Not only is Riedel a troll...he's blatantly uninformed. BLACKBIRD has been deemed a revival by the Tony Committee.
"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards
School of Rock is definitely a shoo in for a best musical nom. I really hope American Psycho get a best musical nom, but I don't think it will help sales even if it does.
Why does he still have a job? It seems like he's universally hated, he keeps making jokes on TheaterTalk which make guests visibly uncomfortable, and is barely anything more than a gossip columnist spreading vitriol in an industry already full of unnecessary judgement.
Caption: Every so often there was a rare moment of perfect balance when I soared above him.
Why does he still have a job? It seems like he's universally hated, he keeps making jokes on TheaterTalk which make guests visibly uncomfortable, and is barely anything more than a gossip columnist spreading vitriol in an industry already full of unnecessary judgement.
Caption: Every so often there was a rare moment of perfect balance when I soared above him.
I think SCHOOL OF ROCK is a pretty sure bet for the nomination. I think it's the kind of show people can agree on, same as WAITRESS. Of course either of those could get in, but I agree with Riedel in this particular case. SHUFFLE ALONG--and I have a hard time seeing the committee deeming it a revival--will have passionate support, it could get the CAROLINE OR CHANGE or LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA nod--shows whose artistic ambition they like to reward. ON YOUR FEET! is a show that people talk about very enthusiastically, everyone I've spoken to about that show talks about it with a smile and that's the kind of thing that can carry a show to a nomination in the top category. I would say the fourth slot is between those two. I just have a hard time seeing something as divisive as AMERICAN PSYCHO, which also plays much younger than the other two shows, getting that fourth slot. I may be underestimating the general support toward it, but for the sake of predictions, I'm leaving it out.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
I honestly forget that School of Rock is a thing most of the time. It's selling pretty well with families, but there's not really any hype in the theatre community.
he has a job because he is essential reading within the business. Not because he is right or wrong but because people talk about it either way. And in the theatre department, he is the only person about whom you can say that. Certainly no one considers Vincentelli essential reading. LOL It's the same reason certain politicians get relentless media coverage.
Scarywarhol said: "I honestly forget that School of Rock is a thing most of the time. It's selling pretty well with families, but there's not really any hype in the theatre community.
"
I think School of Rock is more of a 'safe' musical than American Psycho, which is why I'd love to see American Psycho nominated. They tried to do something very ambitious (and succeeded in my mind), but just created an interesting piece of theater you don't often see on Broadway.
Also, Riedel casually misspelled Leslie Odom Jr.'s name as Lesley. Seriously, is anyone fact checking this article?
It seems pretty clear that this is one of those seasons in which there is nothing "for the ages" except the one thing that was here when the rest arrived. Is that because of the daunting competition? I don't think so actually. But if there is another survivor of the critics' antognist ilk, I'd say it is SOR.
Among the other strange things in this article, Riedel predicts that Eclipsed might not get nominated for Best Play, which is patently ridiculous. But then, this is the man who was so sure that Bullets Over Broadway would be a smash, so it's not like his judgement could have gotten any worse.
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.
Could it be that his employers like the job he's doing?
"It seems like he's universally hated,"
Universally? I'm inclined to doubt that. Personally, I enjoy reading his column. He has a wry sense of humor, and he's not afraid to poke fun at himself. That's good. What I like best about his column is that it's entertaining, a quality notably absent in many of today's highly-acclaimed plays and musicals.
"On the musical front, expect nods for Cynthia Erivo and Danielle Brooks from “The Color Purple”; Renée Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, Lesley Odom Jr., Lin-Manuel Miranda and Daveed Diggs from “Hamilton”; Alex Brightman (“School of Rock&rdquo, Ana Villafañe (“On Your Feet&rdquo, Laura Benanti (“She Loves Me&rdquo and Danny Burstein (“Fiddler on the Roof&rdquo."
The fact that Riedel says to "expect" a nomination for Villafañe means he's either picking names out of a hat or he's talking out of his you-know-what. She has a chance, to be sure, but to "expect" a nom for her is patently ridiculous.
LOL! I usually enjoy reading his columns because they're just funny, but this one crosses too far over into the absurd. Ana Villafane is so not going to get a nomination in leading actress (the only discussion there is over Carmen Cusack, frankly), nor is School of Rock a shoo-in (???) for best musical. Excuse me? Oh and, above all else, I can say whole heartedly without a doubt in my mind that LESLEY Odom Jr. will be nowhere on the list of Tony nominees this year.
"Excuse me? Oh and, above all else, I can say whole heartedly without a doubt in my mind that LESLEY Odom Jr. will be nowhere on the list of Tony nominees this year. "