The Not-Best of 2015

Although Ben Brantley's opinion can change the fate of a show, and yours and mine can't, in a deeper sense his is no more valuable than ours. Some of us may bring more experience to the table; some of us may be better writers; some of us may know more about the history of theatre. Nevertheless, an opinion is an opinion. Here are some definitions:

• Merriam-Webster: a belief, judgment, or way of thinking about something: what someone thinks about a particular thing.
• Google: a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge
• Dictionary.com: a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty; a personal view, attitude, or appraisal
• The Free Dictionary: a belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof

Brantley and the other mainstream theatre critics follow the essay style of giving their opinions as though they are fact. Here's Charles Isherwood* on The Humans: a "blisteringly funny, bruisingly sad and altogether wonderful play." No wishy-washy-ness here. Isherwood gives his blessing from on high, and The Humans gets to move to Broadway. (Yes, I am simplifying here, and The Humans received many positive reviews, but would it be moving if the New York Times had hated it? Very possibly not.)