Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic . He worked for The New York Times from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the Times called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of his time." Atkinson became a Times theater critic in the 1920s and his reviews became very influential. He insisted on leaving the drama desk during World War II to report on the war, and received the Pulitzer Prize in 1947 for his work as the Moscow correspondent for the Times . He returned to the theater beat in the late 1940s, until his retirement in 1960.
42-663: Atkinson was born in Melrose, Massachusetts , to Jonathan H. Atkinson, a salesman statistician, and Garafelia Taylor. As a boy, he printed his own newspaper (using movable type ), and planned a career in journalism . He attended Harvard University , where he began writing for the Boston Herald . He graduated from Harvard in 1917, and worked at the Springfield Daily News and the Boston Evening Transcript , where he
84-673: A Chinese Wonderland City . After the end of the war, Atkinson stayed only briefly in New York before he was sent to the Soviet Union to serve as a press correspondent in Moscow . His work there for the Times earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Correspondence in 1947. Upon his return to the United States, Atkinson was reassigned to the newspaper's drama desk, where he remained until his retirement in 1960. He
126-410: A country atmosphere moved to the area and began commuting to work. The population of North Malden began growing, and in 1850 North Malden split from Malden proper and was incorporated as the town of Melrose. The town then annexed the highlands from neighboring Stoneham in 1853, creating the city's current borders. The name "Melrose" comes from the burgh of Melrose, Scotland . It was a reference to
168-595: A private elementary school, St. Mary of the Annunciation, run by one of the city's Catholic churches of the same name. The Franklin Early Childhood Center houses preschool, Pre-K, and multiage programs. MVMMS is a school to about one thousand eleven- through fourteen-year-olds and was the winner of the 2002 Massachusetts Department of Education's Compass School Award, the 2007 Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Green School Award (for its use of solar energy), and
210-642: A street intersecting Broadway in Midtown Manhattan 's Theater District , the hub of the American theatre industry. It later became defined by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers as a professional venue in Manhattan with a seating capacity of at least 100, but not more than 499, or a production that appears in such a venue and adheres to related trade union and other contracts. Previously, regardless of
252-583: A tribute dinner for Atkinson's 80th birthday, which was attended by Arthur Miller , Elia Kazan , and other prominent actors and playwrights. He died on January 14, 1984, at Crestwood Hospital in Huntsville, Alabama . Atkinson had moved to Huntsville from his farm in Durham, New York , in 1981 to be closer to his family. The Mansfield Theatre in New York was named Brooks Atkinson Theatre in his honor between 1960 and 2022. Melrose, Massachusetts Melrose
294-568: Is a city located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area in Middlesex County, Massachusetts , United States. Its population as of the 2020 census was 29,817. It is a suburb located approximately seven miles north of Boston . It is situated in the center of the triangle created by Interstates 93 , 95 and U.S. Route 1 . The land that comprises Melrose was first settled in 1628 and was once part of Charlestown and then Malden . It became
336-606: Is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres , but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer than 100. An "off-Broadway production" is a production of a play , musical , or revue that appears in such a venue and adheres to related trade union and other contracts. Some shows that premiere off-Broadway are subsequently produced on Broadway. The term originally referred to any venue, and its productions, on
378-465: Is given much credit for the growth of Off-Broadway into a major theatrical force in the 1950s, and has been cited by many influential people in the theatre as crucial to their careers. David Merrick 's famous spoof ad for Subways Are For Sleeping —in which he hired seven ordinary New Yorkers who had the same names as prominent drama critics to praise his musical—had to wait for Atkinson's retirement, because Merrick could not find anyone with
420-544: Is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km ), or 1.26%, is water. The city's largest body of water is Ell Pond, situated near the center of the city, while other major bodies are Swains Pond and Towners Pond, located on the east side near Mount Hood Golf Club . Melrose is approximately 7 miles (11 km) north of Boston, Massachusetts. It borders four cities and towns: Malden , Saugus , Stoneham , and Wakefield . Major geographic features include Ell Pond, Swains Pond, Sewall Woods, Mount Hood, Boston Rock, Pine Banks Park , and
462-530: Is represented by Jason Lewis (D) in the Massachusetts Senate . Melrose is part of the fifth Congressional district of Massachusetts, and is represented by Katherine Clark (D). The current U.S. senators from Massachusetts are Edward J. Markey (D) and Elizabeth Warren (D). Melrose is served by an eleven-member City council . The entire city elects four At-Large City Councilors and seven Ward Councilors, elected by voters in their wards. Beginning in
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#1732858527540504-530: The Lucille Lortel Award (created in 1985 by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres & Producers), and the Drama League Award . Although off-Broadway shows are not eligible for Tony Awards , an exception was made in 1956 (before the rules were changed), when Lotte Lenya won Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for the off-Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera . Capacity
546-685: The MBTA . Service includes three bus routes : 131 , 132 and 137 . There are three commuter rail stations: Wyoming Hill , Melrose/Cedar Park , and Melrose Highlands . Oak Grove , which is the northern terminus of the Orange Line subway system, is located in Malden on the Melrose city line. Oak Grove is primarily a park-and-ride station. Melrose has a weekly newspaper, the Melrose Weekly News , while there
588-550: The National Register of Historic Places ; the public library was similarly added to the register in 1988. Melrose is located at 42°27′33″N 71°3′44″W / 42.45917°N 71.06222°W / 42.45917; -71.06222 (42.459045, −71.062339). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12 km ), of which 4.7 square miles (12 km )
630-472: The Warner Bros. film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice , directed by Tim Burton , also filmed scenes in Melrose. On September 22, 2016, Melrose was again named one of the "hottest zip codes" in the nation by Realtor.com . It had been number one in the nation in 2015 before falling to number seven in 2016. Also, as of December 2023, CartoChrome rated Melrose to have one of the top 13 percent of ZIP Codes (02176) in
672-608: The 2007 election, the mayor's position became a four-year term (from two) and was given a seat on the School Committee. All councilors are elected to two-year terms. City elections are held in odd-numbered years. As of the census of 2010, there were 26,983 people, 11,213 households, and 7,076 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 91.1% White , 2.4% African American , 0.1% Native American , 3.8% Asian , 0.9% from other races , and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of
714-452: The 2008 New England League of Middle Schools' Spotlight School Award. There are many health care facilities located in Melrose. MelroseWakefield Hospital , a 234-bed non-profit hospital , was home to the world's first cochlear implant and laser surgery and it was among the first hospitals in the country to offer same day surgery. In addition to the hospital, there are many pediatricians, specialists, dentists and dermatologists. Also,
756-449: The Eildon hills of Melrose, Scotland, which the new town resembled. The name was suggested and advocated for by William Bogle, a Scotland native and longtime resident of North Malden. The population of Melrose continued to grow throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. Farmland was increasingly partitioned into smaller parcels for residences and businesses. The fire department and
798-621: The Harlem "Voodoo Macbeth," directed by the 21-year-old Orson Welles ; the collaborative historical play "Lost Colony," staged on Roanoke Island in North Carolina; and openings of interesting plays all up and down the East Coast. His reviews were reputed to have the power to make or break a new stage production: for example, his panning in 1940 of Lawrence Riley 's Return Engagement led to that comedy's closure after only eight performances, despite
840-1120: The Park with George , Rent , Grey Gardens , Urinetown , Avenue Q , The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee , Rock of Ages , In the Heights , Spring Awakening , Next to Normal , Hedwig and the Angry Inch , Fun Home , Hamilton , Dear Evan Hansen , Hadestown , and Kimberly Akimbo . In particular, two that became Broadway hits, Grease and A Chorus Line , encouraged other producers to premiere their shows off-Broadway. Plays that have moved from off-Broadway houses to Broadway include Doubt , I Am My Own Wife , Bridge & Tunnel , The Normal Heart , and Coastal Disturbances . Other productions, such as Stomp , Blue Man Group , Altar Boyz , Perfect Crime , Forbidden Broadway , Nunsense , Naked Boys Singing , Bat Boy: The Musical , and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change have had runs of many years off-Broadway, never moving to Broadway. The Fantasticks ,
882-583: The Town of Melrose in 1850 and then the City of Melrose in 1900. Melrose was originally called "Ponde Fielde" for its abundance of ponds and streams or "Mystic Side" because of its location in a valley north of the Mystic River . The area was first explored by Richard and Ralph Sprague in 1628 and became part of Charlestown in 1633 along with a large area of land encompassing most of the surrounding communities. In 1649,
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#1732858527540924-467: The United States for a resident living in the area to access health care, because of its hospital system, physician density, and ease of patients accessing a doctor from travel distance. The average distance a patient travels to a doctor is 0.93 miles. On October 3, 2023, WalletHub placed Melrose eighth on their list 2023's Best Small Cities in America . Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre
966-615: The city's Milano Senior Center provides social, recreational, health, and educational programs for Melrose's senior citizens. Although the only highway in Melrose is a short section of Route 99, the city has access to many nearby highways including Route 1 in Saugus , Interstate 93 in Stoneham , Massachusetts Route 16 in Everett, and Route 128 / Interstate 95 in Wakefield . The city is also served by
1008-603: The eastern reaches of the Middlesex Fells Reservation . The writer Elizabeth George Speare , who was born in Melrose, wrote of her hometown: "Melrose was an ideal place in which to have grown up, close to fields and woods where we hiked and picnicked, and near to Boston where we frequently had family treats of theaters and concerts." Jennifer Grigoraitis is the Mayor of Melrose as of January 8, 2024, taking over for Paul Brodeur who had served since November 2019. Melrose
1050-820: The fall of 2009, the Ben Affleck movie The Town captured many key scenes in a historic bank on Main Street downtown, while around the same time, Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise 's movie Knight & Day shot scenes on the Fellsway. The same month, a documentary for PBS about the Scopes Trial was also shot in the Aldermanic Chamber of Melrose City Hall. In 2022, the Apple TV+ movie Spirited , featuring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell , had scenes filmed in Melrose. In 2023,
1092-646: The longest-running musical in theatre history, spent its original 42-year run off-Broadway and had another off-Broadway run from 2006 to 2017. Off-Broadway shows, performers, and creative staff are eligible for the following awards: the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award , the Outer Critics Circle Award , the Drama Desk Award , the Obie Award (presented since 1956 by The Village Voice ),
1134-506: The neighborhood of Charlestown known as Malden was incorporated as a separate town; the new town of Malden included most of present-day Melrose (then called North Malden) within its borders. North Malden largely remained a lightly populated farming community. By 1845, the Boston and Maine Railroad had built three stops (now the commuter rail stations of Wyoming Hill , Melrose/Cedar Park , and Melrose Highlands ). Boston workers in search of
1176-403: The population. There were 11,213 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. Of all households, 31.3% were individuals living alone, and 13.5% were composed of an individual 65 years or older living alone. The average household size
1218-409: The realism of the new play The Front Page , "No one who has ground his heels in the grime of a police headquarters press room will complain that this argot misrepresents the gentlemen of the press." In 1932 Atkinson dropped the J. from his byline and embraced the witty, direct writing style that became his hallmark. Atkinson, stepping into the role of major progressive thinker and writer of his time,
1260-522: The right name. There was only one Brooks Atkinson in New York City . Atkinson was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1960. He came briefly out of retirement in 1965 to write a favorable review of Man of La Mancha ; his review was printed on the first page of the show's original souvenir program. After his retirement, he became a member of The Players who organized
1302-644: The salary requirements of the union for Broadway theatres. The adoption of the 499-seat criterion occurred after a one-day strike in January 1974. Examples of off-Broadway theatres within the Broadway Box are the Laura Pels Theatre and The Theater Center . The off-Broadway movement started in the 1950s as a reaction to the perceived commercialism of Broadway and provided less expensive venues for shows that have employed many future Broadway artists. An early success
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1344-506: The size of the venue, a theatre was considered a Broadway (rather than off-Broadway) house if it was within the "Broadway Box", extending from 40th Street north to 54th Street and from Sixth Avenue west to Eighth Avenue , including Times Square and West 42nd Street . This change to the contractual definition of "off-Broadway" benefited theatres satisfying the 499-seat criterion because of the lower minimum required salary for Actors' Equity performers at Off-Broadway theatres as compared with
1386-439: The success of Riley's previous comedy, Personal Appearance , which had lasted for over 500 performances on Broadway . Atkinson had already been dubbed "the conscience of the theater" because of his openness to earnest experimental theater, his sense of duty toward supporting theater that addressed important moral and social issues of the day, and his firm conviction that theater could educate and foment serious public debate, but he
1428-457: The time, however, that "Broadway is just as eclectic – and just as footless – as 'Off-Broadway'." Theatre Row , on West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues in Manhattan, is a concentration of off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theatres. It was developed in the mid-1970s and modernized in 2002. Many off-Broadway shows have had subsequent runs on Broadway, including such musicals as Hair , Godspell , Little Shop of Horrors , Sunday in
1470-459: The town's school district were founded, and the town hall was built in 1873. In 1899, the City of Melrose became the 33rd incorporated city in Massachusetts . Levi S. Gould became the city's first mayor on January 1, 1900. Melrose reached a peak in a population of 33,180 residents in 1970, before beginning a slow decline continuing through 2010. On April 1, 1982, Downtown Melrose was added to
1512-517: Was Circle in the Square Theatre 's 1952 production of Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams . According to theatre historians Ken Bloom and Frank Vlastnik, off-Broadway offered a new outlet for "poets, playwrights, actors, songwriters, and designers. ... The first great Off-Broadway musical was the 1954 revival" of The Threepenny Opera , which proved that off-Broadway productions could be financially successful. Critic John Gassner argued at
1554-647: Was 2.38, and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 20, 4.0% from 20 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males. The Melrose School district runs several schools including The Franklin Early Childhood Center, five elementary schools (Roosevelt, Lincoln, Winthrop, Hoover, and Horace Mann), Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School (MVMMS), and Melrose High School . The city also has
1596-533: Was a strong supporter of the Works Progress Administration , particularly the new Federal Theatre Project , Roosevelt's attempt in the midst of the unemployment and poverty of the Great Depression to extend welfare support to out of work theater professionals and to create a theater responsive to the American public in range and diversity. Atkinson travelled extensively to see productions such as
1638-579: Was assistant to the drama critic. In 1922, he became the editor of the New York Times Book Review , and in 1925 the drama critic. Atkinson married Oriana MacIlveen, a writer, in August 1926. On the drama desk, Atkinson quickly became known for his commitment to new kinds of theater (he was one of the first critical admirers of Eugene O'Neill ) for his interest in all kinds of drama, including off-Broadway productions. In 1928, he said admiringly about
1680-682: Was captivated by him. Atkinson wrote favorably about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and against the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek , which he saw as reactionary and corrupt. After visiting Yenan, he wrote that the Communist movement's political system was best described as an "agrarian or peasant democracy, or as a farm labor party." Atkinson viewed the Chinese Communist Party as communist in name only and more democratic than totalitarian. The Times effusively titled his article Yenan,
1722-675: Was formerly a second print newspaper, the Melrose Free Press , which after a brief stint as the online-only Melrose Free Press Observer , merged with the Saugus Advertizer to become The Free Press & Advertizer in 2022. There is also a daily online news site, Melrose Patch . Melrose Massachusetts Television (MMTV) is a Public-access television cable TV station available to all customers and broadcasts Government-access television (GATV) community notices as well as resident produced Public-access television cable TV content. In
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1764-821: Was often not comfortable with the influence that he wielded over the Broadway box office. After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Atkinson attempted to enlist in the US Navy but was refused. He requested a reassignment to war coverage, and The New York Times sent him to the front lines as a war correspondent in China , where he covered the Second Sino-Japanese War until 1945. While in China, he visited Mao Tse-tung in Yenan and
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