Michael Riedel's Views on the Tony Awards- Page 4

[Roscoe]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 3:30pm

Ick. Don't insult Happy by comparing him to Stew. I mean really.

[barcelona20]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 3:38pm

Ok, let me end this whole argument right here.

The award for Best Musical does not actually reward the "best" musical. It rewards the best musical that is most marketable and will potentially make money for those same voters. Money makes the world go round...

It would be interesting to see how many Tony voters are direct investors in each show.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 3:39pm

Let's start a petition that they just rename the award: Musical Most Likely To Make A Lot Of Money.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 4:52pm

I haven't laughed that hard since Sue busted out in Survivor.

So if Passing Strange is a snake, In the Heights is the rat that eats the snake.

The award for Best Musical does not actually reward the "best" musical. It rewards the best musical that is most marketable and will potentially make money for those same voters.

Right. Because Passion was such a cash cow compared to Beauty and the Beast. And let's not forget the hugely marketable Raisin, Two Gentlemen of Verona and Nine. And I can't tell you how tired I am about the endless productions of Applause, Hallelujah Baby and Redhead I keep seeing! If the Tonys have always been about money, Grease, Hair, Miss Saigon, Whorehouse, Joseph and Smokey Joe's Cafe would have all won Best Musical.

Sometimes my choice for Best Musical doesn't win but that is probably due to the fact that the Tony voters are made up of a group of people who aren't me. If I was the only Tony voter, then yes, I would be really surprised if my favorite didn't win. Otherwise, the winner of Best Musical has absolutely nothing to do with want we want to win or not win and the Tony voters can vote however they see fit. If you can't deal with it, then you just need to learn how to live with being unhappy for the rest of your life. Or at least during the years the Tony voters don't choose every single one of your choices. Well, same thing, probably.

[blaxx]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 4:55pm

Sometimes my choice for Best Musical doesn't win but that is probably due to the fact that the Tony voters are made up of a group of people who aren't me. If I was the only Tony voter, then yes, I would be really surprised if my favorite didn't win. Otherwise, the winner of Best Musical has absolutely nothing to do with want we want to win or not win and the Tony voters can vote however they see fit.

Ha ha ha, if only... no, you're right, the Tonys have no agenda behind them - they just pick their favorite show. Hilarious.

[Kalimba]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 4:58pm

Michael Riedel is such a twat.

[americanboy99]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 5:02pm

The Tony voters chose a very edgy musical last year when the EASILY could have given their votes to three other wonderful and wholesome musicals (well, GREY GARDENS isn't particularly wholesome, but moreso than SPRING AWAKENING.)

Yes, what a twat.

[barcelona20]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 5:18pm

I'll issue a clarifying statement.

The show has to be fairly decent as well in addition to being marketable.

Last year Spring Awakening received reviews far and away better than any other show and deservedly won. There would be no justification for the voters to have given the prize to a different show.

This year PS received the best reviews and deservedly so, but because it's not as mainstream ($$$$) as the less critically acclaimed ITH (decently reviewed show), voters opted for the latter.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 5:26pm

Ha ha ha, if only... no, you're right, the Tonys have no agenda behind them - they just pick their favorite show. Hilarious.

If it were truly about money, Mary Poppins would have won last year and The Little Mermaid would have been a nominee this year. The most cycnical view is not always the most believable.

Updated On: 6/16/08 at 05:26 PM

[Anakela]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 5:27pm

Could someone point me to something that shows Stew when he is being supposedly "too cool for musical theatre"? I haven't seen that yet. (Note: I haven't seen the Tonys, hopefully will soon.)

I was a little rubbed the wrong way when Stew announced something along the lines of "it's too f***ing early for this!" at the end of his number during the Tony dress rehearsal yesterday. Yes, complain about actual stuff to complain about during rehearsals (see LuPone, Patti during this same rehearsals), but complaining about the time of morning that you are rehearsing to perform on the freaking Tony awards did feel a little 'too cool for all this.'

and back to the Riedel article, was anyone else bothered by this-

"Passing Strange" began life in the downtown rock clubs and first came to the attention of Broadway producers at Joe's Pub at the Public Theater.

"In the Heights" began life at Wesleyan, its creators' alma mater.

Um, ok, so what- because he started writing it at Wesleyan that makes Miranda less capable of writing for/about Latino people? He should have been sitting in Washington Heights while writing the entire thing, over the past how many years? There's just something really off-putting about this juxtaposition of sentences to me, I was wondering if anyone else felt the same.

[barcelona20]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 5:36pm

mistermatt, obviously you're not reading my posts. I said the show has to be somewhat decently reviewed. Neither Poppins nor Mermaid received good reviews.

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 5:57pm

I've seen both shows and consider myself a pretty openminded theatre goer.

I really liked Passing Strange a few weeks after seeing the show and thinking about the story. I also downloaded the 4 songs that were available and jammed to those for a couple of weeks.

I saw In the Heights and wasn't overly impressed. I liked the music and thought the dancing was fabulous, but that is about it.

I really thought I liked PS much more than In the Heights until the original recordings were released. Then I listened to both shows, and I realized I only like certain songs and parts of Passing Strange.

I think that the voters got it exactly right - PS has the best book. There are some really interesting phrases and stories in this show. However, the In the Heights is a better overall show - the set, the dancing, the music are all superior.

I'm never for the mainstream, and I actually dislike mainstream. However, this is a high quality mainstream show. And the themes are timeless and can appeal to everyone -especially a neglected (and possibly a large) demographic.

And what did Patti complain about during rehearsal? - I've got to hear this!

ETA - Stew's behavior with the glasses was just tacky and kinda made me glad that I chose a second viewing of ITH for my next trip.

Updated On: 6/16/08 at 05:57 PM

[jackson992]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 2:11am

The performances for Passing Strange and ITH were both appalling. If that is any indication of the shows, than the Tony voters must be on crack.

[achangeinme]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 2:22am

I love that Reidel calls ITH's win an upset when even my GRANDMA predicted that it would win. Can we direct one big BWW eye roll in his direction?

I wasn't amused with any of Stew's antics at the Tony awards. He came off as very pretentious and disrespectful. I'm really glad PS didn't win Best Musical, especially after reading this article.

It is like he is saying ITH shouldn't have won because it wasn't the most off-beat, quirky show this season. I don't know about you, but I like my musicals to carry timeless themes.

[Mealz1042]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 2:24am

another one here who thinks that stew is a pompous ass who thinks he's "too cool" for musical theatre... he even said in his blog that he's not an actor:

http://stewsez.artlung.com/2008/05/09/106/

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 2:28am

I bet Reidel is reading this right now just loving himself.

[TooDarnHot]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 2:41am

Wow.

And I thought I was a tired, old, bitter, bitchy, snarky theatre queen.

You people NEED to get over yourselves!!!

Stew was never "too cool" for musical theatre. He was different.

Many of you feel threatened when these kind of people (like Duncan or Stew) come into the Broadway world.

You do know it's possible to have all different kinds of music, and performers, and stories on Broadway. Right?

You can't take Stew so seriously. He is an outsider and is clearly embracing it. Stop whining and crying about it!

Sometimes there are threads that really remind you why the theatre community has the reputation is does. This is a good one, to start with.

Stop being so damn ridiculous!

[Trish2]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 8:47am

While i rarely agree with Reidels comments and judgements i think he nailed this one on the head !

[Roscoe]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 8:53am

Okay. Have it your way.

Stew is a genius. The greatest genius since Mozart. He leaves Einstein and Sondheim in the dust.

PASSING STRANGE is the greatest achievement in the history of human endeavor. It cures cancer. It increases T-cell counts. See PASSING STRANGE and be guaranteed eternal salvation.

Sliced bread, the light bulb, computers, heart transplants, jazz, ice cream: all of these PALE in comparison with the wonder of PASSING STRANGE.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 10:29am

mistermatt, obviously you're not reading my posts. I said the show has to be somewhat decently reviewed.

barcelona20 - You're obviously not reading your own posts because this is what you said:

"The show has to be fairly decent as well in addition to being marketable."

I'm surprised you still haven't noticed to correct it.

Your "clarifying statement" did not mention anything about reviews, so my reply was in direct response to your rather subjective qualifiers.

Sliced bread, the light bulb, computers, heart transplants, jazz, ice cream: all of these PALE in comparison with the wonder of PASSING STRANGE.

Except microwaves. Microwaves are still better than Passing Strange.

Updated On: 6/17/08 at 10:29 AM

[Roscoe]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 10:42am

MisterMatt -- You blithering idiot. How can you possibly say that anything since the beginning of time has been better than PASSING STRANGE? Only a totally bitter old queen can deny the timeless divinity of PASSING STRANGE!

PASSING STRANGE. It adds twenty years of sexual potency to your life.

[Mealz1042]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 11:49am

Roscoe, I think you are my new favorite poster on this board (well second, sorry, lizziecurry will never cease to amuse me)

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 12:09pm

We don't feel threatened by them. We just resent that the shows that everyone has been loving lately are by people who seem to dislike the conventions musical theatre that pretty much have defined it for years.

I'm referring to Sheik, btw; I don't know enough about Stew.

[TooDarnHot]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 2:38pm

"who seem to dislike the conventions musical theatre that pretty much have defined it for years."

I'll give you that one, ONLY because Sheik has made very snarky comments about it in the past.

But Stew never has. If he did, you know they would be posted all over this board by the pathetic PS haters.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 2:47pm

Pathetic PS Haters?

Who are these people? We must round them up and ship them off somewhere, where they can be put to death for their willful blindness in not appreciating the One True Show: PASSING STRANGE.

PASSING STRANGE. Acknowledge it as the Pinnacle Of Human Achievement, or DIE a painful death.

The choice is yours!