You guys are all 100% correct, though I couldn't muster the interest to go check out Black Watch. I used to be on the email list for all the literary managers of the big theaters in the US and Canada, and one of them saw it in Chicago and gushed that it was "the future of the American theater!!!" which it hopefully is not. I wish I could say that I quit the list after that, but I stayed on for another six months and quit after a stupid argument over Arthur Magazine. Oh theater, what are we gonna do with you?
Here is something I learned: when there's a play "everyone" is raving about, only see it if it's free. Most theater critics are boring idiots who despise innovation of any kind. Some of them are stuck in the 1950s, some in the 80s, but few mainstream critics have made it past 1992, culturally speaking. Asking friends is almost always better. Barring that, Time Out NY and the Village Voice usually have good taste. Also, there are a handful of theaters where you can take your chances -- almost anything at Soho Rep is going to be great, and PS122 and The Kitchen are kind of like WFMU -- hit-or-miss, but invariably interesting, and when they hit they're awesome.
