The news of Michael Billington’s retirement (Report, 6 November) comes as a sadness and a shock, for even at the age of almost 80 his reviews have retained their persuasive power and fluency. No British newspaper drama critic has reacted so easily to theatre’s habit of change, and on virtually all occasions responded receptively to the shock of the worthwhile new.
He has written eloquently with a stronger, more influential, left-of-centre perspective than any other critic since Kenneth Tynan. No one else has so valuably insisted upon theatre’s important role in relating the private and the public.
Working alongside Michael and then at a greater distance, I was struck again and again by his rare, terrific ability to write against the pressure of the demanding clock. A Billington review was always notable for its succinct analysis and assessment of a play, new or antique, a sense of its atmospherics and a vivid word-picture of an important performance. He will have a major place in the history of British theatre criticism.
Nicholas de Jongh
London
