There is no business like show business. In NY1’s The Book Reader, June Thomas of Slate reviews Michael Riedel's new book on the business of Broadway.
Broadway attendance reached more than 13 million in the 2014-15 season, with those theater-goers spending a whopping $1.37 billion on tickets. That is a useful reminder that while New York’s theater district is one of the world’s most important creative centers, it is also crucial to the city’s financial success.
In his wonderful new book, “Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway,” Michael Riedel focuses on the capitalists who make the artistry possible: the theater landlords and producers whose investments—shrewd and otherwise—make it possible for playwrights, composers, lyricists, directors, choreographers, and performers to bring their work to the public.
Riedel is particularly illuminating on the story of the Shubert empire, which was founded by three brothers in the late 19th century, and narrowly survived family tragedies, until it was saved by a pair of lawyers in the 1970s. The story of how Gerald Schoenfeld and Bernard Jacobs seized control of the business and then shepherded it through economic crises, real-estate downturns, and criminal investigations is as dramatic as many of the works that filled their theaters.
Riedel doesn’t ignore the shows themselves, of course, but he’s interested in the musicals and plays that kept theaters open—so this is one Broadway book that pays more attention to Andrew Lloyd Webber than to Stephen Sondheim.
If you know Michael Riedel from his rather self-aggrandizing New York Post columns, don’t worry—he has the good sense to leave himself out of this story. Broadway and the businessmen who kept it afloat and, now, flourishing are the stars of this stylish, informative book.
For more on the latest releases, visit the Slate Book Review at slate.com/books.