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

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

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.

triple post!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.)

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.

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

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

@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.