Listen To The Lullaby

It's generally conceded that reviews matter on Broadway. Or really, one review--The New York Times. This galvanizes the audience, deciding for regular theatregoers whether something's an event or a washout.

I'm starting to wonder, though. A review, especially for a non-musical, can get you over the hump. But does it really compare to big-name casting? And it's got to be the right big names, too. People will line up to see James Gandolfini on stage, but when he leaves the show and Dylan Baker or Jimmy Smits sign on, the thrill is gone. Or James Spader and David Alan Grier, who are a more exciting duo than Dennis Haysbert and Eddie Izzard.

Still, it's musicals that are the lifeblood of Broadway. They're the destination of tourist and tired businessman. And here, reviews can make a hit, but so can big names and major properties. Neither The Addams Family nor the Promises, Promises revival were loved by critics, but they've both recently passed the 100 performance mark and are still close to sell-outs. Maybe they won't run much beyond a year (especially after the big names leave), but they've got a great chance of turning a profit without a thumbs up from the Times.

And what about the long runs, the institutions that everyone wants to see? After something's been going for a year, it's no longer because of the original reviews, but word of mouth (or perhaps a hit tune). When Wicked opened seven years ago, Ben Brantley was in love with Kristin Chenoweth, but not much else:

Be grateful, very grateful, that Ms. Chenoweth, who spent a brief exile in the land of sitcoms, has returned to the stage with none of the routinized glibness associated with weekly television. She provides the essential helium in a bloated production that might otherwise spend close to three hours flapping its oversized wings without taking off.

Yet the show managed to find its audience and still sells out every week, with no end in sight.

Better to get good reviews, of course, but if you can figure out some other way to have a long run, that's a good thing. And when it comes down to it, I'd rather have audiences find shows than critics decide the issue for them.