Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway - by Michael Riedel
Broadway’s most respected (and feared) commentator pulls back the curtain on its stars, its producers, and its mega-hits to reveal all the shocking drama, intrigue, and power plays that happened off stage.
Razzle Dazzle is a provocative, no-holds-barred narrative account of the people and the money and the power that re-invented an iconic quarter of New York City, turning its gritty back alleys and sex-shops into the glitzy, dazzling Great White Way—and bringing a crippled New York from the brink of bankruptcy to its glittering glory.
In the mid-1970s Times Square was the seedy symbol of New York’s economic decline. Its once shining star, the renowned Shubert Organization, was losing theaters to make way for parking lots. Bernard Jacobs and Jerry Schoenfeld, two ambitious board members, saw the crumbling company was ripe for takeover and staged a coup amidst corporate intrigue, personal betrayals, and criminal investigations. Once Jacobs and Schoenfeld solidified their power, they turned a collapsed theater-owning holding company into one of the most successful entertainment empires in the world, ultimately backing many of Broadway’s biggest hits, including A Chorus Line, Cats, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, and Mamma Mia! They also sparked the revitalization of Broadway and the renewal of Times Square.
Now Michael Riedel tells the stories of the Shubert Organization and the shows that re-built a city in grand style, revealing the backstage drama that often rivaled what transpired onstage, exposing bitter rivalries, unlikely alliances, and—of course—scintillating gossip. This is a great story, told with wit and passion.
Singular Sensation by Michael Riedel picks up where Razzle Dazzle, his bestselling account of the battle for Broadway, drops off: when audiences craved more than the British mega-productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the famed theater strip reached new heights with the productions of Rent, Angels in America, Chicago, The Lion King, and The Producers.
This influential columnist and broadcaster has been writing about theater for over 20 years, and now with the release of his second book, shares some insight that keeps him going - 'Thats the great thing about writing about Broadway - everything is unexpected'.
On the new episode of 'Tell Me More,' BroadwayRadio's Matt Tamanini speaks with New York Post theatre columnist and New York Times Best Selling author Michael Riedel. For many, Riedel is the snarky, sharp-tongued gossip columnist who has skewered Broadway for decades.
Calling all theater nerds, book lovers, history buffs and everyone in between! BroadwayWorld is presenting its next selection for BroadwayWorld Book Club, and if you've ever wanted to take a deep dive into the rich history of that subject we like most (we're talking Broadway, of course), you've come to the right place!
BroadwayWorld Book Club is officially off and running! Or should we say, reading! The first BroadwayWorld Book Club selection is Jennifer Ashley Tepper's The Untold Stories of Broadway Volume 1. Tepper has just released the first volume of the book for free on Kindle!
BroadwayWorld Book Club is officially off and running! Or should we say, reading! The first BroadwayWorld Book Club selection is Jennifer Ashley Tepper's The Untold Stories of Broadway Volume 1. Tepper has just released the first volume of the book for free on Kindle!
Michael Riedel's new book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway, is set to be published on November 10, 2020. Cover art and details about the book have just been released!
Calling all theater nerds, book lovers, history buffs and everyone in between! BroadwayWorld is presenting its next selection for BroadwayWorld Book Club, and if you've ever wanted to take a deep dive into the rich history of that subject we like most (we're talking Broadway, of course), you've come to the right place!
BroadwayWorld Book Club is officially off and running! Or should we say, reading! The first BroadwayWorld Book Club selection is Jennifer Ashley Tepper's The Untold Stories of Broadway Volume 1. Tepper has just released the first volume of the book for free on Kindle!
BroadwayWorld Book Club is officially off and running! Or should we say, reading! The first BroadwayWorld Book Club selection is Jennifer Ashley Tepper's The Untold Stories of Broadway Volume 1. Tepper has just released the first volume of the book for free on Kindle!
Calling all theater nerds, book lovers, history buffs and everyone in between! BroadwayWorld is presenting its next selection for BroadwayWorld Book Club, and if you've ever wanted to take a deep dive into the rich history of that subject we like most (we're talking Broadway, of course), you've come to the right place!
BroadwayWorld Book Club is officially off and running! Or should we say, reading! The first BroadwayWorld Book Club selection is Jennifer Ashley Tepper's The Untold Stories of Broadway Volume 1. Tepper has just released the first volume of the book for free on Kindle!
BroadwayWorld Book Club is officially off and running! Or should we say, reading! The first BroadwayWorld Book Club selection is Jennifer Ashley Tepper's The Untold Stories of Broadway Volume 1. Tepper has just released the first volume of the book for free on Kindle!
Calling all theater nerds, book lovers, history buffs and everyone in between! BroadwayWorld has announced its next selection for BroadwayWorld Book Club, and if you've ever wanted to take a deep dive into the rich history of that subject we like most (we're talking Broadway, of course), you've come to the right place!
BroadwayWorld Book Club is officially off and running! Or should we say, reading! The first BroadwayWorld Book Club selection is Jennifer Ashley Tepper's The Untold Stories of Broadway Volume 1. Tepper has just released the first volume of the book for free on Kindle!
Calling all theater nerds, book lovers, history buffs and everyone in between! BroadwayWorld is announcing its next selection for BroadwayWorld Book Club, and if you have ever wanted to take a deep dive into the rich history of that subject we like most (we're talking Broadway, of course), you've come to the right place!