Edinburgh Fringe Shows Skewer Comedy Critics

Edinburgh Fringe festivals have become a recurring stage for theatrical critiques of critics themselves, with recent shows offering sharp send-ups of reviewers. This trend is not new, as evidenced by past productions like "Wild Bore" at the Traverse, which directly challenged the authority of critics, and Tom Stoppard's "The Real Inspector Hound." The historical precedent for artists depicting critics negatively extends to other art forms, including the 70s horror film "Theatre of Blood," where critics faced gruesome fates, and Sarah Kane's play "Cleansed," which featured a sadistic character named after a critic who had panned her work. These instances highlight a long-standing tension between artists and those who evaluate their creations.

The specific focus on comedy critics has also spawned its own artistic sub-genre. Novelist Russell Kane explored the life of a critic incapable of laughter in his book, "The Humorist." More recently, former critic Charlotte Runcie penned a novel about a journalist who gives a stand-up comedian a one-star review and subsequently enters into a relationship with her. These narratives suggest a perception among some artists that critics can be overly harsh, detached, or even hypocritical.

Brian Logan, writing for The Guardian, examines two current Edinburgh Fringe shows that delve into this theme. He notes that while critics are rarely celebrated with public monuments, their impact on artistic careers is significant, often leading to their portrayal in art as figures of derision or malice. The article suggests that these theatrical portrayals, while potentially stemming from artistic grievances, also raise questions about the role and perception of criticism within the arts community. Logan's own experience with these shows leads him to find one "a hoot" and believe the other was perhaps too lenient on him, indicating a personal engagement with the subject matter.

The phenomenon of artists critiquing critics is a complex interplay of artistic expression, professional accountability, and perceived slights. The Edinburgh Fringe, with its concentrated environment of new artistic works and their immediate reception, provides fertile ground for such meta-commentary. The shows discussed by Logan offer a contemporary lens through which to view this ongoing dialogue, exploring whether the critical establishment is indeed composed of "horrible snobs" or if these portrayals are simply the artistic response to professional judgment. The tradition of artists using their work to comment on their reviewers underscores the subjective and often contentious nature of artistic evaluation.