Riedel: Spider-Man loses the girl (Wood)- Page 2

[CSonBroadway]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 11:03am

I hate him. And I hope he sees this.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 11:14am

No other confirmation yet, but he was the first to say 9 to 5 was closing and look how that turned out. Like him or not, Riedel is usually right.

Of course, now everyone is going to blame him for the show failing. Not the overblown budget, not the producers playing hot potato, not the fact that they're in Show Killer Theatre with and they have an as-yet-undetermined audience and apparently no cast- it's all Michael Riedel's fault for announcing these facts.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 11:36am

I love the people complaining about him doing his job. He writes a theater column and a musical with a budget of $45-50 million is in very real danger of not opening. That's NEWS, and he's obligated to report it. How is he trying to kill the show? He's not in production meetings, he's not involved with the show in anyway. If the show fails to happen it certainly won't be because of anything Michael Riedel, of all people, said or wrote.

As orangeskittles said, frankly, he's almost always right about these kids of things.

[TreyKenyon]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 11:42am

Riedel is definetly ruthless and vicious and kind of a tool lol but I agree with him on this. Mostly because I don't feel that he is really attacking the show (score, book, sets). I think his attack is most strongly focused on the arrogance/ignorance of the creative team. I mean, who develops the most expensive show in Broadway history during one of the country's worst economic times? Who then expects that show to sell out one of Broadway's biggest houses for anywhere from 3 to 5 years?

I also think Riedel is annoyed (and rightly so) that the producers keep putting up a front that everything is completely fine, when, clearly, there are issues. Production has been delayed for nearly a week (with no sign of it picking up soon), but they still claim they'll start previews on time.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 12:13pm

There's a special place in hell for Riedel. He will be sitting between Rosie O'Donnell and Boy George in a non-stop version of Taboo. He may also have to alternate with Wicked and sit between Stephen and Winnie.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 12:27pm

RE: Michael Riedel. I've noticed that some posters, if they're sympathetic to a show, will liken Riedel to a monster from hell if he has problems with it. However, when he likes a show, suddenly he becomes right on target, the one who knew it all along, etc., etc. I'm not saying EVERYONE on this board, but I have noticed it from time to time.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 12:34pm

Riedel has his witty moments, but I have to agree with Boy George, who has a searing hatred for Reidel. George has said that it is tragic that someone so hateful who has created nothing artistically has such vile, hurtful things to say about people who are putting everything on the line and taking risks for art. Riedel must have had a terrible childhood, bad high school trauma, or has miniscule genitalia.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 8/15/09 at 11:52am

Riedel is just another in a long line of viscous columnists in New York newspapers. He won't be the last.....

[BrianS]

Posted: 8/15/09 at 1:34pm

There's nothing wrong with Riedel reporting facts as is the case here. My problem with him is that on more than a few occasions, when a show is not open yet and still finding itself, Riedel will take negative comments from literally anyone to make a column and thus greatly amplify something that may or may not be true. He then goes from reporting on a "problem" to creating the idea of one in the minds of the rest of the industry because his column actually creates the negative "buzz" he claims to just be reporting on.

I'm sure Riedel would never ascribe to the Fox News style of journalism where agendas come before facts, but that's exactly the net result of what he does sometimes.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/15/09 at 2:38pm

I doubt very much that he reports on every tidbit he is privvy to. We have no way of knowing how much he doesn't report. These are his thoughts and opinions based on SOME of the things he's heard. He's reporting. He isn't causing anything negative to happen. The argument can be made in the opposite vein as well as in: There is no such thing as BAD publicity.

I don't think there is a lot of bashing going on here at all: he's not bashing the material or anything else. He's stating facts and quotes. Big Whoop.

Losing actors is NOT a sign of confidence.

Updated On: 8/15/09 at 02:38 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 8/15/09 at 2:59pm

He studied at the John Simon Scool For Critics