I am dismayed to read Allison Hallett's tasteless and inflamatory remarks in her review of Charlotte Salomon's Life or Theatre. Ms. Hallett clearly did not care for Jewish Theatre Collaborative's adaptation of Salomon's massive autobiographical body of work, which the artist painted when in hiding from the Nazis between 1941 and 1943. A negative review is the perogative of any critic, and Ms. Hallett is entitled to her say. But she oversteps her bounds when writing: "I can't forgive a lack of narrative tension so utter that at one point I actually thought 'Oh, thank god, the Nazis. That means it's ending soon.' " Such a remark is at best careless, at worst bigoted, and in either case utterly callous - especially in light of the fact that Salomon herself was gassed to death by the Nazis in Auschwitz. Perhaps it is Ms. Hallett herself who should seek forgiveness (for a lack of sensitivity so utter) by at some point actually apologizing. Not for panning the show, but for the quoted remark. A good writer has learned the difference between hyperbole and defamation, and Ms. Hallett clearly has a lot to learn.

I haven't seen the show, but I do read a lot of newspapers. And I disagree with David Berkson's assertion that Hallett's review is defamatory. It's simply a negative review with a typically off-color remark in a journal that is known for it's off-color remarks. If it is tasteless at least the author very clearly shows her own responsibility for that, and her discomfort. I'm glad we have newspapers that print opinions I disagree with, and I fear that calling such opinions "defamation" both discourages the newspapers and trivializes the actual effects of defamation.

I, too, am delighted that newspapers print opinions that I disagree with. I'm simply asserting that Ms. Hallett could (and should) have done so without expressing glee at the arrival of the Nazis. At best, it was a poor choice of words, and she would do well to apologize.

Hi David,
I want to thank you for your comments, and for your civility; I've never been called a bigot so politely before! I can certainly appreciate that not everyone shares my sense of humor, but my wording was quite deliberate—the point was not to cheer the arrival of the Nazis, but to ask the reader to consider how bad a play would have to be to evoke such an inappropriate reaction. I reread the review after receiving your letter, and I'm still comfortable with that joke.

I'd like to thank you for your response, Alison (and apologize for mis-spelling your first name in my original post). I'm glad to hear that the point wasn't to cheer on the arrival of the Nazis, and I thank you for clarifying the point. That said, I encourage you to reconsider the appropriateness of the remark, and my request for an apology. Your review noted the generational difference between yourself and many of the show's patrons. Some of those patrons were Holocaust survivors and children of survivors. Such a fact does not oblige you to judge the performance any differently, but I hope it helps you understand why I and others found in the joke no humor and much offense.

Hey Alison. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. I disagree with Matthew Stadler that you're taking responsibility for it. "The play was so bad it made me write something vicious" is not taking responsibility. "Thank god, the Nazis"? Why? Was the joke THAT funny, that precious? The review wouldn't have been scathing without it? Was it smarter, more incisive, more responsible writing, because it contained that "joke"?

My assertion that she's taking responsibility was just a very simple one. Alison's name appears at the top: "by Alison Hallett." Her sentences all begin with "I," and that particular one features two "I"s. You can't be much clearer than that. She's speaking about herself and her thoughts. And she signs her name. That's step one of taking responsibility for what you write, the most important step.

Shouldn't it be required, as a bare minimum, someone explain why a comment is defamatory when accusing someone of defamation and demanding an apology? Especially when the comment is so obviously not defamatory?

Personally, I think David Berkson's reference to the Nazi gassing of Salomon for such an insignificant and questionable accusation of defamation is itself an offensive trivialization of that terrible horror, and is quite careless, callous, and demeaning, and he should apologize for his insensitivity before making accusations of defamation.

I’m happy to clarify what I meant in my original posting:

The arrival of the Nazis meant that the end of the real and fictional Charlotte Salomon’s life was ‘almost over’ (as well as the end of the play, which is what the reviewer was looking forward to). That’s why I mentioned Salomon’s death in conjunction with the comment, as I found neither trivial. Alison Hallett made it clear in her response to my posting that her intent was not malicious, and I'm happy to withdraw the term; the remark was not defamatory.

But that still doesn't make it ok. I believe that the ‘joke’ in the review, intentionally or not, trivializes the death of Salomon (as well as the other Nazi victims), and therefore believe that an apology is in order.

Rich, I agree that an insincere apology would achieve nothing, and I'm certainly not asking for that. And an honest open debate (which is indeed what we're having right now) is perhaps the most important thing - we are extremely fortunate to be able to air our differences openly and vigorously, without fear of reprisal. I also wanted Alison Hallett and her readers to think twice about the remark, which also appears to have happened. But since I felt that the remark was wrong, I still feel totally comfortable with the request.

That said, I'm not holding my breath for that apology. I'm delighted that Alison Hallett took the time and civility to respond to my post, and for everyone's contribution to the debate. The most important thing to me is that we not take any of these issues for granted. I don't expect everyone to agree with me.

Alison don't you know everything at Disjecta sucks.

All boring troll wars end with the arrival of the Nazi's. It a meme! Get over it.

I agree with David Berkson. This is what a good comments thread looks like. I'd love to see more of these.

Agreed, this has been a good one.

David, I'll consider that an open invitation to apologize. :)

As long as you're giving it your full consideration, Alison.