A Message To Broadway World From Rick McKay!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/27/11 at 9:51pm

As some of you here know I've been involved with these films for years now and I know a lot of you have been asking and wondering about the 2nd and 3rd film so I asked Rick if he would write something to update everyone on them and he asked me to post the following:


"All is great with "Broadway: BEYOND the Golden Age". Just taking a lot longer in this economy with so little money around. But, I am still the "unstoppable Rick McKay!" as the critic Peter Travers called me in Rolling Stone magazine a few years ago.

"BROADWAY: BEYOND THE GOLDEN AGE" is much bigger than BGA. It starts in 1959 (when GYPSY, RAISIN IN THE SUN, MUSIC MAN, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, THE MIRACLE WORKER, SOUND OF MUSIC, FIORELLO, BYE BYE BIRDIE, WEST SIDE STORY, SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, and many more - were all playing on Broadway at the same time. And the film goes through the changes of the sixties and seventies happening around the world and how it affected theatre  - with the story being told by the entire original cast of A CHORUS LINE, members of the original casts of HAIR, APPLAUSE, PIPPIN, BIRDIE,  CHICAGO, AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, FOLLIES, 42ND STREET and more. There are also chapters celebrating the great TEACHERS (Strasberg, The Studio, Stella Adler, Uta Hagen, etc.), chapters about CRITICS (and what it does to the stars, writers, etc., to read what is written), OFF-BWAY (Greenwich Village in the 60's - verrry cool), JOE PAPP, AGENTS who changed actors lives with their help, the difficulty of being a minority on BWAY at the time, the Abominable Showman DAVID MERRICK, surviving the lean times with DINNER THEATRE work, the GAY contribution to Broadway; as well as chapters about creating A CHORUS LINE, PIPPIN, BYE BYE BIRDIE, MATTRESS and some surprises. Not to mention, because of the HUGE amounts of mail I've received, a chapter about yours and my favorite Dueling Divas, the Bookends of Broadway, ETHEL MERMAN & MARY MARTIN. There is much, much more, but that will give you a tease.

The film goes much deeper as well. Still a love-letter to "the biz" but goes farther by talking to the stars, the dancers, the work-a-day actors, about WHY they do it, how they survive, the price they pay, etc. Another great chapter is about how film differs from theatre, in style and technique - and why some can go back and forth - and why some can't. 

AND more great archival footage than ever before, with fantastic, never-before-seen footage of shows. And a staggering cast this time that was starting out or already working then: Robert Redford, Dick Van Dyke, Glenn Close, Liza Minnelli, Debbie Allen, Chita, John Lithgow, Debbie Reynolds, Angela Lansbury, Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Fonda, Cloris Leachman, Peter Gallagher, Lou Gossett, Jr., Elliott Gould, Lesley Ann Warren, Doris Roberts, Loretta Divine, Richard Thomas, Jane White, Ben Gazzara, Julie Newmar, Joanna Gleason, Cherry Jones, Kelly Bishop, Peter Weller, Carol Burnett, Michael Crawford, Stritch, Diahann Carroll, Betty Buckley, Bebe Neuwirth, Anne Reinking, Elizabeth Ashley, Valerie Harper, Shirley Knight, Sid Caesar, Patti LuPone, Ben Vereen, Estelle Parsons, Tovah Feldshuh, Sian Phillips, John Rubinstein, Ken Page, Arthur Penn, Carol Channing, Tommy Tune, Alice Ghostley, Jennifer Holiday, Alyson Reed, Sidney Poitier, Dody Goodman, Kaye Ballard, Marge Champion, Candy Brown, Barbara Cook, Priscilla Lopez, Michael Kidd, Andre de Shields, Pay Suzuki, Gretchen Wyler, Charles Strouse, Lee Roy Reams, Susan Watson, Lloyd Richards and that is maybe 1/2 the cast!

The film ends in 1980 as the whole world is ready to change again for Broadway, with many of the great directors, writers, performers of the golden age dying as AIDS hits the theatre world harder than almost any other field. But then, of course , "BROADWAY: THE NEXT GENERATION" - the third installment of the Broadway trilogy, will bring the story up to date with a whole new crop of passionate creative artists creating a new era. 

But, to cut to the chase, as to what folks really want to know: BBGA will be wrapping early 2012, then post-production, then (if all goes well . . .) theatrical release in art-houses in select cities in Summer/Fall 2012 with me and stars doing Q&A's and events at theatres (with a version of the film only shown only in theatres!), then DVD release in early December 2012 for the holidays. Woohoo! BNG should have a similar roll-out in 2013/4.

Sorry also, about the website, but I am working on a big trailer that will be done by holiday time if all goes well, and that will launch the new site as well as an internet fund-raising campaign to help offset the phenomenally expensive clearance rights to use the music, archival footage, etc., not to mention really expensive post-production. People often think I can do everything myself, so it shouldn't cost much. But, even if I shoot it, light it, do sound, do the research, do the interview, do the archival research, and then edit the movie alone - I still have close to a million in rights and post. Oy. So, the fund-raising will be really important to finishing the film. And there will be incentives, like signed posters, DVD's of never-before-seen out-takes from BGA and BBGA, early shipping of the DVD, early pre-screenings of the film in theatres before the public, and private screenings here in my home where we shot the film and cut it, with me and a star telling you all the behind-the-scenes wicked stories that can't go on the director's commentary track on the dvd

Tell anyone who reads all of this (God, I talk too much!) to feel free to pass it on, or post it, anywhere they like, excepting public bathrooms of course, and forgive me for taking sooo long to update you all. Being a one-man band making these films is an adventure, but it can be tough to keep in touch with the real world some times.

Also, tell the gang I'll be at Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library for November 7th for an event with DONNA MURPHY. It is an interview format and is from 6PM - 8 PM and it's FREE, which we love. They are recording it for the Library's collection so you'll be archived forever - and it's gonna' be fun, too. Donna is always cast kinda' cool and regally, but she is a hoot and I am sure it will be irreverent and a lot of fun! More details here: https://www.theatrewomen.org/event/oral-history-donna-murphy.

Thanks again for letting folks know what's up. Please tell them that there are no words to thank them enough for remembering the first film and keeping it alive, while waiting so patiently for the new one. I hope to do each and every one of them proud with the new one. Thank you!

Best,

Rick McKay
President, Producer/Director
Second Act Productions, Inc.
NYC, NY.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/27/11 at 9:55pm

That sounds great.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 10/27/11 at 10:45pm

Wow...Jordan...I never knew of this artistic side of you! Congratulations and good luck. from Roman Castillo Jr. in Austin, Texas

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 10/27/11 at 10:54pm

That list of shows and performers made me weepy...
Hurry up with this.
Updated On: 10/27/11 at 10:54 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/27/11 at 10:57pm

Trust me. I've seen a lot of it and it's well worth the wait.

[Blactor]

Posted: 10/27/11 at 11:22pm

I really can't wait to see these films. The original BGA is one of my favorite documentaries of all time, and was very inspiring (and saddening, in some ways) to me as a performer.

What a gift to have someone like Mr. McKay around.

I'm excited!

[BwayLover]

Posted: 10/28/11 at 7:46am

Jordan, thank you so much for conveying that message. To say that I am EXCITED for the two upcoming movies is an understatement.... Really happy to hear there's a way for me to contribute even a small amount to the cost, as well. Please pass along that info when it becomes available.

And I am driving in from Pittsburgh for the Donna Murphy interview- one of the reasons being that Rick McKay is such a wonderful interviewer! :)

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/28/11 at 8:41am

Can't wait! Loved the first one, and I'm really looking forward to the follow-ups.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/28/11 at 1:48pm

I'm really excited about the Donna Murphy interview as well! If you've never seen her just sit down and talk, you should definitely try to come to this!

[MusicMan]

Posted: 10/28/11 at 6:22pm

"a whole new crop of passionate creative artists creating a new era"

Obviously, the third entry will be a satire.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 10/29/11 at 12:57am

I'm intrigued by his statements about the entire original cast of A Chorus Line. While I'm sure he interviewed Thommie Walsh and Clive (Clerk) Wilson before they passed a few years ago, Michel Stuart (Greg) died in 1997 and I'm fairly certain that Cameron Mason died in the 90s as well.

Was McKay really interviewing back then? I'm not sure, aside from the Donahue show, that Mason would have ever had an onscreen interview.

Oddly, Stuart and Wilson were both 59 and Walsh was 57.

[steveshack]

Posted: 10/29/11 at 2:33pm

Rick McKay is a national treasure.