Why Does Michael Riedel hate "Hamilton"? — Page 2

So you people basically have no lives whatsoever.

Honestly why do people care what some random theater critic thinks? What makes his opinion more important than anyone else's?

Updated On: 7/22/15 at 05:03 PM

He hates it because everyone on these sites won't shut up about it. This site had a feature: "Hamilton Celebrates First Week on Broadway!"

"Linn Miranda sits in sixth row to watch Hamilton!"

"Hamilton Selling #YayHamlet T-Shirts!"

Big Effing WOW!!

It has become a hate-worthy show. I am with him on that. I have a ticket and at this point it is going to have to beat the Second Coming of Jesus to impress.

Riedel's pathology is easy to parse in this case. He put out a story about dissension among producers and between producers and creative regarding the Broadway transfer that was wrong. At best, he misapprehended some shards of information he picked up off the street; at worst, he made it up. In either case, he ended up with egg on his face when the happy family appeared together for a press conference a couple of days later to put the kibosh to his gossip. People who get egg of their faces don't usually respond with love for those responsible.

The pathology of some folks here is harder to understand. A hate-worthy show? Really? The excitement re Hamilton mostly does not emanate from within. President Obama is not a part of some publicity machine, and neither is David Brooks or any of the parade of bold face names who fell over each other to see it. Vogue and Vanity Fair do not do big spreads on shows because they are tools of the producers. And the critical and public response is not some manufactured either.

It blows my mind that people who profess to love the theatre and musical theatre in particular respond with hate for something that succeeds where most shows fail. What is there to hate? That the show has transcended the narrow confines of musical theatre junkies and has actually captured the attention of our culture? That musical theatre is some private club that has been invaded by the riff-raff? Or is it just been that none of you "haters" have ever been around when a truly important show surfaced and it has overloaded your circuits?

None of the other shows in the pipeline are on Hamilton's level. None of the shows in more than a quarter century have been. If your reaction to that is to jump in bed with Michael Riedel on this, you may want to rethink what you are doing before you end up with something your mama told you to steer clear of.

"He hates it because everyone on these sites won't shut up about it. This site had a feature: "Hamilton Celebrates First Week on Broadway!"

Because people are forcing you to be here and click on links?

Nope.

^Like Rent.

Reidel dislikes Hamilton because he can't find any dirt on it. He tried with an article a few months ago calling the Hamilton team "Pompous" and everyone ignored him. He has no power over this show and that makes him mad, so he will likely be acting out through all of this season and putting on his Nancy Drew outfit to find something....ANYTHING.. on Hamilton that will make him feel important.

What I do find annoying (besides Michael Reidel), is the lack of praise Thomas Kail seems to be getting for Directing Hamilton. I get the feeling that most of the general public (and probably some people on this board) think Lin-Manuel Miranda directed the show.

Of course Lin deserves credit because he wrote a beautiful show, but the staging and direction of the piece is what brings it to life every night.

Just my opinion.

Updated On: 7/22/15 at 07:00 PM

"Darlink"

LOLZZZ

Wonderfulwizard, exactly.

Hamilton22 "What I do find annoying (besides Michael Reidel), is the lack of praise Thomas Keil"

I agree. Too bad your typing added insult to injury.

HogansHero, you really hit the nail on the head. Thank you for making all the points so beautifully that I had in my head. I got to your post and saw you had already hit everything I wanted to say - and probably said it better than I could have, too. I agree with both HogansHero & Hamilton22 about Thomas Kail. It's an incredibly impressive achievement in directing - and I haven't seen him getting the mentions/credit he deserves. Also, having seen the show at the Public and seeing it again last Friday, he has done an amazing job during the transfer. Every moment is so specific now - and many of the performances are even richer and deeper. And whatever he did with Leslie Odom Jr - they should bottle and sell it. He was wonderful at the Public but he is positively on fire now - the change is unbelievable (and I liked his performance the first time). The tears he has rolling down his face when he sings "the world was wide enough for Hamilton and I" gives the show an emotional punch at the end that it just didn't have before. Kail really deserves a tremendous amount of credit for pulling this all together and making it work and translate to an audience.

A show, which has no star name attached, breaks into a more mainstream audience (and it has, I know people who have no interest in theatre who saw the Vogue article & want to see the show) and is (rightly) lauded and people line up to tear it down. Riedel has always seemed like a bitter little man to me anyway. You can't blame a show for using social media to it's benefit, if Anna wants to put it in Vogue, you don't say no. No one of forcing anyone to read anything about this show, to participate in the lotto madness, to even see the show.

Theatre, musical theatre especially, has needed to expand it's audience and catch a younger age group. People are lining up to see this because of what it is, not because Bradley Cooper or Neil Patrick Harris or Hugh Jackman's name is over the marquee. And in a world of celebrity driven everything, that in itself is an achievement. If this is the show that does it, if it's the gateway show that gets someone to another show, then I'm all for it.

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 03:42 AM

"Lin Miranda sneezed backstage at Hamilton !!"

He did WHAT? I smell a Tony!!!