Is the traditional press night an endangered species? It feels as if that might be the case, and in many ways I can't say I'm sorry. Splendid though it is to spend the evening cheek by jowl with Vanessa Feltz, the press night has never offered the ideal conditions in which to see theatre. It must be hell for the actors too, knowing that so much is riding on a single performance; an actor is only as good as their last press night.

In fact the West End press night has quietly been bowing out for the past couple of years as the Broadway convention of inviting critics to any one of a number of performances with a strict embargo for publication in place has been embraced by big producers such as Sonia Friedman.

The benefit is that there is no single make-or-break performance for the cast, and critics have the chance to see plays with real audiences (and not just the playwright's mum and investors). Crucially, they also have time to process the show in their minds. There have been plenty of times when I've woken up in the morning feeling differently than I did about a show the night before. But it's too late when the review is filed and already on the record.

Beyond the West End, the sheer volume of openings every week means that critics will show up over a number of nights – whenever they can find a gap in their schedules, if at all. It means the reviews drip out over several days, sometimes even weeks after the show opened. It's not ideal because it does nothing to create a buzz around a show which helps sell tickets, but it's better than having no reviews at all.

Unfortunately, no reviews at all is exactly what many shows face – not because the work is any less good but because they face too much competition. There are only so many nights in the week and slots available in papers and online. It's a real opportunity for bloggers to take up the slack.

It strikes me that there is something amiss in our theatre culture when some shows – particularly new and experimental work – attract no publicity and others are surrounded by such hype that journalists are prepared to break embargoes and bend their own rules to be the first with an opinion. Some go so far to suggest that the entire edifice of the press night is being tested by such behaviour. Will it totter and fall? Watch this space.