We figured Michael Riedel would have something to say about this! On Tuesday, the Tony Management Committee announced via e-mail that theater-covering critics, reporters, and editors would lose their ability to vote for the awards, claiming the 100-strong group has a “conflict of interest.†Riedel quite reasonably points out in today’s Post, however, that the press was the least biased eighth of the Tony-voting body, which is otherwise made up of producers and theater owners who are hilariously allowed to cast ballots for shows they have financial stakes in.
Riedel — who is not to be fucked with — is so mad he’s outlined a four-point plan for revenge:
1. “Ignore the whole idea of a first night press performance.â€
2. “Ignore the crass commercial shows.â€
3. “Ignore the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, the two useless organizations that control the Tonys.â€
4. “Beef up the Drama Critics Circle Awards.â€
Like he says, “The theater press should stop whining about being ‘marginalized’ by the Tonys … It can put its boot on Broadway’s neck and break it.†Prediction: By Monday, theater press will be allowed to vote on Oscars, Nobel Prizes, and Supreme Court cases.
A WHOLE NEW BALLOT GAME [NYP]