AMERICAN THEATRE | The Sardonic, Curious, Unyielding John Heilpern – American Theatre
Posted: February 9, 2021 at 6:56 am
John Heilpern.
The NY Observers drama critic, a Brit, brought an outsiders inquisitiveness to the American theatre, as well as principled grouchiness.
John Heilpern, longtime theatre critic for theNew York Observerand author ofJohn Osborne: The Many Lives of the Angry Young ManandConference of the Birds: The Story of Peter Brook in Africa, died on Jan. 7. He was 78.
I didnt know John Heilpern well, and I spent very little time with himtwo facts that I regret very deeply now that he is gone. I saw John mainly at the theatre, where we would often find ourselves seated near one another at press performances. Our conversations consisted mainly of a few words of greeting before a show, and an occasional bit of chat at intermission.
This was rare for me: I am something of a hermit by nature, and I was never wholly comfortable with the New York critical fraternitys old-time habit of clustering together and muttering comments on the piece under review that evening. In my lumpish and socially reclusive manner, I tended to adhere more to the rubric that Bernard Shaw once laid down: A critics hand should be against every man, and every mans hand against his.
With John things were different. Socially forthright and articulate in a way that I was not, he came from the British journalistic tradition, in which collegiality does not exclude or gloss over disagreements about ideas. As a result, his social conversation at press performances was very different from the superficial sociability and gossip that too often pass for conversation among some of New Yorks more cynical daily and weekly reviewers.
In the first place, being from a different country, where theatre practice and theatres place in the larger culture are very differentdecades of transatlantic interchange have not made New York and London all that much like each otherhe had questions about the how and the why of New York theatre, and particularly of Broadway. What drove people to put on a given play, and what drove audiences to like it, were subjects of fascination to him.
This was rare in my experience; far too many of our critics are interested in the profitability of a production, and not in the motives behind its success. John put his questions gruffly but succinctly, never with hostility to the play at hand (though he made no bones about his displeasure when he felt put off or let down by the work), but with the honest puzzlement of a serious traveler striving to grasp the customs of an arcane foreign world.
I remember on one occasion, at the intermission of a very long and incident-crammed play with a large cast, finding myself in a corner of the lobby with him, while he begged me, in a tone of almost anthropological curiosity, to explain how such a play could have the acclaim this one was audibly receiving. Disliking the work every bit as much as he did, I remember trying to explain to him, rather lamely, that Americans had become habituated to soap opera; when that clearly wouldnt wash, I recall going on, still more lamely, to say something about the national fondness for all-you-can-eat restaurants. The expression that crossed Johns face made clear what he thought of my comparison.
His intellectual curiosity, always attempting to evolve answers to the puzzling questions America posed, gave his reviews in the New York Observer a special cachet for me. They were not like any other critics reviews. They gave an Englishmans viewpoint of American workand certainly not a typically English viewpoint, either, for Johns personality, both in person and on the page, was distinctive. Though sociable and gregarious by instinct, he was also something of a groucha temperament that comes naturally to theatre critics, who have to sit through much that is second- or third-rate while waiting and longing for the first-rate work with the astonishing streak of brilliance that will make the whole procedure of nightly theatregoing seem worthwhile. John was not a snarky negativist but an honest and fair-minded grouch, who kept his patience until some event came along that made him lose it. (I am trying very hard here not to mention the name of the TV star whose solo performance on Broadway drove John to a comparison with the drunken party behavior of an elderly relative.)
In his reviews, John had no hesitation about finding some gem of goodness in even the unhappiest theatrical mishap. But he was watchful for, and unyielding about, any attempt to palm off the shoddy on unsuspecting audiences. Most particularly, he was infuriated by facile attempts to shock. When he felt he had ethical justifications to wax grouchy, he did not hold back. It was not always easy to agree with him in such cases, and on one or two occasions I found myself openly arguing with him over the matter, but I always came away admiring the absolute forthrightness of his moral stance.
Even when disagreeing, I found this aspect of Johns writing particularly admirable. With rare exceptions, I had largely given up expecting my colleagues to think beyond easy platitudes, politically or morally. John would seize on a plays politics and, if he saw fit, slam them down violently. On one of these occasions, he paid me a most startling compliment. At least, I think it was a compliment. John and I had both attended the revival of a well-known play that I had found thoroughly repellent. Because the playwright and his work were valued in many quarters, some close to home for me, I had tried to convey an objective view of the plays substance while expressing what I thought was a thoroughly negative view of it.
Imagine my surprise when Johns review, in the next weeks Observer, quoted a phrase from my low estimate of the work, while adding that I viewed the play far more generously than he did. I was dumbfounded. But I had only been negative about the playwilling to give its theatrical strategies some credit while condemning its overall outlook. John, having seized on the latter and belabored the playwright for it, had been ferocious. So I suppose in that sense I was taking a more generous view of the work than he was, though I doubt that it seemed so to the unfortunate playwright.
Among my minor regrets is that I never asked John about the origin of his email address. Some misinformed person, on some occasion or other, must have addressed him, or perhaps introduced him, as John Hatpin, and Johns sardonic sense of humor, perhaps seasoned with a touch of defiant bravado, led him to select hatpin as his email address. I sometimes addressed him in emails, joshingly, as Dr. Hatpin, but I never asked him where the joke originated.
Now I wish I knew, for I miss both the sardonic humor and the bravado, along with the fervent passion for principle, that lay behind them. I respected John most, I see now, because he was a believer. The theatre for him was something more than a diversion; it was a cultural expression that invited and challenged thought. He had no patience with those who would cheapen it or use it as a vehicle for glib ironies. Sometimes, when I think I am being too easy on such transgressors, I regret not being more like him.
Support American Theatre: a just and thriving theatre ecology begins with information for all. This Giving Season, please join us in this mission by making a donation to our publisher, Theatre Communications Group. When you support American Theatre magazine and TCG, you support a long legacy of quality nonprofit arts journalism.Clickhereto make your fully tax-deductible donation today!
See the original post:
AMERICAN THEATRE | The Sardonic, Curious, Unyielding John Heilpern - American Theatre
- Nice walks in Welwyn Garden City and Wheathampstead - Welwyn Hatfield Times - February 17th, 2021
- Irish unity will take place within a generation historian Max Hastings - The Irish Times - February 17th, 2021
- Viola Davis says she had to make her Blackness disappear as a student at Julliard - The News International - February 17th, 2021
- Press Review: Climate Change by Bill Gates and the Anti-Q Lobby - News - haveeruonline - February 17th, 2021
- Viola Davis: Dark-Skinned Black Women Do Not Have The Same Freedom As White Actresses - SheThePeople - February 17th, 2021
- Ireland Reads campaign leads up to national day to celebrate reading on 25 February - TheMayor.EU - February 17th, 2021
- Princestan is many pages of revelations: Jairam Ramesh - The Siasat Daily - February 17th, 2021
- Love is in the air and on the screen for Valentine's Day - Monadnock Ledger Transcript - February 17th, 2021
- George Bernard Shaw Was so Enamored with Socialism He Advocated Genocide to Advance It | Tyler Curtis - Foundation for Economic - February 17th, 2021
- Dublin pubs: Lego artist recreates the citys iconic boozers with tiny bricks - Dublin Live - February 10th, 2021
- On this day: February 9 - Metro Newspaper UK - February 10th, 2021
- Allyson Pollock: Testing, testing...for SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic people - The BMJ - The BMJ - February 10th, 2021
- Artist Spotlight: Bored at My Grandmas House - Our Culture - Our Culture Mag - February 10th, 2021
- The life and greatest quotes of George Bernard Shaw, Nobel Prize and Oscar winner - IrishCentral - February 10th, 2021
- Saint Joan: Speaking Truth to Power | Music | yesweekly.com - Yes! Weekly - February 9th, 2021
- Dover Doins: Heroes all around in our community - Foster's Daily Democrat - February 9th, 2021
- To er is human Frank McNally on the scourge of rhotic imperialism - The Irish Times - February 9th, 2021
- Fabulous Online And IRL Events This Week: Feb. 8 - 11 - LAist - February 9th, 2021
- Thinking Anew A universal and timeless significance - The Irish Times - February 9th, 2021
- Dennis Marek: I wish I had thought of that - Kankakee Daily Journal - February 9th, 2021
- Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better - The Dubrovnik Times - February 9th, 2021
- Theater groups present plays virtually to stay connected to audiences - Uniontown Herald Standard - December 28th, 2020
- Politicians and statesmen . . . and their reading habits - The Financial Express - December 28th, 2020
- My Bond girl should have turned down sex with 007, says Gemma Arterton - The Sun - December 28th, 2020
- Patty Hearst's Daughters Now: Where Are Lydia and Gillian Hearst Today? Update - The Cinemaholic - December 28th, 2020
- 6 new hotels to seek out in the UK and Ireland in 2021 - NewsChain - December 28th, 2020
- Muhammad (pbuh), the Best of Mankind - Kashmir Reader - December 28th, 2020
- Patty Hearst Now: Where is She Today? Is She in Jail? Update - The Cinemaholic - December 28th, 2020
- The cosmic explorations of Elon Musk, David Bowie and Blind Willie Johnson - Colorado Springs Independent - December 3rd, 2020
- The French law protecting those who speak funny is a real crime - Telegraph.co.uk - December 3rd, 2020
- Theater groups present plays virtually to stay connected to audiences - Observer-Reporter - December 3rd, 2020
- Mural inspired by Toy Show's Adam is a gesture of hope - RTE.ie - December 3rd, 2020
- Christopher Plummer Films and Interviews Coming To Stratfest@Home - Broadway World - December 3rd, 2020
- Marion Davies was as big as Valentino. Then she had a scandalous affair - The Irish Times - December 3rd, 2020
- J.C. Bose Father of Radio Science who was forgotten by West due to his aversion to patents - ThePrint - December 3rd, 2020
- Op-Ed: Rules For Revolutionaries: Understanding The Transformative Events That Are Reshaping America - The Published Reporter - December 3rd, 2020
- The Return of Nature and Marx's Ecology - Monthly Review - December 3rd, 2020
- Letter to the Editor: What used to be the party of Lincoln - Daily Bulldog - November 24th, 2020
- Letter to the Editor: First socialism, then communism - North Platte Telegraph - November 24th, 2020
- Is Joe Biden the new RFK? - The Philadelphia Citizen - November 24th, 2020
- The vaccines are on their way. Our next task? Persuade people to take them - Evening Standard - November 24th, 2020
- Village Playhouse Has Run Planned Through June, 2021 - Shepherd Express - November 24th, 2020
- Signs of the times: "Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music" by Alex Ross - Santa Fe New Mexican - November 24th, 2020
- On this day: November 18 - Metro Newspaper UK - November 24th, 2020
- It happened today - this day in history - November 18 - Yellow Advertiser - November 24th, 2020
- GO NZ: New Zealand's best hot springs, geysers and geothermal attractions - New Zealand Herald - November 24th, 2020
- We dont have it right: Bay Area sports teams struggle to diversify leadership - San Francisco Chronicle - November 24th, 2020
- Renewable Energy Technologies Are Impacting the Oil and Gas Future - Energy Voice - November 11th, 2020
- Inside One Madmans Wild Plan to Conquer Everest - InsideHook - November 11th, 2020
- Are Hotels Only to Stay or Does it Have a Story to Reveal? - Love Belfast - November 11th, 2020
- Chelsea: The criticism of Kai Havertz is premature and unwarranted - The Pride of London - November 11th, 2020
- The kidnapping and brainwashing of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst - 9Honey - November 11th, 2020
- Life Without Art In A Pandemic - New Haven Independent - October 9th, 2020
- The Skelligs: the Islands of wonder, legend and lore - Irish Examiner - October 9th, 2020
- Students resurrect old uniforms to mark schools 175th anniversary - The Irish Times - October 9th, 2020
- Northern Light Theatre has something special to celebrate - St. Albert TODAY - October 9th, 2020
- Kirby: What they say, what they mean and what can you do? - The Augusta Chronicle - October 9th, 2020
- Britains mixed-race population blurs the lines of identity politics - The Economist - October 9th, 2020
- In the Mendelssohn Octet, the pure sound of youth - Los Angeles Times - October 9th, 2020
- Naval Service Will be Required to Deal with Tensions if Brexit Talks fail to Broker Deal On Fishing Rights - Afloat - October 9th, 2020
- 'What Are You Saying? And why you're not saying it' - a new book by Conor Kenny - Limerick Post - October 9th, 2020
- England is still a nation divided by language says VIRGINIA BLACKBURN - Daily Express - October 9th, 2020
- Shes All That: Tanner Buchanan joins the cast of gender-flipped Shes All That remake - Gamer Rewind - October 9th, 2020
- Navy to Carry Out Investigation Over Fire On Board LE Niamh - Afloat - October 9th, 2020
- Pod of the Planet Ep. 9: Not Everyone is Greta, and That's OK - Pod of the Planet - State of the Planet - September 2nd, 2020
- Opinion | Why writing is harder than you think - Livemint - September 2nd, 2020
- Stellar Lumens (XLM) Community Fund 2.0 to be a New and Improved Version - The Cryptocurrency Analytics - September 2nd, 2020
- Television: C-SPAN offered some of the best convention coverage - The Delaware County Daily Times - September 2nd, 2020
- My Heart's in the Highlands: Today is William Saroyan's 112th birth anniversary - Public Radio of Armenia - September 2nd, 2020
- Noted educator and architect William Bill McMinn passes away at 89 - The Architect's Newspaper - September 2nd, 2020
- Kilkennys Butler Gallery breaks from castle basement home - The Irish Times - August 22nd, 2020
- Why Mwalimu Bukenyas students have kept the faith - Daily Nation - August 22nd, 2020
- A List of Books, Plays and Films to Illuminate Your Understanding of the Suffragist Movement - Sarasota - August 22nd, 2020
- Did you know about our sister magazine Ireland of the Welcomes? - IrishCentral - August 22nd, 2020
- The Ethical Argument For Wearing a Face Mask - The National Interest - August 22nd, 2020
- A Timeline of Notable Events Leading to the Passage of the 19th Amendment - Sarasota - August 22nd, 2020
- Candid Confession: The fault lies with our parents - National Herald - August 22nd, 2020
- The Abolition of Man and the Advent of the Posthuman - Discovery Institute - August 22nd, 2020
- Garry Linnell: Angry old men rule, and are ruining, the world - The New Daily - August 22nd, 2020
- The 55 Best Things To Do in Seattle This Weekend: August 21-23, 2020 - TheStranger.com - August 22nd, 2020