Below are some suggestions for helping students understand reviews, and the role of cultural criticism at The Times, in general. But we also hope students will find their own mentors by searching The Times or other media sources for reviews of the art and culture that matters most to them.
1. Compare: A Times and student review of the same work: Cirque du Soleil’s “Kurios”
Times Review: “In Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Kurios,’ a Frisson of Novelty,” a 2016 theater review by Christopher Isherwood
“Kurios” is fundamentally the kind of nouveau-circus show that the company has virtually patented, although it does, in theory, have a spine of a narrative, at least according to the press materials. Subtitled “Cabinet of Curiosities,” the spectacle is presided over by a character called the Seeker, a mad scientist type with a spike of gray hair atop his head — a proto-man-bun perhaps? — who scampers around the circular wooden stage as “the outlandish, benevolent characters” in his cabinet “turn his world upside down with a touch of poetry and humor in an attempt to engage the Seeker’s imagination.”
Hmm. O.K. Whatever.
Student Review: “Cirque du Soleil: Oh, So Kurios,” an essay by Vicky Lee which was a winner of our 2017 Student Review Contest
I have been properly bewitched since this October. That is to say, absolutely and hopelessly bewitched: ever since the infamous Cirque du Soleil hurricaned into my life. One moment I was bitterly cursing into my mittens, in line behind another hundred grumpy individuals huddling away from the biting West Coast wind. And the next, I was stepping into a steampunk fairy-tale world all underneath a soaring depthless black. The hextech lights, the swinging music, the fantastical costumes all featured in Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities; they brought me back to my sci-fi fantasy-loving, 10-year-old self once again, even before the performance began.
2. Use short reviews: The Playlist
Every Friday, pop critics for The New York Times weigh in on the week’s most notable new songs and videos. We have used a piece from it for this edition of Mentor Texts.
For example, here is the Nov. 1, 2019 edition: The Playlist: Dua Lipa’s Disco Blast, and 13 More New Songs.
Here is the entire review of “Nobody,” by Ariana Grande featuring Chaka Khan:
Soundtrack songs for the “Charlie’s Angels” movie franchise have emphatically declared that strong, independent women are sexy, and this latest iteration is joyfully on brand. Produced by Max Martin’s pop factory, “Nobody” is smart enough to grab a 1960s soul beat and to pair Ariana Grande with the churchy grit of Chaka Khan — “Got a job, got a crib, got a mind of my own,” she announces. There’s deep calculation all the way through, but there’s also soul music’s intrinsic joy.
3. Take a broader look at culture: Critic’s Notebook
A decades-old column that can be found across the Arts pages, Critic’s Notebook gives Times reviewers a chance to step back and take a broader, more contextualized look at a work and its cultural meaning and impact.
For example, here is a paragraph from “‘Friends’ Is Turning 25. Here’s Why We Can’t Stop Watching it.,” a 2019 consideration of the popular TV show, by Wesley Morris.
Familiarity is the magnet of every decent American sitcom. The “com” can’t compete alone and neither can the “sit,” even though, together, they’re obviously quite the sandwich. But the many nights I’ve spent recumbent on my sofa laughing at, say, Ross and Phoebe debating evolution, or Phoebe, Joey and Ross impersonating Chandler, or Chandler blanching at Monica’s desperate new cornrows or Rachel taking forever to tell somebody who the father of her baby is — those nights have never really been about the situation comedy of “Friends.” They’ve only ever been about us — me and these six people — and my apparently enduring need to know what they’re up to and how they are, even though I’ve known for 25 years.
And here is one from music critic Jon Caramanica headlined, “Want to Build a Rap Career in 2019? Learn to Love the Meme.”
In Teejayx6’s relatively rapid rise to internet notoriety over the past few months, he’s made scamming central to his music; his best songs are like “10 Crack Commandments” for online financial crime. But it also manifests in his image: He courts the meme economy assiduously, playing a character in an ongoing social-media drama that’s just as important as his music, probably more so.
The same is true of many of this year’s most important breakout rappers — DaBaby, Blueface, Megan Thee Stallion, NLE Choppa and others — who understand that in an era in which social media and streaming are interwoven amplifiers, playing a character is as important as making great music. Being loved (and sometimes laughed at) on social media — see 6ix9ine, Lil Pump and other anime characters of the SoundCloud era — is just as important as any song. Creating micro-moments that fans can organize around may be the most robust currency of all.
Related Questions for Any Review
Besides the broad questions asked about both mentor texts above, which apply to any review, you might also ask:
What do you think the reviewer wants the reader to take away from this piece? Has he or she helped you experience something? Introduced you to something new and helped you understand it? Given you a new perspective, or taught you something?
