Writer’s Review, a ‘Tad’ Flawed, Is His Final Act

SAN FRANCISCO —  The dancers were “a tad dumpy,” the critic sniffed; their training appeared to be “potato-drenched.” And the choreography--well, that was simply “dank.”

When that San Francisco Chronicle review hit the newsstands Monday, members of the San Francisco Ballet were stunned. They were not shocked by the criticism, but by the fact that the dance in question had never been performed.

The dance, “Bizet Pas de Deux,” had been canceled at the last minute when dancer Ludmila Lophukova injured her back, and was replaced with “Ballet d’Isoline” featuring five male dancers.

But it was still listed in the program, and dutifully--if wrongly--reviewed the next day.

In a six-paragraph “announcement to our readers,” San Francisco Chronicle Executive Editor William German acknowledged the falsehood Friday, adding that dance critic Heuwell Tircuit has been “removed from his duties as a critic.”

The explanation, prominently displayed in the newspaper’s entertainment section, gave no details of how the mix-up occurred, nor did it make clear if Tircuit has been reassigned or has left the newspaper entirely. Neither German nor Tircuit could be reached for comment, and chagrined Chronicle staff members said they knew nothing beyond what was contained in German’s announcement.

However, Rob Morse, a columnist for the rival San Francisco Examiner, wrote on Wednesday that Tircuit recently suffered a “vicious beating” by a burglar and “has not been entirely well” since.

The Chronicle’s official statement said that soon after Tircuit arrived for work on Monday, the day the review was published, he collapsed at his desk and was rushed to a nearby hospital. He was released Wednesday afternoon and faced his editors the next day.

“He said that he believes he was ill when reviewing the performance Sunday and has no clear recollection of how he made the error,” German wrote.

Tircuit’s collapse was not mentioned when the Chronicle published a vaguely worded correction Tuesday. In that correction, the newspaper acknowledged only that there was some “confusion” over the canceled dance, and added that the review had misidentified the performers in another part of the program.

“The Chronicle very much regrets the unfortunate incident,” German wrote in the second correction Friday, “and apologizes to its readers, and to the San Francisco Ballet.”

San Francisco Ballet spokesman Jeff Abbott said dancers who read the review “all wondered what program he was watching,” but declined further comment.