'In a World of Influencers, We Have Waved Goodbye to the Theatre Critic'

'In a World of Influencers, We Have Waved Goodbye to the Theatre Critic'

It was hard not to feel a degree of nostalgia watching Sir Ian McKellen playing a man who could make or break theatrical productions in the heyday of newspapers in the recent film The Critic. I have sat in the stalls reviewing shows for the past 30 years and must reluctantly concede no modern critic wields anything like that sort of power today. Praise from a few social media influencers with big followings, innovative online campaigns, and – cr…