The First Critic

I am so tired of hearing critics blasted as vermin. From the often lauded “those who can’t, criticize” to the dismissive sniffs of “artists” who see critics as mere weeds in the beautiful garden of self-expression.

Critics are those who have failed in literature and art.
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) British politician and author.

Criticism is a study by which men grow important and formidable at very small expense. He whom nature has made weak, and idleness keeps ignorant, may yet support his vanity by the name of a critic.
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) British author.

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1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light
1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness....
1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
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Did you catch that?

AND IT WAS GOOD. AND IT WAS VERY GOOD.

Well, there it is. In nothing less than the authority of the Bible.

The first critic was G-d himself!

It seems the first criticism was wisely that of self-appraisal. There is no genesis, creation, without its subsequent critique. And so it is now, as when the world was still new, that all criticism is first and foremost rooted in introspection---even in criticism we are striving to reach for that spark of artistic creation.

I am much more aligned with the view of Henry James, than Disraeli or Johnson,

To criticize is to appreciate, to appropriate, to take intellectual possession, to establish in fine a relation with the criticized thing and to make it one's own.
Henry James(1843-1916) American author.

The point is not to tell the "unwashed masses" what to think or believe, but instead the best critics seek to convey the personal experience of a piece of art, be it theater, dance, or fresco. One should remember that every piece of art is a communication that is incomplete without an audience to receive it.

Obviously, I am not yet a critic (or at least not a good one), but to be able to effectively put one's reaction into words, is as noble an aspiration as any other. Meanwhile, I do not believe there is such a thing as an "unworthy critic." The best advice I ever received came in the form of validiation from Thelma, a stalwart of the profession many times over, she looked at me after we found ourselves together during an early venue showcase, and simply said:

"You are entitled to your opinion."

She was firmly unblinking....and you know what? I believe her.

After all, everyone is.

...CONTINUE READING ENTRY

Swing-and-a-miss! (or reasons why I am not a superstar comedian)

Yesterday, one of the members of “Jihad the Musical” came into the office of the venue where I was in the corner, squirreled away, gorging myself on their open-access Wi-Fi.

Someone asked why the show had been cancelled earlier that evening, and the man replied that two of the cast had been an unfortunate car accident and were now recovering in the hospital. He assured the worried faces that the actors were fine and the performance would be as-scheduled tomorrow night.


Previously unnoticed, I of course felt compelled to pipe up with,

“Will it be staged here or at the hospital?”

“Excuse me?”

I awkwardly repeated my question to blank faces.

There was another long pause.

Everyone looked around confused….It seemed that my “humor” was too obscure to even be thought insensitive.

“Right, thanks.” The man smiled genially, nodded to the rest of the room sympathetically and left.

Everyone looked mildly uncomfortable as they eased back into their work.

I mumbled some excuse about no longer being able to receive the connection and made my humble exit trying my best not to genuflect apologetically.

I do not think it is a coincidence that both kowtowing and bowing (a root of the Middle English word “bowen” suspiciously resembling “bovine”) all relate to the glum, uninteresting and hardly hilarious cow. The Chinese Calendar was wrong, I am not a tiger.

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