Elliot Norton

Elliot Norton was an influential Boston theater critic who was awarded a Special Tony Award in recognition of his status as the "Dean of American Theater Critics". He had a great deal of influence over Broadway theater as Boston was a prime try-out city for shows making the journey to the Great White Way. Norton was a theater critic for the better part of half a century, writing for the "Boston Post", the "Boston Record American", and the "Boston Herald American" from 1934 to 1982. He also delivered his reviews on TV from 1958 until his retirement at the age of 79. He was born William Elliot Norton on May 17, 1903 in Boston, Massachusetts. At Harvard, he studied dramatic writing with George Pierce Baker, the teacher of George Abbott, Philip Barry, Sidney Howard and Eugene O'Neill, among others. Norton was hired by the "Boston Post" after graduation and became its drama critic in 1934. After the newspaper went out of business in 1956, Norton was hired by the "Record American", a William Randolph Hearst property that eventually became the "Herald American". Producers who brought their shows to Boston for tryouts either valued of feared his opinion. Some even consulted him directly for advice. Directors Joshua Logan and Mike Nichols thought he was an accurate barometer of public opinion. Playwright Neil Simon told the "Boston Globe" that Norton's critical input helped him refine The Odd Couple (1968), one of his greatest hits. "He invited out the stars and the writer. He loved the play and gave it a wonderful review but he said the third act was lacking something. On the show he said, 'You know who I missed in the third act was the Pidgeon Sisters,' and it was like a light bulb went off in my head. It made an enormous difference in the play. I rewrote it and it worked very well. I was so grateful to Elliot.... Elliot had such a keen eye. I don't know if he saved the play or not, but he made it a bigger success." The Elliot Norton Awards to honor theater in the Boston area were created in 1982, the year of his retirement. In addition to the Tony Award he received in 1971, Norton won a George Jean Nathan award for drama criticism in 1964. He published a book, "Broadway Down East", a collection of lectures he gave at the Boston Public Library. Elliot Norton died on July 20, 2003 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was 100 years old.