Tribute to Thom Dibdin

This post is dedicated to Thom Dibdin. He not only is a dynamic freelance writer and a Stage stalwart, he runs an intelligent and sensible blog on Scottish theatre. He is the first critic to respond to my previous post about star ratings, which means he is the fastest and sharpest critic on the block. It's one thing, like me, to find an article in The Guardian, but discovering the musings of Vile - even if I am an underground sensation - reveals dedication.

The idea Thom presents, from the mind of Gary McNair (who has a piece at the Traverse, coming soon), suggests that grading critics by their own average star rating is pretty cool. It would, unfortunately, encourage me to be harsher, as I would want to be known as the hard man of Glasgow theatre. But, as Thom notes, I am a steady, middle order opinion holder. Three stars for a show makes me feel safe: no one moans about three stars when they get them, and bold statements (four stars, five stars) can be hostages to history.

I still think that the real problem with star ratings is that the companies are more interested in them than the punters. It might come down to the edge of competition that exists in the Fringe - a Darwinian struggle for resources, fighting for a sell-out, getting the people from the TV to notice. There's a rumour that most star ratings shown on the snazzy printed flyers at the beginning of August come from previous shows. That means there is no guarantee that the show on offer will have the same quality.

However, I like McNair's idea, not least because it acknowledges that criticism can be assessed just like performance. Anything that moves criticism towards being recognised as art is good for me.

As a safety clause, and to bring me back to my original theme of paying tribute to Thom Dibdin, I'll suggest that the best way to find out about a show is to read multiple reviews. To stress the point I made in The Skinny, the best way to enjoy the Fringe is to follow not critics, not price tag, but the content and style that you like. Sure, you can trust my opinion if you like mad-cap Live Art or dance (although if I can bear a piece of scripted new work, it's probably a clue that it has something going on beyond the ordinary - the opposite, if I don't like it, doesn't necessary make it rubbish). And wherever you find Thom Dibdin's reviews, you can trust them to be honest, serious and written from a firm knowledge of theatre's wider context.