I was at a dinner party the other night and the topic of conversation was Kate Taylor, the theatre critic for The Globe and Mail, and the spirit of her recent theatre reviews.

One of my companions was so incensed by Taylor's constant slagging that he was compelled to write her an email to the effect of "Thank you Ms. Taylor for your vitriolic condemnation of (said play). In future, can use your reviews as a reference point, and be certain that if you didn't like it -- I will." I too have noticed that generally Taylor's reviews veer towards the negative (with the exception of just about anything Soulpepper does), and was frankly astonished at the disparity between her review and The Post's review of Hillar Littoja's new work Paula and Karl.

While I'm not particularly enticed by the opportunity to spend the night with Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka (note the clever play on names in the title), The Post's Robert Cushman wrote a review that got me interested. Paula and Karl is an environmental piece (meaning one of those audience interactive affairs). The play stars James Thomson as Karl and Veronika Hurnik is Paula. Cushman finds Hurnik "more than just believable. It is the most completely, impregnably lived and inhabited performance I have ever seen; as closely detailed as the best screen acting but happening right there in front of us, unshielded and unedited."

Naturally this praise, as well as the rest of the review, got me keen. It offered up the pros and cons of Paula and Karl, but ultimately was a thoughtful and considered piece. Heck, it made me want to go to the theatre.

Then I read Taylor's review of the play and performances: "Thomson exudes an almost cartoonish menace; Hurnik alternates between bug-eyed face-twisting that is supposed to indicate her character is afraid. In some mouths, the pedestrian script that Liitoja has written might possibly achieve a kind of ghastly naturalism; here it is mainly bland and occasionally ludicrous."

Ouch! That had to hurt. To me, a great many of Taylor's reviews have this "punch them in the gut" malice behind them. While Taylor's a gifted writer and extremely knowledgeable about her beat, is this type of attack really what theatregoers want to read? I haven't seen the play. Maybe it is inferior. However, Cushman's review made me want to attend and make up my own mind. Taylor's piece just made me want to forget the play and put down the paper. I don't think that's the purpose of review. How about you? What do you think about Kate Taylor? Got an opinion? We'd love to know ... Email me

Paul and Karl continues at 109 Niagara St. in Toronto, until Feb. 25th. For more information call (416)593-8680 or visit :