User:Dr Hugo Z Hackenbush/sandbox

Michael Riedel is an American journalist. He is the theater columnist for the New York Post and co-host (with Susan Haskins) of the weekly talk show Theatre Talk on CUNY-TV.

His abrasive personality and "gleeful skewering" of Broadway shows and figures in his twice-weekly column have made him a controversial and often reviled figure on the New York theater scene.

Early Life and Education
Riedel grew up in Geneseo, New York. His father was the athletic director of SUNY Geneseo and his mother was a grade-school librarian. He has been described as a "smart, sarcastic kid" who joined the Young Republicans at 12 and originally planned to become a lawyer and politician.

In 1989, he graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University with a BA in history.

Career
After graduating from Columbia, Riedel served as Managing Editor of the now-defunct TheatreWeek magazine, which he made more literary by hiring highly-respected theater figures such to write articles. In 1993, he was hired as a gossip columnist for The Daily News and subsequently launched his now-famous column reporting the latest news and rumors of the Broadway theater scene. In 1998, he moved his column to the New York Post, where he remains today.

David Leveaux Controversy
In 2005, Riedel was the subject of considerable press himself when he was in an altercation with English director David Leveaux at the after-party for Leveaux's 2005 production of Fiddler on the Roof. Riedel, who later admitted to being "tipsy", insulted Leveaux by claiming that English directors ruin classic American musicals. While rumors circulated that Leveaux punched Riedel so hard he had to go to the emergency room, the truth is that Riedel was merely shoved to the floor and was not injured.

Cultural References
In view of his notorious reputation as a theater columnist, Riedel was referred to as a "Napoleonic little Nazi" in the premiere episode of the NBC musical drama Smash on February 6, 2012. He later made a cameo appearance as himself on the April 2, 2012 episode.