Playgoers

In 1896, she told the New York Mirror, “So long as the public approve [the play], I should be satisfied, for, after all, the esteem and approval of the playgoers is the thing that we seek to gain.” ❋ Unknown (2009)

Singularly original projects and artists can of course evolve in almost any climate -- the subject, in fact, of "The Pitmen Painters" -- but something special is afoot in places like Cornwall and American cities such as Chicago, where dramatists and directors are figuring out with increasing frequency how to make theater in their own back yards that speaks to large groups of playgoers elsewhere. ❋ Peter Marks (2010)

When money is tight and ticket prices keep climbing, playgoers and opera buffs will respond by staying home. ❋ Terry Teachout (2011)

In this country, Brian Friel's name is known only to frequent playgoers, and those who don't follow theater closely will likely be unaware that he is one of the world's foremost living writers. ❋ Terry Teachout (2011)

Mr. Page is a classical actor of high distinction whom New York playgoers will remember as the mercurial Henry VIII of the Roundabout Theatre Company's marvelous 2008 revival of "A Man for All Seasons." ❋ Terry Teachout (2011)

But in a country where, as George Balanchine once quipped, "if you are awake it is already vulgar," his preoccupation with the primness of the English middle classes struck an equally resonant chord in the shuttered hearts of countless straight playgoers. ❋ Terry Teachout (2011)

"For playgoers of the era, the more Tom characters, the better," Mr. Reynolds writes. ❋ Fergus M. Bordewich (2011)

Mr. Lugosi's subsequent career needs no recounting here, and Mr. Langella's urbanely sensuous performance, which was documented in John Badham's pretty good 1979 film version, is also vividly remembered by playgoers of a certain age. ❋ Terry Teachout (2011)

After the debacle of the giggling playgoers -- "It's like you want to hand over your Equity card," she says -- she recalls Jacobi's consoling words. ❋ Peter Marks (2010)

Alas, it's been nine years since "Private Lives" was last performed on Broadway, but that production, which starred Lindsay Duncan and Alan Rickman, was so good that playgoers are still buzzing about it. ❋ Terry Teachout (2011)

The "Zoo" one-acts belong in a sort of bonus-round category: They're designed for that subset of playgoers seeking the most complete immersion in his work. ❋ Unknown (2011)

It's a rich premise, a bit contrived but potentially effective, and the hard-left milieu in which the play is set is no less intriguing, though playgoers who know little of the history of the American Communist Party may get lost in the kudzu of CPUSA trivia. ❋ Terry Teachout (2011)

But now that the "swinging '60s" have themselves passed into history, it's possible once again for English playgoers to unapologetically savor his sharp wit and elegant craftsmanship. ❋ Terry Teachout (2011)

"Readers and playgoers have often found him an unsympathetic character, although his caustic pride is strangely, almost delicately balanced at times by a reluctance to be praised by his compatriots and an unwillingness to exploit and slander for political gain." ❋ Hal Duncan (2010)

The problem isn't that "amateurs" are doing the reviewing: the opinions of regular old readers or playgoers or whoever can be just as valuable, and usually more passionate and interesting, than those of the jaded professionals. ❋ Ben H. Winters (2011)

The front facade will be of glass hung in channels from the roof, reaching down to a lower edge that is canted up to allow a wedge of outdoor plaza where playgoers and public can mingle. ❋ Julie V. Iovine (2011)

In the 1970s American playgoers rushed to embrace Jason Miller's "That Championship Season" as a masterpiece of hard-hitting truth-telling. ❋ Terry Teachout (2011)

They sidled up to playgoers in the first row and led them onto the stage, to perform fairly meaningless little chores, like holding up the ends of a makeshift screen. ❋ Peter Marks (2010)