S.F. Critic Bounced : Ballet Was Canceled--Review, Alas, Wasn’t

The San Francisco Chronicle removed a dance critic from his duties after he wrote a review of a San Francisco Ballet performance that had been canceled, the newspaper said today.

The review by Huewell Tircuit was published in the newspaper Monday morning under the headline “S.F. Ballet Misses a Step at Stern Grove” and gave bad marks to the ballet “Bizet Pas de Deux.”

“Bizet Pas de Deux” had been dropped from an outdoor Sunday afternoon appearance but was still listed on the printed program. One of the principals, Ludmilla Lopukhova, was suffering from a sore back.

In his review, Tircuit said Lopukhova and the other featured dancer, David McNaughton, “looked a tad bit dumpy. . . . Lopukhova’s potato-drenched Russian training seemed less heavy than in the past.”

In a published announcement, Executive Editor William German apologized to the newspaper’s readers and the ballet company, which he said suffered “embarrassment and pain” due to the review.

German said Tircuit told editors that he believed he was ill when he reviewed the performance and could not clearly recall how he made the error.

“Shortly after he arrived at the Chronicle office on Monday morning, Tircuit collapsed at his desk and was taken to a local hospital,” German said.

He said the reviewer underwent medical tests before his release from the hospital Wednesday.

German said Tircuit was removed from his duties as a reviewer.