On the capriciousness of critics: actors shouldn't see reviews till after closing night, a veteran director asserts. It's bad enough that audiences read them.(OPINION)(Reprint)

For the last generation or so, many critics have taken to coming to review a late preview performance, rather than the opening. Their reasons for doing so are: (1) to see a typical performance, rather than one hyped up by the singularity of an opening night; (2) to avoid the cronyism of opening night, when the audience is made up almost entirely of backers of the show and supporters, family and friends of the cast; and (3) to give them time to evaluate the virtues and problems of the show thoughtfully and to write without the pressure of an immediate after-the-show deadline. The ...