Wow...I LOVE THIS...Playbill strikes out against Hollywood reviewers who are hammering The Producers.

Catch this bit o' magic:

But many others confirmed what theatregoers have long suspected about film critics as a breed: that they are inveterate snobs who still cling to the quaint, early-1970s notion that their art form is superior to all others and regard the theatre with undisguised contempt.

Keep swinging guys!

Here's the full quote from this article in Playbill:

Finally, the film version of The Producers didn't fare any better with critics than did the movie of Rent. Early notices in Variety and AP leaned toward the positive, but on Dec. 16, when the flick was released in selected cities, the frowning appraisals piled up, with most reviewers laying blame at the feet of director Susan Stroman, whose direction was deemed static and stage-bound. Some scribes went out of their way to be cruel. The New York Post's Kyle Smith, the David Spade of movie critics, wrote his pan in verse, to the tune of "Comedy Tonight."

But many others confirmed what theatregoers have long suspected about film critics as a breed: that they are inveterate snobs who still cling to the quaint, early-1970s notion that their art form is superior to all others and regard the theatre with undisguised contempt. New York Times critic A.O. Scott, in fact, made his opinion of the musical theatre clear in no uncertain terms (while inadvertently revealing that he very probably has not been to a stage musical in many, many years). "Once upon a time," he wrote, "musical theatre was the class of American pop culture, a source of democratic delight and artistic ingenuity. Now, many big musicals represent the lowest common denominator: theme park attractions for tourists."

"Theme park attractions for tourists"? The accusation would have held water in the '80s, when Lloyd Webber et al ruled Broadway. But not in a year when audiences can pick from such sophisticated properties as The Light in the Piazza, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Spamalot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Avenue Q, Hairspray and, yes, The Producers.

As far as "lowest common denominator" goes -- surely he doesn't mean lower than the average Hollywood movie. But, wait! He does! His next line is "The movie audience, I suspect, is more discriminating." Now, this is the same audience that, in 2005, made number one box-office hits out of "Monster-in-Law," "Meet the Fockers," "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," right? The crowd that right now, as we speak, is lining up for the third celluloid version of a story about a big gorilla that climbs a skyscraper and swats planes?

Yeah, that group is far too discrimating to waste its time on The Producers.

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