All stories by Michael Riedel on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

You have to see this singer impersonate Broadway’s divas by Michael Riedel

Whenever I’m in need of a laugh, I read my old columns — or watch Carly Sakolove’s “Send in the Clowns” video. Who, you might be wondering? A few years...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 04:22PM
Thursday, August 13, 2015

‘Sweet Valley High’ author is headed to Broadway by Michael Riedel

“Mack and Mabel” is one of those heartbreak flops — great score by Jerry Herman, problematic book by Michael Stewart. The 1974 musical told the story of the troubled love...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 06:42PM
Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Talking Heads’ David Byrne penning a new NYC show by Michael Riedel

One of my favorite musicals of the past 10 years is “Here Lies Love,” David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim’s clubby ’80s take on the life of Imelda Marcos. Staged...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 06:10PM
Thursday, August 6, 2015

This new Broadway stunt to raise money is doggone desperate by Michael Riedel

Talk about the dog days of August … The producers of “Sylvia,” A.R. Gurney’s comedy about a man and his attachment to a dog, are offering potential investors the chance...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:44PM
Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Can Broadway pull off ‘Confederacy of Dunces?’ by Michael Riedel

Steven Soderbergh (director of “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Traffic”) has been working on a film version of John Kennedy Toole’s great comic novel, “A Confederacy of Dunces,” for ov…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:11PM
Friday, July 31, 2015

The ‘Hamilton’ backlash has begun by Michael Riedel

So confident they’ve got the Tony Award in the bag, the producers of “Hamilton” are restricting tickets to Tony voters, much to the voters’ chagrin. A letter went out this...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 03:14AM
Thursday, July 23, 2015

Larry David: I’m done with Broadway! by Michael Riedel

When it was announced that Jason Alexander would take over the lead in “Fish in the Dark” from Larry David, David told the cast, “You finally have the chance to...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 07:21PM
Tuesday, July 21, 2015

British pop invasion musical in the works from co-writer of ‘Jersey Boys’ by Michael Riedel

Believe it or not, there’s more going on these days besides “Hamilton.” If I read one more puff piece about how Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop history lesson is a “game changer,”...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 04:41PM
Saturday, July 18, 2015

Cocktails, castles and canoodling: The decadent world of F. Scott Fitzgerald by Michael Riedel

In 1922, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, new parents and pinched for cash, gave up their suite at the Plaza Hotel and rented a house on Long Island in Great Neck....

SOURCE: The New York Post at 12:01AM
Thursday, July 16, 2015

Why the FBI had a bulging file on Broadway legend Oscar Hammerstein by Michael Riedel

It’s hard to believe, but there isn’t a lively, thorough biography of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, their shows and their era. Ethan Mordden wrote a good coffee-table book a…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 05:58PM
Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Remembering Roger Rees, Broadway’s humble star by Michael Riedel

Few actors went from journeyman to star as fast as Roger Rees did. In September 1981, Rees — who died last week, at 71 — came to New York with...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 05:55PM
Thursday, July 9, 2015

Sorry, guys, here’s why the James Bond musical’s never going to happen by Michael Riedel

When I read that James Bond was going to be turned into a musical, my heart sank. I’m a huge fan, but the idea of “Mame” Bond is absurd. Even...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:25PM
Tuesday, June 30, 2015

A convicted felon is plotting his return to Broadway by Michael Riedel

My favorite producer, Garth Drabinsky — that real-life Max Bialystock who defrauded investors of his production company Livent — is out of jail and plotting his comeback. He’s acquired…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 04:40PM
Tuesday, June 23, 2015

This is the next big musical Tyne Daly needs to do by Michael Riedel

I’m a big fan of Tyne Daly’s. She was a ferocious Mama Rose in the 1989 revival of “Gypsy,” a tough but vulnerable Maria Callas in “Master Class,” and she...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 01:27PM
Thursday, June 18, 2015

How Tony-chasing producers screwed their own shows by Michael Riedel

Here’s a tip to producers chasing Tony Awards: Don’t send earnest letters to Tony voters begging for their support. You look desperate, and voters recoil in disgust. “How many time…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:39PM
Tuesday, June 16, 2015

‘Anastasia’ musical might give ‘Hamilton’ a run for its money by Michael Riedel

Whenever he had a show that didn’t work, Jule Styne shouted, “Next!” Rather than lick his wounds after a flop, he went straight to the piano and started writing a...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:03PM
Saturday, June 13, 2015

Gotti, guns & gay bars: Inside NYC’s mob history by Michael Riedel

Florida has Disney World, but New York has Gangland. The history of the mob in America begins here, at Ellis Island. Between 1899 and 1910, nearly 2 million southern Italians...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 12:55AM
Thursday, June 11, 2015

These two shows just might topple ‘Hamilton’ by Michael Riedel

Two new Broadway-bound shows had tryouts this week — one openly, the other top-secret. For years, Andrew Lloyd Webber presented staged readings of his latest show in Sydmonton, England, at…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 07:14PM
Monday, June 8, 2015

Broadway votes with their hearts — not wallets — at Tony Awards by Michael Riedel

Once again the Tony Awards have made those of us with black, cynical hearts look ridiculous. “Fun Home,” a small musical about a teenage lesbian and her secretly gay father,...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 12:34AM
Sunday, June 7, 2015

How columnist Michael Riedel is dressing to impress at this year’s Tonys by Michael Riedel

An appreciation of musical theater and good fashion sense don’t always go hand in hand. I’m pretty snappy with a Jerry Herman tune, but when it comes to clothes, I...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 04:24PM
Thursday, June 4, 2015

And the 2015 Tony winners will be… by Michael Riedel

I have an excellent track record when it comes to predicting the Tonys. I picked “Wicked” over “Avenue Q,” “Fela!” over “Memphis,” “Matilda” over “Kinky Boots” and �…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 07:42PM
Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Tony Awards opt for muted Tommy Tune lifetime tribute by Michael Riedel

Here’s the gossip drifting out of Radio City about Sunday night’s Tony telecast. First, the bad news: CBS’s Les Moonves apparently passed on my idea of saluting Tommy Tune, this...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 12:54AM
Saturday, May 30, 2015

Helen Mirren lives like a ‘f—king nun’ while on Broadway by Michael Riedel

Helen Mirren is up for a Tony Award on June 7 for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in “The Audience.” Mirren won an Oscar wearing the same crown in...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 07:00AM
Friday, May 29, 2015

The Tonys get a glam makeover by Michael Riedel

I’m not one to drop a name, but I was at lunch Thursday with Tina Brown (thump) and Helen Mirren (thump, thump) when it occurred to me how glamorous the...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 12:50AM
Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Remembering Anne Meara fondly by Michael Riedel

Anne Meara, who died on Saturday at 85, was best known as a comedian, half of Stiller and Meara, her husband being Jerry Stiller. She was also a trained actress,...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 07:34PM
Monday, May 25, 2015

Send in the lawyers by Michael Riedel

Everybody in the theater who'd heard about John Logan's script for the new HBO series The Miraculous Year knew that the main character was based on Stephen Sondheim. Everybody, that is, but…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

Baldwin's star re-'Born' by Michael Riedel

Alec Baldwin, who rivals the late, great Jack Cassidy in his ability to play smug and arrogant, is in the hunt for a Broadway show.

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

Vanessa driven to odd demand by Michael Riedel

Vanessa Redgrave is arguably the greatest living stage actress of her generation. What's inarguable is that "V," as friends call her, is the most eccentric of the lot. Anybody who's worked…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

Stars go off their rockers by Michael Riedel

Insiders who attended the workshop of The Last Dance are still scratching their heads trying to figure out what the hell happened.

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

No Love lost on Broadway by Michael Riedel

The $15 million London production of the Phantom of the Opera sequel, Love Never Dies, will not be seen in New York. Ever.

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

Sure to offend and succeed by Michael Riedel

Hilarious, audacious—and guaranteed to offend just about everybody. That's how theater insiders are describing The Book of Mormon, the much-anticipated new Broadway musical from South …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 15, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic