Clive Barnes

Clive Alexander Barnes (13 May 1927 – 19 November 2008) was an English writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977, he was the dance and theater critic for The New York Times, and, from 1978 until his death, the New York Post. Barnes had significant influence in reviewing new Broadway productions and evaluating the international dancers who often perform in New York City.

Barnes was a member of the executive committee of the Writers and Artists for Peace in the Middle East, a pro-Israel group.

Background Barnes was born in Lambeth, London, the only child of ambulance driver Arthur Lionel Barnes (1898–1940) and Freda Marguerite, née Garratt. After their divorce when he was seven, he was raised by his mother. Barnes was educated at Emanuel School in Battersea and St Catherine's College, Oxford. In 1978, after being asked to fully divest of his role as a drama critic, he was hired by the New York Post, which allowed him to cover both mediums.

The British writer was known for his "lively and enthusiastic approach to criticism" which contributed to an upswing in dance criticism in New York City media. Writing for Variety, Gordon Cox said Barnes "helped nurture the explosion of the form in Gotham in the 1970s." Regarding television, Barnes once wrote: "It is the first truly democratic culture, the first culture available to everyone and entirely governed by what the people want. The most terrifying thing is what people do want."

Reception The Daily Telegraph noted that Barnes sometimes wrote four reviews a day, possibly because New Yorkers were "greedy for his brand of pithy English open-mindedness." He was credited with having drawn attention to Nureyev and Baryshnikov, dancers who went on to attain great fame. The English writer was particularly good at identifying American talent and introducing artists like George Balanchine and Martha Graham to London audiences. In his book on Broadway, The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway, William Goldman called Barnes "the most dangerous, the most crippling critic in modern Broadway history." Goldman gave the following reasons for this: