Last week I got my invite to the Sept. 13 press opening of "Radio Golf" at the Huntington. And then today I got an invite to the ART's press opening of "bobrauschenbergamerica" ... on Sept. 13.
It's sort of funny, I guess. And it means, perhaps, that a few freelancers will make a buck that night, since our local critics can't be in two places at once. But I don't think the area theater community is well served by this kind of timing by the city's two top companies. Inevitably one show or the other will be slighted in media coverage and perhaps attendance. Now I'm not suggesting any violation of anti-trust laws here - but the occasional phone call might avoid this situation.
UPDATE: The relevant publicists and others were quick to point out that they do in fact talk about these things ahead of time - months in some cases - and, they say, the occasional head-on is inevitable. There are universities and boards with their own needs that must be served, you see. (There are varying versions of what happened this time around.) Well, fine. But there aren't that many big theater companies in town, and I still don't see how this is good for anyone. And I remember theaters being all sad when they got a stringer instead of the main critic for an opening.
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