John Simon on Theatre: Criticism 1974-2003 (John Simon On--) [Hardcover]

John Simon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1557835055 | ISBN-13: 978-1557835055 | Publication Date: May 1, 2005 | Edition: Hardcover

This provocative collection and major publishing event brings together the critical highlights of the well-known New York cultural critic John Simon. Covering a span of more than three decades, it includes previously published work from New York, the Huds

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Theater buffs curious about what one of the country's most esteemed critics thinks of their favorite plays may want to pick up this collection of reviews and criticism, but they might be disappointed when he doesn't agree with them. In this volume, released simultaneously with John Simon on Film and John Simon on Music, Simon takes turns skewering and lauding almost anything that opened on Broadway or Off in the past 30 years. Known for his acid wit (in his introduction, O'Brien refers to him as "cranky, but never a snob"), some of Simon's turns of phrase can certainly seem harsh (he refers to Billy Joel's music for Movin' Out as "street noise" and says that the show is appropriate only for "foreign visitors who speak no English") but he never apologizes for his opinions. Simon's writing is accessible, and it's often surprising to see which productions he likes and which he detests. And while certain shows beloved by other critics and the theater-going public are slashed to bits, the book is a necessary compilation of an important cultural critic's work that certainly deserves to be on the shelves of theater scholars and historians, as well as those wishing to study a master of arts criticism.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 840 pages
• Publisher: Applause Books; Hardcover edition (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557835055
• ISBN-13: 978-1557835055
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,278,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Irreplaceable and Necessary, September 3, 2005

By 

Charles Weinstein (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: John Simon on Theatre: Criticism 1974-2003 (John Simon On--) (Hardcover)

John Simon is, along with Robert Brustein and Stanley Kauffmann, one of America's three greatest drama critics, and my personal favorite. I've learned an enormous amount from him over the years. If you're willing to do so, you will too.