T HERE IS A NEW PRODUCTION OF A PLAY by Shakespeare in town. Shall we go see it? The play is not such a favorite that we must see it regardless of the way it is done. The company is not one we have heard of before, nor are the actors familiar to us from reputation or from previous acquaintance. The announcements of the performance have given no clue to its character, and we have seen no friend who can give us an opinion of it. We could go to the theatre and take a chance, but the cost of the tickets and the inconvenience of going downtown are sufficient to deter us unless we have some idea of what we are likely to see. How shall we decide? Happily, we have read a review of the performance in question. Even if we do not know the writer or the point of view he customarily expresses, his article, depending on its quality, may contain enough information for us to make up our minds with some confidence. In our consumer society this kind of situation is very common. We meet it every day. We are constantly faced with decisions as to what equipment, furnishings, and appliances to buy, what cars to drive, what films and television programs to watch, what books to read, what music to listen to, and what plays, including those of Shakespeare, to see. Since it is out of the question for us to test all the possibilities-ourselves, various screening mechanisms have been developed to assist-and perhaps guide-our choice. There are specialized sections in the newspapers; there are expert magazines which attempt to describe and evaluate what is offered in many different fields; and there are countless reviews of politics, sports, books, art exhibitions, concerts, opera and ballet performances, television programs, movies, plays, and so on. Seen in this context, reviewing Shakespeare is only a small part of a widespread activity which we can use-if we are judicious-to our great advantage. I take for granted that the intelligent reader of a review must do some work himself. He is not to accept the review as a final judgment. Rather, he will consider what has been written in the light of his own taste and experience, including whatever he may know of the reviewer's opinions, and then make up his own mind whether to see the play or not. Only after he has seen it himself will he form a judgment as to the quality of the performance.