Razzle Dazzle, Michael Riedel
Razzle Dazzle, Michael Riedel
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Razzle Dazzle
The Battle for Broadway

Author: Michael Riedel

Narrator: Peter Berkrot

Unabridged: 16 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/06/2015

Synopsis

Razzle Dazzle is a provocative, no-holds-barred narrative account of the people, money, and power that reinvented 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 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 amid 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 Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, and Mamma Mia! They also sparked the revitalization of Broadway and the renewal of Times Square.With wit and passion, Michael Riedel tells the stories of the Shubert Organization and the shows that rebuilt a city in grand style, revealing backstage drama that often rivaled what transpired onstage, exposing bitter rivalries, unlikely alliances, and of course, scintillating gossip.

About Michael Riedel

Michael Riedel has been a theater columnist for the New York Post since 1998. He worked at the New York Daily News for five years before returning to the Post and has written for the Guardian, Harper’s Bazaar, Mirabella, Departures, and Commentary. He is the executive producer and cohost of Theater Talk on PBS, is a contributor to the BBC, and has appeared on Larry King Live, the Today show, Good Morning America, and many other news programs. Razzle Dazzle is his first book.

About Peter Berkrot

Peter Berkrot is a veteran of both stage and screen, having appeared in Caddyshack, Brotherhood, Unsolved Mysteries, and more. A prominent acting coach and a regular contributor to the award-winning news program Frontline, he was the director of narration for the Emmy-nominated The Truth About Cancer. His voice can be heard on television, radio, video games, documentaries, and industrials. An Audie Award nominee and the winner of multiple Earphones Awards, he has recorded over 170 audiobooks.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Brian

“The connections between the fortunes of Broadway and New York was key to pulling together all the stories I’d heard…” If this text had been written by anyone other than Michael Riedel I doubt I would have cared to read it. The gossipy (but eminently knowledgeable and talented) theater columnist for......more

Goodreads review by Jack

OK, this may be a bit too much inside baseball for the civilian reader. I arrived in NYC for my second stint in 1985, just as the British invasion was fully taking hold; my first big shows were LES MIS and PHANTOM. But Riedel has done exhaustive research on the shifting fortunes of Broadway over the......more

Quotes

“The personal and professional foibles of various Shuberts are documented with color and wit…For those interested in the business behind the greasepaint, at a riveting time in Broadway’s and New York’s history, this is the ticket.” USA Today

“[A] lively, immensely enjoyable history of some of the darker days of Broadway and its subsequent revival…features plenty of colorful anecdotes and snappy profiles of central figures from the era.” New York Times

“Brings this gritty world back to life…Riedel unearths treasure from the recent past and contextualizes events that would otherwise be too easily forgotten.” Washington Post

“A rollicking, authoritative and valuable history of Broadway…[that] shows off Riedel’s reporting and punchy writing.” New York Times Book Review

“Fabulously juicy…Riedel’s book grips because he understands, far better than most, the power of the theater owners on Broadway.” Chicago Tribune

“A vivid page-turner…Startling deaths, unexpected demolitions, backstage gossip, inside stories—it’s every bit as theatrical as its subject matter.” NPR

“An exhilarating ride…A fascinating, eye-popping view of all the bloody carnage.” Huffington Post

“One of the best histories of American show business ever published, but one of the great New York City books as well.” New York Post

“Smart, well-informed, and informative.” American Theatre

“Riedel brings enthusiasm and authority to this rich, lively debut history…A captivating gift to theater lovers.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Awards

  • #1 Amazon bestseller
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