Why Does Michael Riedel hate "Hamilton"?- Page 3

[After Eight]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 7:28am

"#1. I didn't realize this site was an exclusive "Rah Rah Hamilton" fangurl site. If it were, I definitely wouldn't visit it."

Actually, it's the rah-rah site for any and all overhyped critics' darlings: du jour, du mois, or de l'éternité. 

"#2. I didn't click on the puff pieces masquerading as journalism. The headlines and accompanying pics proved nauseating enough."

Expect more of the same.

Lots more.

 

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 07:28 AM

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 8:59am

"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."

Riedel does this ALL THE TIME. As far back as Titanic (and likely before), he just makes up stuff, and attributes it to one of his "sources".

He's a nasty little weasel who, in his own words , loves "to see things fall apart".

[Kad]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 9:22am

Too bad this show is pretty much Riedel-proof. Nothing he can stir up will stick.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 9:43am

"Too bad this show is pretty much Riedel-proof. Nothing he can stir up will stick."

He has no power over shows. He's just a gossip columnist..

[Kad]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 9:59am

Under certain circumstances, Riedel can certainly exacerbate situations. He was a driving force in the Spider-Man gossip maelstrom, for instance.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:04am

He also really helped kicked Taboo to death.

[IAmTheOne2]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:05am

I think Hamilton deserves the praise it has received, although I think it has gone a little overboard. Also, I think Lin Manuel Miranda comes off as a little arrogant when he keeps quoting himself (i.e. his Wesleyan commencement speech, the In the Heights Tony rap to the rush crowd, and to some extent the #yayhamlet shirts) and it can rub people the wrong way, making them want to criticize his work. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:09am

^ You are in the minority on that.

[macnyc]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:09am

I'm surprised Riedel is trying to trash Hamilton. If he gets them to appear on his TV program, that would be quite a coup. Bad-mouthing the production isn't going to help that. 

[newintown]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:13am

"^ You are in the minority on that."

You have no way of actually knowing that. It's merely solipsistic and pointless conjecture. Disagree if you like, but it's always advisable to refrain from attempting to state that you speak for the majority and that the majority is always "right."

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:15am

I don't think he hates it by any means, this is a quote from his column about whether or not the show was gonna come to Broadway in time for the 2015 Tony Awards:

“Hamilton” is by no means perfect (overrated, if you ask me)

Full Story Here!

[Kad]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:16am

To me, Miranda comes off as extremely down-to-earth and gracious in every interview. And the fact that he's giving / organizing these mini-performances at every lottery so the event is special to the hundreds of losers is pretty darn great. There's a level of connection with his audience and fanbase that is unmatched right now.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:16am

So you people basically have no lives whatsoever

I would love to hear your reasoning for that comment.

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?

Precisely.  The only way that happens is through publicity.  When a show grabs the attention of the public in a hugely significant way, it gets tons of publicity.  For some reason, people HATE when a show receives a lot of publicity (even if all they actually read is a headline), regardless the show's quality.  I saw the show and I believe it's worthy of all the positive buzz and press.  I haven't read every article written about it, so I really haven't been bothered by it.  It's the sort of show that will be wildly popular among the general public, musical theatre fans and critics, so it's going to be discussed often for quite a while.  If someone like AfterHate is annoyed that the majority opinion is different from their own, that's AfterHate's problem and has nothing to do with anyone else.  

Theatre, musical theatre especially, has needed to expand it's audience and catch a younger age group

It's actually been doing pretty well no that front.  From Rent to Wicked to Spring Awakening to If/Then, at least once a decade, a show has come along that has created a surge in tween/teen/twentysomething fans, whether it is the show itself or its cast.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:44am

"Under certain circumstances, Riedel can certainly exacerbate situations. He was a driving force in the Spider-Man gossip maelstrom, for instance."

Yes, he had a lot to do with GOSSIP. Nothing to do with its closing, try as he might.

"He also really helped kicked Taboo to death."

Citation, please? What did his column have to do with Taboo closing?


Updated On: 7/23/15 at 11:44 AM

[mamaleh]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 12:10pm

I enjoyed HAMILTON at the Public; found it exhilarating except during a lull in Act II. In fact, I have tickets to sample the Broadway mounting.  But afterwards I didn't find myself humming the songs; instead, ditties like "Hard to Be the Bard" ended up nestling in my consciousness.  Sue me.

Devil's advocate query here re the publicity angle: Never mind the qualitative difference between the shows, but Harvey Weinstein was roundly castigated for his publicity shenanigans on FINDING NEVERLAND, while Miranda's efforts in that vein are pretty much readily accepted. Why the difference in reception?

[DrowsyKaye]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 12:15pm

Thanks all for your discussion on this. HogansHero, i do think you wonderfully hit the nail on the head. It's just nice to get a range of thoughts from everyone. Let's just please support new works. Especially ones written by/starring POC.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 12:16pm

Well, unless Hamilton had Jennifer Hudson perform a song this year at the Tonys, I'm not sure how Miranda is doing anything similar to Weinstein.

Finding Neverland opened on Broadway with a lack of good will toward it due to Weinstein treating the venture like a major Hollywood studio production- firing writing teams, switching out leading men, buying performance slots at events a season before it opened.

[indytallguy]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 12:56pm

The fuss about Hamilton all feels a bit like the typical pop culture trajectory we often see document in New York magazine: something becomes popular, popularity leads to overexposure, there is a backlash against both, then there is a backlash against the backlash.

[skies]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:00pm

Plus Miranda publicly dissed Madonna so that's worth at least a few brownie points to the the theater crowd.

 

[JayG 2]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:22pm

"Hamilton Gets GIF-ed!"

OMG!

OMG!!

OMG!!!

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:26pm

"To me, Miranda comes off as extremely down-to-earth and gracious in every interview. And the fact that he's giving / organizing these mini-performances at every lottery so the event is special to the hundreds of losers is pretty darn great. There's a level of connection with his audience and fanbase that is unmatched right now. "

 please, he's doing that for publicity. But continue, keep thinking LMM is in it for the people as you're paying 400 dollars to see the show

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:31pm

^ Pinto, stop being so obviously bitter and angry because you haven't seen it. I saw the show at the Public and paid $100 and I have a ticket to see it on Broadway that cost me LESS than that. Shut up.

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 01:31 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:34pm

Obviously he gets publicity from it. Maybe some of the sure-to-be flops you're inexplicably backing can take a page from him.

[tazber]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:35pm

"^ Pinto, stop being so obviously bitter and angry because you haven't seen it. I saw the show at the Public and paid $100 and I have a ticket to see it on Broadway that cost me LESS than that. Shut up."

 

I second that request.

Should we ask lesha what she thinks?

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:37pm

""To me, Miranda comes off as extremely down-to-earth and gracious in every interview. And the fact that he's giving / organizing these mini-performances at every lottery so the event is special to the hundreds of losers is pretty darn great. There's a level of connection with his audience and fanbase that is unmatched right now. "

 please, he's doing that for publicity. But continue, keep thinking LMM is in it for the people as you're paying 400 dollars to see the show"

JayG 2 and Phillypinto I am so pleased the success of HAMILTON is rubbing you in every wrong way possible. That with each new article and every word of praise bestowed upon Lin Manuel, his show and his excellent cast and crew that you both continue to seethe with the anger that is on display in this thread. The more it displeases you the happier I get.

Keep hating!

 

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 01:37 PM