Michael Riedel's unhinged post-Tonys column — Page 3

BWAY Baby2 said: "It was a great musical- PERIOD!"

I don’t understand why the concept of representation seems to be a personal affront to you.

I very much support the concept of representation, But, awards shows are supposed to award quality. No other concept should get in the way, IMO. When it becomes more important what color someone was who wrote a play or libretto- or what their sexual orientation is- then something is out of balance. There is sufficient awareness of the need for diversity in this era- but that does not mean that every production and awards show has to be seen primarily though the lens of racial and sexual parity. And that is what is happening so often. And I do to support that. When lots of white actors won the Emmy Awards- there was a lot of comment about Emmys So White. However, Emmys So Black or Emmys So Diverse would be just as detestable to me. Seems like every award, every production is seen as a political statement rather than an artistic one.

BWAY Baby2 said: "And yes- I am liberal- very much so- but not obsessed with every production reflecting diversity- some productions do not have to- and there is room for many with diverse casts and stories. And not every production needs to be commented upon by the diversity police to ensure that a political agenda is being adhered to."

I said this earlier but it is worth repeating...

This thread seems to take its eye off the ball and head off in non-sequiturs. Let's start at the beginning: what Riedel wrote (in essence that there was an reactionary agenda based on producers being "annoyed" and that's why Slave Play lost) is BS. It fits, of course, in his own right wing mindset that is, of course, the bidding he is called upon to do by his gross employer. We need to be mindful of diversity in everything we do, starting with the shows we produce and the people who create them. We aspire to a day when it will be second nature but make no mistake it is a red flag to focus on "diversity police" as a pejorative. I suggest it is unfortunate you chose that expression. Of course not all productions need diverse casts any more than all productions need white casts but we do not divest ourselves of centuries of systemic racism by flipping a switch; getting there requires learning and learning requires guidance and no, that guidance is not always going to be gentle. But none of this has anything to do with calling out Riedel for the bizarre (was he drunk?) nonsense he published i that article.

BWAY Baby2 said: "BWAY Baby2 said: "It was a great musical- PERIOD!"

I don’t understandwhy the concept of representation seems to be a personal affront to you.

I very much support the concept of representation, But, awards shows are supposed to award quality. No other concept should get in the way, IMO. When it becomes more important what color someone was who wrote a play or libretto- or what their sexual orientation is- then something is out of balance. There is sufficient awareness of the need for diversity in this era- but that does not mean that every production and awards show has to be seen primarily though the lens of racial and sexual parity. And that is what is happening so often. And I do to support that. When lots of white actors won the Emmy Awards- there was a lot of comment about Emmys So White. However,Emmys So Black or Emmys So Diverse would be just as detestable to me. Seems like every award, every production is seen as a political statement rather than an artistic one."

Amen.

It's all about skin color and not about the content of character.

Didn't Riedel predict a huge night for Jagged Little Pill? His predictions are notoriously bad, so I don't think he's as plugged into the votership as some might think. I think The Inheritance won because it's a better play and, with Lopez pointing out in his speech that he's the first Latinx playwright to win (not to mention that it's a play about gays, including a potent black character), it's also diversity! As for Slave Play having gotten the most nominations ever for a drama, that's primarily because it was basically half a season. In a full season, it--and The Inheritance--would have gotten significantly fewer noms. All that being said, there IS racism on Broadway, of course. They've proven it by coming up with way more black shows this season than usual, under pressure to be "woke"--just like Vogue magazine suddenly realized they should feature a lot of black people.

Riedel trains with someone at my gym. The transformation has been incredible. It is like Clark Kent and Superman.

jv92 said: "Riedel...has no regard for Broadway or theatre beyond $$$ and “scandal."

So, is the general thinking that Slave Play somehow lost Best Play because of racism? I guess that view would hold more weight if the Best Play winner Inheritance wasn't written by a gay Latino.

And although I don't like Riedel, I thought this article was pretty truthful. IMHO, Broadway has always been more inclusive than some of the other arts (film and TV mostly as the music industry is even more diverse). And as for the Tony Awards, much more diverse than the Oscars or Emmys (and again all hold a backseat to the Grammys).

More recently, theater seems to have embraced "color blind" casting in many productions to the benefit of us all.