Also Read: 'Morning Joe': Trump Lied to You and Your Family About Coronavirus Threat (Video)He joined the Times in 1993 and moved into the top critic spot in 1996, remaining there for nearly a quarter of a century.Times theater reporter Michael Paulson wrote on Twitter that Brantley’s departure marks the “end of an era.” In the staff email sent internally Thursday, culture editor Gilbert Cruz and theater editor Scott Heller called Brantley a “cultural omnivore” and praised the way “his