critics pick: the nose

One of my big problems with the New York Times is that they have a massive roster of formidable arts critics, who very, very rarely interact with each other in print. Why not send two music critics to the same show and get different opinions? Or even send an art critic to an opera?

Occasionally the Times seems to listen to me, and this is one of those instances. ArtsBeat, their too-infrequently-updated arts blog, has an ongoing conversation about the Met's new production of Shostakovich's The Nose (directed by William Kentridge), which can be read here. We've got Tony Tommassini, Roberta Smith, and Dwight Garner slugging it out, all moderated by Daniel Wakin.

I'll hopefully review The Nose next week when I'm back in New York. I recommend this New Yorker profile (subscribers only, but why aren't you one?) of Kentridge for an introduction to the artist's rather brilliant work.