Michael Riedel: How Tony-Chasing Producers Screwed Their Own Shows

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 6:46am

Wow.  I can't blame them for trying, but it wasn't the best approach.  (from the NY Post.com)http://nypost.com/2015/06/18/how-tony-chasing-producers-screwed-their-own-shows/

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 9:09am

"As one voter says, “When I opened it, I thought it was from the guy who kidnapped the Lindbergh baby.”"

[Tom5]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 9:24am

I'm guessing crass marketing might be recognized by the average Tony Voter. No one likes to be under estimated.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 9:28am

I doubt either of them "screwed" anything.   HIGHLY unlikely that either of those shows were going to win even without the letters discussed.  They weren't going to win before without them....and they still didn't win.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 9:29am

double post

Updated On: 6/19/15 at 09:29 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 9:29am

triple post!

Updated On: 6/19/15 at 09:29 AM

[LYLS3637]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 9:30am

This just reestablishes why I can't stand Michael Riedel. Talk about rubbing salt in the wounds. THE VISIT is gone and ON THE TOWN is not far behind, but Riedel can't let them go without his bitchy, "witty" comments.

The producers knew they had no shot, so they took a chance and threw a Hail Mary. In hindsight, yeah it wasn't the best approach, but nothing was truly lost in taking the risk.

[LYLS3637]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 9:32am

This just reestablishes why I can't stand Michael Riedel. Talk about rubbing salt in the wounds. THE VISIT is gone and ON THE TOWN is not far behind, but Riedel can't let them go without his bitchy, "witty" comments.

The producers knew they had no shot, so they took a chance and threw a Hail Mary. In hindsight, yeah it wasn't the best approach, but nothing was truly lost in taking the risk.

[newintown]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 9:36am

Oh, I think there's something valid in the advice "never let 'em see you sweat." And these letters were both dripping with sweat.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 9:38am

As dramamama points out, these shows were the long shots in their respective categories. So the letters caused a few people- out of nearly 900 voters- to change their minds. Drops in a bucket, at the most. 

Riedel's becoming less and less relevant. I loved him acting as though information about Waitress was a major scoop last week- despite the fact information about the production's development has been publicly available since its inception, thanks in no small part to Sara Bareilles' social media presence.

[Bilbo3]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 9:45am

The producer from the Visit sounds like an idiot. Be on the right side of history? Are you serious with that? Jesus.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 10:57am

A producer's over the top enthusiasm, no matter how and where expressed, is creepy. It is the bane of every press agent's existence.

That said, this column really had about one sentence of information in it. It might be excused as a function of a slow summer news cycle, except that there was actually better stuff out there for someone not as lazy as Riedel. And yes it is also true that social media has largely eclipsed the value of print media gossip.

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 11:25am

At least this article wasn't about how some musical in tryouts that may or may not ever make it to New York is going to "take down HAMILTON!"

[Patash]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 12:39pm

I think the worst people referred to in the article are the voters who "were going to vote for The Visit" but because of the letter changed their votes to Fun Home.  If such things are how they base their votes for Best Musical, they shouldn't be allowed to vote in the first place. 

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 1:15pm

They were voting for "sentimental" reasons, though, so wasn't their basis "not regular" already?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 1:38pm

"A producer's over the top enthusiasm, no matter how and where expressed, is creepy. It is the bane of every press agent's existence. "

 

I have to disagree, Hogan.  If a producer cannot act excited about their product (no matter what the product) then how can s/he expect anyone else to be excited about it?

What do I think of these letters?  I don't really know, as there is no "real" way to determine if they actually (ever) make a difference.  (I know many here have spoken to a campaign making a difference in the Wicked/Ave Q race.)

 

[newintown]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 1:42pm

The Avenue Q Tony campaign was witty, funny, clever - not desperate and ridiculously hyperbolic like these letters.

To quote that show, there's a fine, fine line between true excitement and hysterical desperation.

Well, maybe it's not that fine a line.

[Tom5]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 2:00pm

If you're in a creative business you should be creative in your marketing. Humility might be one radically creative approach. No one likes to be condescended to. The real problem  is that those receiving these missives may remember them long into the future.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 2:09pm

What a snide little sh*t Riedel is. At least he wasn't digging up some musical that had a reading recently as possible competition for HAMILTON like he did Wednesday. (His attacks on The Public are purely political. There are other major non profits with their eyes on Broadway and other artistic directors to go after.) This column is kicking people when they're down, pure and simple. 

To quote the late Mary Rodgers in regard to another vicious queen, "Call me back when he's dead." He doesn't like the theater. He shouldn't be writing about it. Plain and simple. 

 

 

 

[Tom5]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 2:12pm

 His flippant description of The Visit was gratuitous and undeserved. It's a riveting story with deep emotional undertones. And well beyond his understanding.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 2:16pm

He'll smarmily praise Kander, Chita, etc. on Theater Talk, though. 

Theater Talk used to be a pretty decent show, and I used to find Riedel an astute interviewer. Now, I watch it because there's nothing else on at 1:30 am on Friday that I find interesting. And sometimes the guests are good. 

His treatment of the FUN HOME women was disgusting, disgusting, disgusting. 

 

[RaiseYouUp]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 2:24pm

What did he do to the Fun Home women? Do you mean in the Theatre Talk episode with them?

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 2:32pm

He is only trying to keep his job by writing crap that will give people something to talk about.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 3:33pm

@dramamama,

I wasn't suggesting a producer should not be enthusiastic about their show, but there is a way to express that enthusiasm that is not creepy or personal. These producers engaged publicists and ad agencies to craft a campaign, and paid them dearly for their expertise. But some producers take matters in their own hands, and it's a mistake, especially where as here it replaces a positive spin with a forlorn, pushy or desperate one. It's like how people feel when they walk down the street looking for a place to eat and are assaulted by a desperate hawker begging you to try their establishment. Do you ever go in? I don't, I do my best to avoid the contact and also assume their desperation is a sign of inferiority.

[Fantod]

Posted: 6/19/15 at 3:41pm

It's always funny how Riedl says that he wants new and exciting work on Broadway, but takes down every show that tries to break the mold. Fun Home, Hamilton, and even The Visit are great examples of shows that try to be exciting on Broadway. He can't criticize the lack of exciting stuff and shut down anything exciting. It's a two way street.