Elliot Norton

Elliot Norton

William Elliot Norton(May 17, 1903 – July 20, 2003) was aBoston-basedtheater criticwho was one of the most influential regional theater critics in his 48-year-long career, during which he who wrote 6,000 reviews and became known as "The Dean of American Theatre Critics".Norton practiced a style of criticism known as "play doctoring", where he made suggestions on how to improve a show. Boston was a major pre-Broadway tryout town, and Elliot's criticism was taken seriously by producers, directors and playwrights, includingJoshua Logan,Mike Nichols,andNeil Simon.

Norton was called "the most valuable critic in America" by producer Alexander Cohen.According to Logan:

Elliot had an absolute dead eye for a play. He could see it once and form an opinion that struck at the very core. He was very helpful to me on every show I brought to Boston. He had a gentlemanly manner, and even if what he had to say was rough, he could tell you without breaking your heart.

Early life

Born William Elliot Norton in Boston to William L. Norton and Mary (Fitzgerald) Norton, he attendedHarvard College(Class of 1926) after graduating from theBoston Latin School.At Harvard College, he tookGeorge Pierce Baker's class for dramatists.Baker's most famous student wasEugene O'Neill,whose plays were revolutionizingBroadway theaterat the time Norton became a drama critic.

Journalism career

Norton began his career as a newspaperman withThe Boston Postafter graduating from Harvard in 1926. By 1934, he was promoted from reporter to the editor of the drama section, where he began to make his name as a critic. ThePostwent out of business in 1956, and Norton was hired by theBoston Record American,which evolved into theBoston Herald American,which eventually became theBoston Heraldafter he retired in 1982.

In addition to his newspaper reviews, he was a television critic on Boston television, includingpublic TV station WGBH,where he hostedElliot Norton Reviews.The show ran for 1,100 episodes from 1958 to 1982.

Play doctor

Norton practiced drama criticism when the relationship between the regional critic and playwrights whose shows were undergoing tryouts in their towns were not as adversarial as they were to become.Frank Rich,who became prominent as a theater critic forThe New York Times,wrote about how Norton's role as a "play doctor" was part of its times:

What people should remember was that in his heyday... the Josh Logans and Rodgers and Hammersteins looked to out-of-town critics for informed advice about how to 'fix their shows.' Critics like Norton relished playing the role. They went back to see plays at the end of the run and that was just the way the Broadway theater worked. Newspapers and audiences accepted it as part of the process as critics would write columns that combined repertorial, critical, and advice-giving elements. It would be considered highly inappropriate today to talk to the writers and producers outside of columns, but it was a different world.

Two major theatrical successes that Norton was credited with midwifing while they were in their Boston tryouts wereOklahoma!andThe Odd Couple.

Oklahoma!

Norton helped shape the first collaboration betweenRichard RodgersandOscar Hammerstein IIduring the tryout of asAway We Goat Boston'sColonial Theatre.Norton provided input through his printed criticism and informally. RetitledOklahoma!when it opened on Broadway, the musical not only was a smash but helped change the face of Americanmusical theater.

The Odd Couple

Neil Simonsaid that Norton's criticism ofThe Odd Couplehelped him improve the play. Appearing on the showEliott Norton Reviews,in his conversation with Simon, Elliott said that the play went "flat" in its final act.As it appeared originally in Boston, the characters the Pidgeon Sisters did not appear in the final act.

Simon toldThe Boston Globe:

He invited one of the stars and the writer. He loved the play and gave it a wonderful review but he said the third act was lacking something. On the show he said, 'You know who I missed in the third act was the Pidgeon Sisters,' and it was like a light bulb went off in my head. It made an enormous difference in the play. I rewrote it and it worked very well. I was so grateful to Elliot... Elliot had such a keen eye. I don't know if he saved the play or not, but he made it a bigger success.

Honors

Norton received theGeorge Jean Nathan Awardfor drama criticism in 1964 and aSpecial Tony Awardfor distinguished commentary in 1971. He was elected a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciencesin 1966.His show,Elliot Norton Reviews,received thePeabody Award,one of television's greatest honors.

The year he retired in 1982, he was honored by the establishment of theElliot Norton Awardsto recognize theatrical excellence in the Boston theater. TheAmerican Theater Critics Associationinducted him into theTheater Hall of Famein 1988.

Death

The centenarian critic died on July 20, 2003, inFort Lauderdale, Florida.He was buried atMount Auburn Cemetery,in Cambridge.

Publications

• Broadway Down East: An Informal Account of the Plays, Players, and Playhouses of Boston from Puritan Times to the Present(1978)