020–21 seasons (and beyond!); and there has been ample conversation around inclusion in the arts and how to make theatre a welcoming space for all. Despite these strides toward greater equity, there remains significant gatekeeping in arts journalism and, as a result, the role of the critic in the creation and perpetuation of theatre has remained relatively uninterrogated.
Over the past few years, as artists have been bringing to the stage more and more LGBTQ+-centered stories, there has been an epidemic of misgendering in reviews of shows with queer themes and characters, at all levels of arts coverage. And while backlash against individual reviews that disrespect or misgender trans characters is warranted and necessary, these singular reactions do not address the problem’s ongoing nature. The more troubling pattern currently manifesting in arts journalism is a failure to approach queer stories with respect or empathy for the people creating these queer stories and living queer lives.
The role of the critic in the creation and perpetuation of theatre has remained relatively uninterrogated.
In the News: Maybe Burke and safeword
Early in the summer of 2019, actor and activist Maybe Burke performed in the production of safeword by s. asher gelman, performed at the American Theatre of Actors. Also a consultant on the script, nonbinary actor Burke was excited to bring to life the story of the nonbinary character Chris, whose narrative did not center on explaining their identity or queerness.
The day after opening, as they watched reviews roll in, Burke was devastated to find that every single review of the show had misgendered them. One even went so far as to describe them as “a man in a dress”—a deeply invalidating and transphobic phrase.
“It’s no mistake that I’m being called a man the same year that Tootsie is playing on Broadway,” Burke explained. David Yazbek and Robert Horn’s Tony Award–winning musical adaptation of the 1982 film, which announced a national tour in the United States and plans for international productions this spring, hinges on the supposed inherent hilarity of a man donning a dress.
“How many times have you seen a ‘man in women’s dress’ on stage?” Burke asked. “Kinky Boots. La Cage. Hedwig. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Hairspray. Chicago. Matilda. Tootsie. The list goes on. Trans femmes are set up for failure in an industry that still produces shows with men dressed ‘as women’ for laughs. It shouldn’t have to be on me to have to explain myself to the world over and over again.”
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