In retrospect I don't think I should have been a theatre critic, a job I did in Cardiff while teaching full time, for ten years or so. The reason is that there never was much I liked. Even some of the productions that had been raved over in their London productions - raved over by critics and public - I found disappointing. Two in particular.
"Fanshen" a play that I cannot remember much about except that it had something to with the Chinese and was left wing in theme. I saw it when I had a severe cold and, of course, this may have impaired my judgement - but I don't think so. I hated the play.
But whereas this play was a critical success (I don't remember it being a popular one), "Noises Off" was both a critical success and a popular one.
It still is.
Yesterday in the Seven Magazine that comes with The Sunday Telegraph there's a review by Charles Spencer of a new book by Michael Frayn; Spencer mentions "Noises Off" as "His brilliant farce about farce. 'Noises Off' is I think the funniest show I have ever seen...."
I saw a production in Cardiff many years ago. I did not review it, thank God, because I would have been obliged to 'give it a stinker'.
I thought it brilliant in conception, excellent in execution and..... just not funny at all.
Which is why, in retrospect, I think I should not have been a theatre critic.
Incidentally, there were a lot of people (especially actors and directors in Cardiff) who thought the same and, what's more, some of them told me so.
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