Walter Kerr

Walter Francis Kerr (1913–1996) became theater critic of the New York Herald Tribune in 1951 and held the job until the paper folded, writing notices sharp enough that rival papers quoted them back. He won the 1978 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism “for articles on the theater.” He was a playwright and director as well as a reviewer, which gave his verdicts on acting an insider’s precision — and is a large part of why a line like this one landed.