Are London Critics Spoiled? Is The National Theatre Taking Revenge?

As reported by BroadwayWorld, London's National Theatre recently announced plans to break with tradition by allowing critics only one free ticket to productions, eliminating the usual "plus one."

At first, critics got wind of the plan indirectly, when press invitations for its upcoming production of THE THREEPENNY OPERA read at the bottom, "In some cases, it may be possible to buy a second ticket. If you would like to bring a guest, do let us know."

"Whilst it's vital that we maintain and nurture the highly-valued, long-standing relationships we already have with the press, we also need to reach new audiences through wider engagement with broadcast, print and online media," said Vicky Kington, the National Theatre's Press Representative. Her statement was interpreted by some to suggest that reviewer comps will be offered to bloggers.

"It's fair to say this has caused a bit of a stir," writes Time Out London theatre editor Andrzej Lukowski.

He notes that both the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph have covered the issue with articles that "suggest that NT director Rufus Norris has personally introduced this policy as a sort of elaborate revenge on all critics, because some of them gave bad reviews to a couple of shows his theatre staged last year."

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Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera, in a new translation by Simon Stephens directed by Rufus Norris is currently running at the National's Olivier Theatre through June 27th. Rory Kinnear plays Macheath in a cast that includes Jamie Beddard, Rosalie Craig and Nick Holder. Visit nationaltheatre.org.