Critiquing the critic
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‘A drama critic writes show — and prepares to take his lumps’
That’s the headline Terry Teachout suggested for his First Person column that appears in Calendar this Sunday, because he knows what’s about to happen
After years of sitting in theaters and reviewing the works of others, the Wall Street Journal’s drama critic has stepped onto the other side of the creative process. Santa Fe Opera is about to premiere ‘The Letter,’ an opera by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec for which Teachout wrote the libretto.
Critics will weigh in on ‘The Letter’ soon enough.
In his Calendar piece, Teachout writes:
In case you’re wondering, I haven’t spent my whole life dreaming of writing an opera libretto. The thought of doing so never entered my mind until Paul invited me to collaborate with him. Nor am I a frustrated playwright: I love reviewing shows and writing biographies on the side. But now that I’ve got the bit between my teeth, I admit to being thrilled by the prospect of hearing my words sung on stage.
Read Teachout’s full story: A drama critic’s turn to face the music.
-- Sherry Stern