Razzle Dazzle- Michael Riedel's book- Page 3

[newintown]

Posted: 10/9/15 at 7:35pm

 Could it be worse than I thought?  Could Joey be a ghost writer on this book? I can't understand why else he would not only defend, but champion someone one step above John Simon.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/9/15 at 9:02pm

 

if he was drinking vodka secretively and leaving often to do a bump of coke

 

Um...people hadn't yet been conditioned to do those things secretly then. Especially...Michael.

 

 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 10/9/15 at 9:40pm

"Huh?  The set for Nine never moved an inch.  No power was needed to "operate the sets" for Nine.  There was no automation needed for the Nine sets."

 

Morosco, your photos and recollections of long-forgotten Broadway shows is one of the great joys of reading this site. In this one case, I'd beg to differ. The back wall of tile in NINE flew up and down to reveal the Venice backdrop. And the Grand Canal sequence involved a series of portals flying in and out. The question is: were those flylines operated by hand or by computer in 1982? I know that by '83 some of the heavier flying units on LA CAGE were operated by winches cued by computer rather than by hand. Can't say if that was true for NINE but very possibly it was. 

[morosco]

Posted: 10/17/15 at 1:50am

Still hard for me to believe.

Updated On: 10/17/15 at 01:50 AM

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 10/17/15 at 11:54am

Oh, get the **** over yourselves. PJ likes a book, so he's gotta be on someone's payroll? Watch your ass the next time you recommend something, sugar, unless you want that train to stop at your station when you tell people you like something.

[AC126748]

Posted: 10/17/15 at 2:31pm

My friend Wendy wrote a review that encapsulates a lot of what is wrong with this book. I tried to read it -- god knows why -- and gave up quickly. 

http://showshowdown.blogspot.com/2015/10/razzle-dazzle-battle-for-broadway-book.html?m=1

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/17/15 at 3:23pm

I plan to read the book.  yes, he can be snarky and vicious and all but he knows his theatre and I feel he has a great passion for it.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/17/15 at 3:48pm

AC126748 said: "My friend Wendy wrote a review that encapsulates a lot of what is wrong with this book. I tried to read it -- god knows why -- and gave up quickly. "

 

I also gave up on the book. I was excited to read it, but after the first few chapters, I just could not take it.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/17/15 at 4:06pm

Wait a dol garn minute.  Thank you for that link, AC126748, because finding out that Reidel (rhymes with weasel) went negative on Angels in America makes me think I wouldn't be too sad if a runway Les Miz cart ran him over to death.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 10/17/15 at 6:45pm

I had no problem separating my distaste for Reidel the gossip columnist from my enjoyment of this book. It was like sitting with the 6 most knowledgable old show queens around a table at Joe Allen's and hearing the juiciest stories of intrigue and politics that resulted in some of the greatest works of theatrical art ever created. And I've never heard the complicated rags-to-riches tale of the Times Square neighborhood itself  told in such detail and with such clarity for each of the many players involved till now. It's a story I never knew, despite having been a fly on the wall myself at the creation of some of the shows mentioned back during that 80's heyday.

 

Sure, there's undoubtedly a whole host of nit-picky mistakes littered throughout the book. I myself got my dander up when Reidel botched a description of the changes made to the opening number in LEGS DIAMOND. (The claim in the book is that the entire Marquee set piece with the letters spelling out LEGS DIAMOND wasn't added till the show was bombing in previews without it. Not true-- that giant set piece was in the very first designs of the show.) Doesn't bother me. My understanding is that most of what he's written are stories told him to him from a whole host of interview sources (most of which ARE itemized in either the footnotes or the acknowledgements). It's entirely possible that these sources' memories are not perfect. Still doesn't bother me. If these are the legendary tales the way they remember them, that's the spirit in which I'll take them. 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/17/15 at 10:16pm

Riedel reminds me of the kid in class who either snitched on other kids or raised his hand whenever a question was asked. He is a smart ass many times with his prissy attitude re certain shows.

 

Having said that, the Theater Talk episode a few weeks ago was devoted to the book and I have to admit it sounded interesting. I know people want to ostracize him because he has the audacity to say he does not like Hamilton. The Broadway described in his book is the Broadway I grew up with & therefore it resonates with me. The broadway of today does nothing for me.

 

I might give this a whirl. Unlike many here, if I read it I will go in with an open mind. My wife has said she would like to read it also. Who knows, it might be under the tree this year. Before long, printed books will go the way of the $ 10 orchestra seat or  5 cent cigar

Updated On: 10/17/15 at 10:16 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/17/15 at 10:27pm

 I know people want to ostracize him because he has the audacity to say he does not like Hamilton.

 

Yes, that's right.  Everybody ADORED him right up until the minute that happened.  I myself only raved about him before Miranda's masterpiece was unveiled.

 

Jeez.  Us.  Cryyyyyyyyyyy.  Sssst.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 1:07am

I really don't get all the hatred for Reidel. As a gay musical theater lover growing up in the South, I found his column fascinating. That people really cared about Broadway "gossip" really excited me. I love knowing what shows are going in there, and the backstage gossip. Every medium has their form of "gossip columnists," and I think it's exciting that theater is still relevant enough to employ such a person. 

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 8:32am

PalJoey said: "Um...people hadn't yet been conditioned to do those things secretly then. Especially...Michael"

 

Some people haven't bettered themselves at being discreet either. Witness one Grammy-winning composer of a show about vampires in love and his ever-present "cold" for which he needed "nasal spray," but seemed to have a problem using said spray anywhere but the ladies' toilet.

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 8:44am

...Witness one Grammy-winning composer of a show about vampires in love and his ever-present "cold" for which he needed "nasal spray," 

 

But for that to be true, it would mean that he was actually in the theater at some point. I call shenanigans!

Updated On: 10/18/15 at 08:44 AM

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 9:18am

He was actually in the theater. He disappeared after previews and never returned. Look up any posts on here by friedrichVT -- literally no one buys the composer's side of the story (i.e., that he was fired) anymore.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/21/16 at 12:23am

Almost done with the book, and I'm enthralled. I'm with Someone in the Tree. I realize that some of the details might be off, but I find the whole thing very interesting. I love knowing about the certain buildings in the are, and would LOVE a tour of the Shubert offices. I just love theater and Broadway, and love knowing all these weird side notes about it. 

It's not the best edited/written book, but I could not put it down. Such interesting stories. 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/21/16 at 8:59am

The part about the Shuberts not being able to get a loan on their theaters was unbelievable.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 2/21/16 at 11:06pm

MarkBearSF said: "...Also - I was a poor student in the midwest and outside of theater circles in my 20s - so, aside from the Tony awards, my experience was limited from 75-95....

"

 

What a coincidence, Mark! My own 20s extended from 1975 to 1995, and my 30s from 1995 to 2015.

 

Now that I am reluctantly 41, I find my entire perspective has changed!

 

But the problem with reading Riedel is that I can't trust anything he writes. I have no idea whether that story about the Shuberts and DREAMGIRLS has any basis in reality whatsoever.

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/22/16 at 12:39am

According to all the footnotes and whatnot he has sources. And I mean, it's not like he's getting sued for liable, right? So I'd assumed it's all pretty accurate. 

What I find interesting is that Broadway banned together to save the theaters they bulldozed for the Marquis, but no one cared that they were combining two of them for the Lyric? 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/22/16 at 12:55am

I know it may seem like comparing apples and oranges but it is not. When the Roxy went down in 1960, all of the other picture palaces in Times Square became fair game for development .After they started going down, developers set their sites on Broadway theaters. Hell they tore down the Astor, which had just undergone a sprucing up, for an office building. A new theater was built inside the office building. What a bunch of sports. After the Astor came  down, the carnage continued. It is a miracle any of  The Broadway theaters are still standing today.

 

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 2/22/16 at 1:58am

GavestonPS,
Much of it DOES correspond with Gerald Schoenfeld's recounting of many of the stories. Clearly the entire telling is from his perspective. As with any of any recountings, unless I read/hear anything better, as long as they correspond with others, it works for me. 

..and yeah, I think we're about the same age. (Let me know when you travel up to the fog and hopefully we can meet up some day!)

Updated On: 2/22/16 at 01:58 AM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 2/22/16 at 6:49am

That sounds like fun, Mark. Thanks for recognizing that I was just kidding you about the aging 1 decade for ever 2. If only I could have arranged that!

 

As for Reidel, if I had never see him on camera in a documentary, he probably wouldn't bother me so much. It's not like the country is going to war because Reidel is careless with his info. But when I saw him and heard him, I had a visceral adverse reaction.

[mc1227]

Posted: 2/22/16 at 7:06am

Received this book as a Christmas gift but haven't even picked it up.  I can't stand Reidel on TV or his column, so the thought of reading the book is distasteful to me.  He thinks he is the Hedda Hopper of Broadway.  

[Cupid Boy2]

Posted: 2/22/16 at 8:34am

I also found Razzle Dazzle to be an incredibly compelling read. As a previous poster mentioned, it is definitely most informed by the perspective of Gerald Schoenfeld. His memoir makes for an excellent companion to Reidel's book. I read them back-to-back, and they complement each other nicely touching on many of the same anecdotes in similar ways but with varying amounts of detail.