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Alastair Macaulay article in the Sunday NYT


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Posted

[Moderator Beanie on]

OK Folks, this is getting pretty heated and also not particularly moving forward. It looks like each side has stated their views on Macaulay pretty thoroughly. If we continue this discussion, please refrain from ad hominem comments and have something different to say than what's been hashed out already.

If it makes you feel better, there will be a charity jello wrestling match - Peter Martins and Kevin McKenzie will be going head to head with Bob Gottlieb and Macaulay. James Wolcott will be refereeing with Veronika Part as Vanna White allowing the participants to buy a vowel or a Cyrillic consonant.

Tickets go on sale sometime after Labor Day. The house is predicted to be sold out.

[Moderator Beanie off]

Posted

Thanks for that reminder, Leigh.

About Veronika Part's participation in the wrestling show ... may I suggest uniformed guards in the lobby and aisles? We have some heated Part-lovers and Part-detractors here as well. :)

Posted

Just a final little response: while I find critics who hand out artificial flowers and love everything useless and unhelpful, equally worthless are those who lob sweeping dismissals, snide jibes, withering comments, been-there-done-that superiority and backhanded praise to show how just how superior their attitude and opinions are. No critic has to love everything I love - "Etudes" seems to be a ballet that breeds contempt with familiarity and Macauley gave good reasons for his disdain. He also had some honest criticism of specific productions like the revised "Sleeping Beauty" and the "Swan Lake".

However several of his comments seem to belittle the artists without balancing the equation by weighing his criticisms against all of their qualities. Anna Kisselgoff had been seeing ballet in NY when ABT and NYCB were new companies just starting out, she knew all the dancers in each company intimately and even if they were miscast, misdirected or in poor shape always had a good sense of each dancer's (and the company that created them) intrinsic worth. I don't trust Macauley in the same way.

Posted

Chiming in late: I wrote to the critic I shall hereinafter refer to as A-Mac after seeing him at the Cornejo SB & Giselle debuts to ask when we could expect a review. He replied: I/we see many more performances than I/we review.

One thing is certain, this board never got as heated up over Kisselgoff/Dunning/Anderson recaps as over this one of A-Mac.

Posted
[Moderator Beanie on]

If it makes you feel better, there will be a charity jello wrestling match - Peter Martins and Kevin McKenzie will be going head to head with Bob Gottlieb and Macaulay. James Wolcott will be refereeing with Veronika Part as Vanna White allowing the participants to buy a vowel or a Cyrillic consonant.

Tickets go on sale sometime after Labor Day. The house is predicted to be sold out.

[Moderator Beanie off]

Oh, I am so there!

What flavor is the jello?

Posted
[Moderator Beanie on]

If it makes you feel better, there will be a charity jello wrestling match - Peter Martins and Kevin McKenzie will be going head to head with Bob Gottlieb and Macaulay. James Wolcott will be refereeing with Veronika Part as Vanna White allowing the participants to buy a vowel or a Cyrillic consonant.

Tickets go on sale sometime after Labor Day. The house is predicted to be sold out.

[Moderator Beanie off]

Oh, I am so there!

What flavor is the jello?

And what color (may not be related to the flavor)?

Posted
Has to be grape.

Sour grape or sour lemon, I'd say. And for the most media impact, as whipped up by some publicity hound celebrity chef.

Posted
Thanks, kfw. Macaulay's a pet critic of mine because he shares my opinion (although mine's a bit more moderate) of Etudes. :off topic:

How long can his reviews be? Unlike us, he has limited space to give his overall take on the season and single out one or two highlights and/or duds for special attention. If he went into such detail for every presentation over the eight weeks, those of us who had not yet lost interest would still be reading his season wrap-up.

Well, he has not only his daily reviews, which can be quite substantial, but he's also afforded nice chunks of space in the Sunday Times. This has its limitations, but Macaulay has more space than many, if not most, other critics.

Posted
Well, he has not only his daily reviews, which can be quite substantial, but he's also afforded nice chunks of space in the Sunday Times. This has its limitations, but Macaulay has more space than many, if not most, other critics.

Yes, he does have considerably more space over the course of a season. To clarify, in the quote you cite, I meant only the single, specific article which is the primary focus of this thread.

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