The reviewers’ views

Press, 23 July 1986, Page 22

The reviewers’ views

Deadlines, space restrictions and upset artists can make a critic’s life a difficult one. “The Press” arts editor, KAY FORRESTER, talks to the newspaper’s three principal reviewers about their roles.

What is the role of an arts reviewer? An easy enough question to ask but one that many people, reviewers, performers and artists included, find hard to answer. The problem is not a lack of answers. Rather it is too many. Everyone expects something different of the critics. To the newspaper the critics provide a service to the readers, telling about an event and giving an opinion on it. To the artist or performer they are judges who can influence others’ reaction. To the theatre, concert or gallery goer they offer views that will help to decide whether to attend a performance or see an exhibition or with which to compare their opinion. The three principal critics for “The Press” believe they are writing for two groups — the public and the artists. Theatre critic John Farnsworth says the two are not necessarily equal. “There is a tension in writing. You try to mirror what the performance was and to keep it general enough for a general audience.”

Philip Norman, music reviewer, agrees. Because many of the concerts he reviews are one-offs his critiques are not often used as recommendations for attendance by the public. That does not mean he can ignore them and write only for the per-

formers. He believes he has a responsibility to both.

"The responsibility to the public is to write something they can understand. Heave out all the musical jargon — and when you do that with something abstract like music it severely restricts your vocabulary. “The responsibility to the artist performers is to give a fair assessment of what you have seen.” Pat Unger, visual arts critic, also tries to keep her reviews simple. “I have stuck mainly to what I see on the wall. I try not to be didactic but to make the work more accessible, more explainable to people. “I think the role of art reviewer is to encourage people to expose themselves to art. That’s a neat phrase but it does surfi it up.” “Our role is certainly in part explanatory,” John Farnsworth agrees. Writing for a daily newspaper readership has its restrictions. The obvious ones — for theatre and music reviews — are time and space. "We have about an hour usually to make a response,” John Farnsworth says. “The copy is

written late at night usually and there is not a lot of space.” Then there is the restriction imposed by a general, rather than a specialised, readership. If they write for art magazines the critics traverse their ideas in- more detail. The average reader of a newspaper does not have that knowledge. Not that the reviewers assume a complete ignorance on the readers’ part. "With music most concerts and performances are of known works. I can assume people at least know something of the work and concentrate on the performance itself, putting it into context by relating it to other performances of that group or others,” Philip Norman says. With new original compositions, however, he feels he must give something of the background to their writing. It is the same for new plays and for paintings and art works. John Farnsworth: “If it’s a new or unknown play you can’t just drop it in. You have to explain how it’s got there and the background.” For Pat Unger, it is a

little different Most visual art is original, although it may be within a tradition.

"If the work is avant garde then I think I must say something about art history and where it fits in. It’s difficult to say this is good avant garde or this is bad. Only time really judges it but you can make some pointers.” She acknowledges that she has the luxury of time to visit an exhibition two or three times before she writes her review. The critics find it easier to write about something that has evoked a definite response. “I find it easier to write about a show I have enjoyed or disliked because I can build on that feeling. The really difficult reviews are of a show which leaves you with no response,” John Farnsworth says. “It is easier to write entertainingly about something that has not been particularly good,” Philip Norman admits. “That’s a quirk of the English language.” They say they feel no obligation to say something nice or say nothing. “The greatest responsibility is to yourself — to write what you actually feel about what you see,” Philip Norman says. But they are also aware that in Christchurch a show or exhibition can expect two reviews, one from each. newspaper. That gives the reviews much more weight than they probably should have in influencing opinion, Pat Unger believes.

“You temper what you write in that knowledge,” John Farnsworth agrees. Modern critics are nowhere near as vicious as their nineteenth century counterparts, he says. The critics do not accept that angry responses from upset directors, performers or artists are an occupational hazard. “There are proper channels for complaints. We shouldn’t have to tolerate that,” Philip Norman says.

Often, they point out, people read things into a review that the critic does not actually say. They try not to take too much notice of audience reaction to a performance because "opening night audiences often have an interest in the show and you can’t always tell what they think anyway.” But, aside from the pressures of the artists, audience, time, space and style, they say they enjoy reviewing. Philip Norman can point out special problems for the music reviewer — “It is important to sit in roughly the same seat for performances because the sound is quite different three rows back. Just to get the same seat for the reviewer can be a battle” — but there are rewards.

"The most pleasing aspect must be bringing the work of young, usually local- artists to wider attention,” he says. And what about a critique of the critics? How does New Zealand art

John Farnsworth is the main theatre reviewer for “The Press”. He is a lecturer in film and television at the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts. Before taking up this post about 18 months ago he was doing sociology research in the Sociology Department He has worked in television as a journalist and director and as a professional actor in England and New Zealand. He is at present studying for a doctorate in organisational sociology. He began reviewing for “The Press” in 1976 and has been a regular reviewer of theatre since 1982.

As an artist Pat Unger knows what it is like to be reviewed as well as what it is like to review. She is the main visual arts reviewer for "The Press” and has been reviewing regularly for the newspaper since January. A painter, she graduated from the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts and has also .completed a graphic design course at Christchurch Polytechnic. Her first reviews for “The Press” were of art books for the Literary Page. She has also written for the Canterbury Society of Arts newsletter and for the Robert McDougall Bulletin.

criticism rate? Pat Unger: “It varies greatly and the attitudes to it do also. At a recent arts criticism seminar people viewed it with everything from arrogance to modesty and as everything from an art

form itself to a waste of time.” John Farnsworth: "Theatre reviewing is patchy. Always has been.” Philip Norman: “Music criticism too. It’s difficult to say because we are judging our colleagues.

Philip Norman is a freelance musician who spends much of his time writing music. He has been reviewing for “The Press” since 1988 and is the newspaper’s principal music critic. After graduating and completing a Ph.D. in musicology at the University of Canterbury he turned to composing as a career. Although he occasionally lectures at the university or is involved in such courses as the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra cadet scheme, his main work is composition on commission. Earlier in his career he wrote several operettas with John Farnsworth, he writing the music and John Farnsworth, the storyline. Among his compositions is the score for the popular musical “Footrot Flats.” A second musical “Love Off the Shelf” is due to open soon in Dunedin.