Frank Rich

Former theater critic Frank Rich. He’s just published his memoir “Ghost Light,” (Random House). In it he examines the influence of his childhood on his adult career: his parents’ divorce and an early curiosity for theater. He was chief drama critic for the New York Times from 1980-1983 and has been an op-ed columnist for that paper since 1994. He lives in New York City.

Once one of the most powerful reviewers in America, The New York Times' former drama critic, Frank Rich. It was a great day for many playwrights when RICH stepped down as critic late last year. The British press once dubbed him "The Butcher of Broadway;" playwright David Mamet called him "a terrible critic. . . an unfortunate blot on the American theatre." Some playwrights and directors even chose to take their work elsewhere to save themselves from a review by Rich.