Rent hit Broadway in 1996.

That was 14 years ago.

Which means that right now, the first high schooler on the Rent Rush line is giving birth to her second child*, and naming her Maureen.

Think about it.




*Her first was a son named Collins .

Today I noticed myself doing the following:

1. Receiving an e-mail from DidHeLikeIt.com. Which, if you haven't seen it, is a very clever little website that simply shows you whether "he" (Ben Brantley of the New York Times, with an occasional sub-in by Isherwood) liked a show that opened.
2. Clicking on the link to visit the site to find out whether he liked Mr. and Mrs. Fitch.
3. Seeing this graphic:

4. Not bothering to read the article to find out the details of why Brantley didn't like it.

Have I over-marginalized the entire critics system?

Yes.

For the record, though, I usually make these snap judgments based on the contents of StageGrade (formerly Critic-O-Meter) which is a fantastic roundup of the sum of all the reviews averaged out to a letter grade.

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to clarify myself in the most recent New York Times column I wrote where I said that I feel the pain of those people whose cellphones ring during the middle of a show. Many of you thought this meant that I, the most powerful man in NY Theater, was condoning cell phone use. So I thought I should set the record straight.

It's only okay if they're my friends, and they didn't have to pay a single dime for their ticket.

Thank you,

BEN BRANTLEY