Truth is stranger than fiction: think a much more scandalous Smash! Theater journalist Michael Riedel’s surprisingly scintillating tome, Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway, is being developed by RadicalMedia for the small screen; Doug McGrath is adapting the work.
“I'm delighted that Doug McGrath is adapting Razzle Dazzle into a miniseries. I loved his play about Richard Nixon—Checkers—and I think his book to Beautiful: The Carol King Musical is terrific,” Riedel told Broadway.com. “My only regret is that I didn't put myself in Razzle Dazzle. I know Hugh Jackman has been dying to play me for years.” Oh, shut up, Riedel.
In Razzle Dazzle, Riedel pulls back the curtain on the Great White Way's stars, its producers, and its mega-hits to reveal all the shocking drama, intrigue, and power plays that happened off stage. The book 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.
Check out Broadway.com's exclusive tour of the Main Stem with Riedel as he discusses the book below.