It's Started

Film critics who aren't deluded recognize they can't make or break a film, especially mass-audience movies. But the more rarefied the art form, the more critics matter.

Take theatre. Big as Broadway is, bad reviews--especially in The New York Times--kill a show. A night out is expensive, so theatre-goers are careful shoppers. Yet, even here there seem to be shows that are critic-proof.

Take the biggest hit on Broadway right now, Wicked, which opened in 2003. The critics didn't love it and it lost out on most of the major Tony Awards, but somehow it clicked with an audience. There are people who see it over and over. It wasn't even about the leads, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, who left years ago.

So I guess the question now is will The Addams Family become another hit despite the critics. They were scathing, but the show's got big names (by Broadway standards), a recognizable title and huge pre-sales. By some accounts, there's an audience out there--perhaps not the traditional theatre crowd--that goes for it.

The real question is when the advance runs out, and Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth leave, will the audience evaporate. I doubt it, but then, I haven't seen it. I'm not planning on seeing it either (those damn critics got to me), but I suppose if it runs as long as Wicked, I might get around to it.