A friend of mine saw a show here in Los Angeles the other day – a show that was extremely well-reviewed and had garnered some awards and nominations – and said to me, “Yeah, it was good, but it would get ripped to shreds in New York.”

I thought, what the hell does that mean? What, it was good enough for LA but not the NYC? We who are deep in the muck of Los Angeles Theatre, have we become blind to our own lowered standards? Have we come to see mediocrity as excellence? Have our perceptions of quality been that dulled by living here? Or was my friend just full of shit?

I have to admit, I got a little flummoxed. And I hate being flummoxed. It’s very flummoxing.

Thoughts?