★ 07/20/2020
Riedel, a theater critic and longtime Broadway columnist for the New York Post , follows his bestselling Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway , about Broadway in the 1970s and ’80s, with a masterful history of the key moments of the ’90s, “a decade of profound change” for the Great White Way. Riedel covers the decade’s biggest hits and flops: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1994 Sunset Boulevard , whose “abrupt collapse” signaled the end of the British invasion of plays including Webber’s production of Cats (1982) and Phantom of the Opera (1988). What followed was Tony Kushner’s Angels in America (which premiered on Broadway in 1993 and had resounding success throughout the decade), and the groundbreaking Rent , which first took the stage in 1996 in the East Village’s New York Theatre Workshop. Riedel details how, thanks to the phenomenal success of culturally inclusive and innovative shows such as The Lion King , the decade’s productions had “put Broadway at the center of American popular culture in a way it had not been since the 1950s.” Riedel concludes with a strong argument that the successes of the 1990s paved the way for the current moment of “cultural phenomenon” musicals, and that Broadway “is in the midst of its new Golden Age.” Broadway aficionados and pop culture geeks will be entertained by this fascinating survey. (Nov.)
"Fun and gossipy . . . Singular Sensation excels in giving the reader a fly-on-the-wall view of backstage infighting, struggles, and victories. . . . Riedel can spin a yarn with zest . . . [making] for a jolly read.” —Wall Street Journal Singular Sensation feels like a gossipy conversation, after a show, at a restaurant in the theater district. . . . His gimlet eye for masterstrokes of marketing and producing is still there, enriching our understanding of the business, as is his ear for the sharp retort and the clash of egos. . . . Had you never thought about the poster design for Chicago ? Why not? Someone put passion into it, and that passion draws Riedel like honey. It’s not a sentimental book, not at all. But it reads like a love letter all the same." —New York Times —Los Angeles Review of Books —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Library Journal ( starred review) —Scott Rudin Singular Sensation is filled with plenty of stories that will be catnip for theater-starved readers.” —Newsweek Singular Sensation is meticulously structured, well sourced, beautifully written and easily accessible. . . . It belongs in every theater-lover’s library.” —Theater Pizzazz Singular Sensation is required reading and the book of the year.” —Hollywood Soapbox Variety with a delightfully droll PhD. It’s likely been a minute since you sat in a theater seat and you miss it very much, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying Broadway on paper. So grab Singular Sensation and roll with it.” — Terri Schlichenmeyer Singular Sensation is an irresistible combination of scandal, history, gossip and diva behavior. . . . Riedel interviewed more than 100 people, so even familiar behind-the-scenes tales gain freshness through first-hand accounts. . . . A vivacious overview of a turbulent decade that revitalized Broadway and energized theatergoers.” —Shelf Awareness Booklist —Kirkus Reviews Singular Sensation offers a happier, insightful look back at some of Broadway’s biggest triumphs, from Sunset Boulevard to The Lion King . From one of Broadway’s most respected commentators and Post columnist.” — New York Post , “Best of Fall”PRAISE FOR RAZZLE DAZZLE : Hugh Jackman Razzle Dazzle joins that very short list that includes William Goldman’s legendary The Season and Richard Maney’s classic Fanfare —and is every bit the equal of those books that those of us who love Broadway can recite by heart.” —Scott Rudin “Razzle Dazzle is a fantastically fun book, full of high energy, anecdotes, and wit. Michael Riedel lays bare the secret history of Broadway in all its grease paint, shady dealings, and shining moments. Written with love but also a piercing eye, this is one show no one should miss.” —Amanda Foreman —Kirkus (starred) —The Chicago Tribune Razzle Dazzle by Michael Riedel, the New York Post 's flamboyantly mischievous Broadway columnist, tells the thrilling history of the larger-than-life impresarios who helped transform the Great White Way from cultural ugly duckling in the seedy 1970s to the grand billion-dollar swan it is today.” —Los Angeles Times Razzle Dazzle is . . . you can’t put the damn thing down.” —Huffington Post Razzle Dazzle, brings this gritty world [of 1970's and 80's Broadway] back to life. . . . Riedel unearths treasures from the recent past and contextualizes events that would otherwise be too easily forgotten." —The Washington Post
10/23/2020
Theater columnist for the New York Post for more than 20 years, as well as current cohost of Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning on 710 WOR in New York City, Riedel is among the cognoscenti for all things Broadway-related. In Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway , he trenchantly depicted the transformation of Times Square from grind house sleaze and porn to a sanitized commercial Broadway juggernaut. This title focuses on Broadway during the 1990s with its myriad evolutionary developments, singular personalities, and musical hits and misses. Given his longtime standing as a New York theater doyen, Riedel has unique access to the vast cast of players he surveys, which yields an embarrassment of anecdotal riches. You know it's going to be a fun and wild ride when the book begins with Sunset Boulevard and the internecine fight between Broadway diva Patti LuPone and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. From there, it's a mad dash through Rent , revivals of Guys and Dolls and Chicago , Disney and the Lion King phenomenon, playwrights Edward Albee and David Hare, and…wait for it…Mel Brooks, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, and The Producers . VERDICT Readers of this breezy, fun, and informative work are the beneficiaries of the rarefied theatrical air of Broadway inhabited by Riedel. An obligatory purchase for all theater collections.—Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX
2020-07-28
As the 1990s began, the Broadway neighborhood hit the skids. Off to see London-imported hits such as The Phantom of the Opera , Miss Saigon , and Cats , New York theatergoers sidestepped crack vials and prostitutes. However, Broadway was ripe for a resurrection, which longtime New York Post theater columnist Riedel follows in his brisk, insightful, and deliciously detailed take on the decade. For sure, the author serves up great dish: For example, appearing in a hit revival of Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance , Elaine Stritch, clad only in bra and panties, darts into the crowded theater lobby just before curtain time to check on her house seats. But Riedel is after more than tales of outrageous antics. He chronicles the plays and musicals that brought great American theater back to a spiffed-up Times Square. A poignant and suspenseful chapter follows Jonathan Larson, waiting tables in a lower Manhattan diner while determined to stage a modern-day La Bohème as transported to New York’s Lower East Side and called Rent . The brilliant Larson died at 35 from a rare illness, just as his musical became a megahit that garnered the Pulitzer Prize. At the same time, Riedel chronicles an infamous rivalry on 42nd Street. Fresh from his failure as head of Cineplex Odeon, the brutally aggressive Garth Drabinsky restored a derelict theater to house the musical Ragtime . Across the street, Disney returned to grandeur the New Amsterdam, eventually to house The Lion King . Riedel’s account of this show’s artists at work, particularly director Julie Taymor, is fascinating. Later, playwright Tony Kushner’s Angels in America became a landmark chronicle of the AIDS epidemic. Finally, Mel Brooks caps this vivid chronicle with his musical The Producers . Riedel, keenly knowledgeable of the business of show, rounds out his history covering the deals—and swindles—brought off by a colorful cast of producers.
An entertaining diversion for fans until the curtains rise again.
Shaun Taylor-Corbett delivers a serviceable narration of longtime theater critic Michael Riedel’s comprehensive history of Broadway. Riedel’s earlier work, RAZZLE DAZZLE, looked at ‘70s and ‘80s Broadway. This time he focuses on the ‘90s, a decade when musicals and dramas changed significantly. Riedel delves into what makes a successful show and investigates what contributes to a flop. Taylor-Corbett sounds knowledgeable while discussing examples of the late ‘80s ranging from PHANTOM and CATS to the less spectacular but delightfully innovative AVENUE Q. With an understated delivery, he recounts the humorous backstage anecdotes and reminiscences of producers, directors, and stars of ‘90s shows ranging from THE PRODUCERS to THE LION KING. SINGULAR SENSATION confirms the reasons pre-COVID Broadway was enjoying a new Golden Age. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
Shaun Taylor-Corbett delivers a serviceable narration of longtime theater critic Michael Riedel’s comprehensive history of Broadway. Riedel’s earlier work, RAZZLE DAZZLE, looked at ‘70s and ‘80s Broadway. This time he focuses on the ‘90s, a decade when musicals and dramas changed significantly. Riedel delves into what makes a successful show and investigates what contributes to a flop. Taylor-Corbett sounds knowledgeable while discussing examples of the late ‘80s ranging from PHANTOM and CATS to the less spectacular but delightfully innovative AVENUE Q. With an understated delivery, he recounts the humorous backstage anecdotes and reminiscences of producers, directors, and stars of ‘90s shows ranging from THE PRODUCERS to THE LION KING. SINGULAR SENSATION confirms the reasons pre-COVID Broadway was enjoying a new Golden Age. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
