Theater and Dance Critic Clive Barnes Dies at 81; Broadway to Dim Lights November 20

Critic Clive Barnes died of complications of cancer early Wednesday morning, November 19, at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. He was 81.

Barnes began his career as a dance critic in London, writing for multiple publications including The Spectator and The Times of London. He served as dance critic for The New York Times from 1965 to 1977, and was also the paper’s chief theater critic during a portion of his time there. For the past 30 years, he served as the chief drama and dance critic at The New York Post.

Barnes is survived by his wife, Valerie Taylor Barnes, son Christopher, daughter Maya Johansen, and two grandchildren.

The marquees of Broadway theaters in New York will be dimmed in his memory on Thursday, November 20, at exactly 8:00pm for one minute.