Rating Theater Review Websites

With the demise of print media - commercially operated ones at least - people are increasingly going online to get their news about the performing arts, especially theater. Whether they are reviews, feature stories, or interviews - Questions & Answers (Q & As) - your chances of finding a show you'd like are better on the internet, and there are a number of sites to choose from. So how good are they? I looked at some of the key players and found there's a lot out there, though not all in one place. Caveat: Many of the sites accept and solicit advertising fees from theaters they cover, i.e., there is an inherent conflict of interest you need to be aware of.

DC Theatre Scene

Type: Reviews of DC-area theater productions, mainly Helen Hayes Awards eligible, with some coverage of New York and Baltimore. Contains interviews and articles, as well as comments from readers. Functions also as a consolidator of theater reviews reported in various media (click on "Their Reviews").

Design: Fairly cluttered with unappealing rust background and bolded titles. Font is nondescript.

Pros: Better than average writers, a wide range of shows covered, interesting stories about the local theater scene.

Cons: Caters mainly to the theater community, reader comments are frequently combative, hard to navigate (especially consolidated review listing), status quo oriented.

If they were a beer: Bud

Rating: Recommended - Quality is undermined by unfocused format.

MD Theatre Guide

Type: Recent addition which covers everything out there in theater - from community to equity productions - and music - churches to concert halls.

Design: Blue-orange-yellow background is visually appealing, but ad-centric layout detracts. Titles in black; font is appropriate size.

Pros: If it's playing, this site will have it covered. Gives attention to lesser known venues. Interviews a wide range of theater professionals.

Cons: Quality of writing is on a continuum (over 40 writers). Shows are over-rated; most everything is 5 stars (out of 5). With so much daily content, it's hard to locate reviews. Interviews are generic.

If they were a beer: Corona

Rating: Recommended (High) - Impressive range of coverage outweighs uneven writing.

Show Biz Radio

Type: Mainly community theaters to some equity productions in the DC-area.

Design: Basic, un-overloaded layout. Unappealing light-green lettering on white background, clashes with yellow-brown ads.

Pros: A mix of reviews, columns (actor's advice), and articles that shed light on the art and business of theater mainly at the community or non-equity level.

Cons: Smaller venues are likely to be of interest only to locals. Site name is a misnomer. Quality of reviews (with one or two exceptions) does not match the bigger players.

If they were a beer: Rolling Rock

Rating: Somewhat Recommended - Adequate for small theater productions, site needs to take it to the next level.

theatreWashington

Type: The recently launched outlet of the rebranded Helen Hayes Awards (HHAs). Seeks to match audiences with shows and build up theater in the DC-area for locals and visitors.

Design: Visually pleasing with a spectrum of colors. Light blue headings and average size font make for easy reading. Part ticket broker - part trade show in theme.

Pros: Site layout, cast and creative team identified by show.

Cons: Mission-statement site overload. Only one columnist writing generic articles and interviews (Q & A), users rate shows (instead of reviewers), and evaluations are based on small numbers without the comments provided. Site still under development.

If they were a beer: Schlitz

Rating: Not Recommended - Better reviews on Goldstar with less hype.

DramaUrge!!

Type: Mom and Pop operation which features occasional reviews of theater in DC area as well as Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and music (Strathmore), with periodic blogging.

Design: Minimalist, with blue on white background with black lettering.

Pros: No ads cluttering the site (and no conflict of interest), in-depth reviews, different point of view.

Cons: Limited coverage, hyperbolic and polemical style of sole writer, no interactivity for reader (except email), site sometimes down at night.

If they were a beer: Foster's

Rating: Recused!

Theatre in DC

Type: Review consolidator, with similar sites in Chicago and LA. A collaboration with DC Theatre Scene.

Design: Uncluttered layout, easy to navigate, limited ads. Unfortunate choice of background and title colors.

Pros: Full review with major ‘blurbs excerpted judiciously, usefully formatted show status (opening, closing, featured, spotlight), cast & creative team listed for each production, hover function allows for quick rating survey by play.

Cons: A DC Theatre Scene clone (or is it vice versa?), few articles, hard to locate on search engines.

If they were a beer: Yuengling

Rating: Highly Recommended - Delivers as stated without distractions. Bookmark this home page.

Washington, DC Theatre Guide

Type: From The Washington Post online "Going Out Guide." Contains selected reviews of shows in the DC-area, with "editor's picks."

Design: Confusing layout with unrelated ads, blogs on restaurants & dance. Eclectic color scheme (lavender, light-blue & black) and easy-to-read font.

Pros: One principal and three freelance professional reviewers with staffing.

Cons: Limited range of plays, "editor's picks" include shows that have not opened, few reader reviews, hard to find what's out there, cover bigger and more established venues.

If they were a beer: Ballantine

Rating: Somewhat Recommended - Skewed reporting favors major theaters with approved messages.

So there you have it - three main sources (DC Theatre Scene, MD Theatre Guide, Theatre in DC), a community theater centered site (ShowBizRadio), an under-development PR site of the HHA (theatreWashington), an outlier (DramaUrge!!), and an online newspaper (Washington Post) telling you everything you need to know (or not know) about theater. Go out and see a show!