Andrew Lloyd Webber no longer suffers a backlash—more like, simply, a lash. But his latest, The Woman in White, is actually benefiting from negative reviews, since London critics lowered expectations to the point that the American production is getting some “Hey, not bad!” buzz. Meanwhile, Fiona Apple is peaking, Didion’s backlash-proof Magical Thinking rides high, and The Squid and the Whale and Curb Your Enthusiasm suffer the cranky judgments of the very characters they themselves satirize. Et tu, Curve?
Where do Andrew Lloyd Webber, Fiona Apple, and Joan Didion Fall on The Curve?