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Ben Brantley Quotes


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Quotes by Ben Brantley

Showing 1-10 of 11 Quotes by Ben Brantley

It's nowhere near as intense as what I imagine an actor experiences backstage, but I feel a fluttering nervousness before a curtain goes up on a play. I mean, any play, anywhere - on Broadway or the Bowery or in a church basement.

~Ben Brantley

Topics: Actor Any Anywhere Backstage Basement Before Broadway Church Curtain Experiences Feel Goes Imagine Intense Mean Near Nervousness Nowhere Play Up I Feel

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Whether you like it or not, a performance's triumphs and belly flops come to seem excruciatingly intimate, as if you were somehow partly responsible for them.

~Ben Brantley

Topics: Belly Come Flops Intimate Like Partly Performance Responsible Seem Somehow Them Triumphs Were Whether You

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Theater criticism should be visceral, at least on some level, an articulation of that fierceness and passion. I usually do a fair amount of research before I see a show - on the history of previous productions (if it's a revival) and the creative team.

~Ben Brantley

Topics: Amount Before Creative Criticism Fair Fair Amount History Least Level Passion Previous Productions Research Revival See Should Show Some Team The History Of Theater Visceral I See

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I've seen plays that are, objectively, total messes that move me in ways that their tidier brethren do not. That's the romantic mystery of great theater. Translating this ineffability into printable prose is a challenge that can never be fully met.

~Ben Brantley

Topics: Brethren Challenge Fully Great Me Messes Met Move Mystery Never Objectively Plays Prose Romantic Seen Theater Total Translating Ways

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Cyndi Lauper knows how to work a crowd.

~Ben Brantley

Topics: Crowd How Knows Work

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I have received hostile voice mail messages and e-mails. They are often anonymous, I'm sad to say, as anonymous messages are delivered only by very low forms of human life, in my opinion.

~Ben Brantley

Topics: Anonymous Delivered Forms Hostile Human Human Life In My Opinion Life Low Mail Messages Often Only Opinion Received Sad Say Very Voice E-Mails

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The cliche was always that 'everybody's a critic,' but it becomes truer every day. Long before reviews appear in the traditional outlets, you can now usually discover - somewhere in the thickets of the Internet - reactions to shows from people who've seen them in previews.

~Ben Brantley

Topics: Always Appear Becomes Before Cliche Critic Day Discover Every Every Day Everybody Internet Long Now Outlets People Preview Reactions Reviews Seen Shows Somewhere Them Traditional Truer You

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I personally read criticism - at least by writers I enjoy - to stimulate a conversation in my own mind, and I like to think that's the function I serve for others.

~Ben Brantley

Topics: Conversation Criticism Enjoy Function Least Like Mind My Own Others Own Personally Read Serve Stimulate Think Writers

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I write the occasional entry for the 'Times' Theatre blog, especially when I'm in London and seeing two shows a day, but I don't tweet. I don't want to have to express my opinion in 140 characters. That's like writing haiku. You need a certain amount of legroom to review a play properly.

~Ben Brantley

Topics: Amount Blog Certain Characters Day Entry Express Like London Need Occasional Opinion Play Properly Review Seeing Shows Theatre Times Tweet Two Want Write Writing You I Write

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The power of the print reviewer is one of those urban myths. There have always been shows that slipped under the critical radar to become popular successes: 'Tobacco Road', 'Abie's Irish Rose' and our old friend 'Spider-Man', which got the worst reviews in theatre history and is still apparently going strong.

~Ben Brantley

Topics: Always Apparently Become Been Critical Friend Going Got History Irish Myths Old Old Friend Our Popular Power Print Radar Reviewer Reviews Road Rose Shows Spider-Man Still Strong Successes Theatre Those Tobacco Urban Which Worst

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Biography

Nationality: American

Type: Journalist

Born: October 26th, 1954

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